GeekWire Awards Motion Graphic
Project Overview
Killer Infographics partnered with the technology news site Geekwire to produce the opening video for their annual Award show. Aptly named the Geekwire Awards, the event highlights the accolades of Northwest tech startups and their founders. This is a detailed look at my contribution to the project.
Goals
The focus was to develop a motion graphic that would communicate the importance of the Northwest tech community and empower women in the industry. The motion graphic would need to capture and maintain attention of event attendees as this would be the opening piece for the event. Another large goal was to inspire viewers to replay and share the video across multiple social media channels.
My Role
I was the Art director, and was responsible for the overall aesthetic of the motion graphic. This meant establishing a fitting color scheme, developing an illustration style, and overseeing the cohesion of the entire piece. In addition to art direction I was an illustrator and animator on the project team. Working with a team of 2 other animators, 2 illustrators, and a 3D artist it was important to have fluid and frequent communication. This meant weekly check-ins and constant exchange of creative progress.
Research
Inspiration for color, visual aesthetic, mood and composition were collected while keeping in mind the established theme of women empowerment in the technology sector. The vision for the aesthetic kept moving our attention towards the work of Chromosphere and, in particular, their Forms in Nature animation. Our final design even has moments of homage to these works.
Storyboard
The storyboard was developed in tandem with the script to establish a visual reference for initial composition, emotion and points of emphasis. Multiple iterations for the story were drawn up before the artwork stage commenced. This is always a critical step as it is a central reference for the entire team and a declaration to the client as to what the story flow will be.
art Direction
I generated an approach that felt technological and cinematic by using a combination of detailed elements with more simple geometric shapes. The design allowed for a workflow that could span across a team of illustrators and animators while maintaining that cinematic feel. The subject of each scene would receive the most visual emphasis while the background details would receive less detail to highlight the subjects even more. The color palette gave a nod to the pacific northwest while still revolving around the theme of tech and empowerment. Warmer colors would be implemented to compliment the lighter hues.
It was my role to illustrate the first scene in the animation to establish how colors would be used and how elements would be implemented. I made note of nuances that could be tied into each scene. This would create cohesion throughout the entire animation. One of these notes was about the prominent use of light which was a subtle metaphor for the collection of knowledge by our heroine Alison.
Artwork
Each illustrated scene was based on established compositions from the final storyboard. After illustration was complete designers and animators had to meticulously layer out the files and prepare them for animation. Below are a few of the scenes I helped illustrate and layer out.
Results
The motion graphic received high praise the night of the event and has garnered thousands of plays across multiple social channels. This led to an influx of animation requests for Killer Infographics.
