Guest User 7/20/21 Guest User 7/20/21

Takeover Tuesday with Hend and Lamiaa

Q&A with Hend Esmat and Lamiaa Diab, a design & animation directing duo.

Q&A with Hend & Lamiaa.
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

Hey guys! Why don’t you take a second to give us a bit of background on yourselves and your work?

Hend & Lamiaa:

Hello! We are Hend & Lamiaa, a design and animation directing duo. We are two friends who share a great passion for telling stories through colorful visuals and quirky characters, with a strong focus on projects with a social impact. We enjoy the vast range and power of animation in tackling diverse genres, from lighthearted topics to more serious ones, and are always up for the challenge with every project we embark on! We have directed and animated short films, explainers, and TV commercials as well as designed for children’s books and TV series.

Madison Caprara:
You both are originally from Egypt, correct? What is the animation scene like there? How radically does it differ from that in Bristol?

Hend & Lamiaa:

The animation scene in Egypt has been significantly growing in the past years. More specialized studios are forming, like Samaka and Giraffics, and some educational courses are being offered too. Something relatively new to our generation. The market is more driven towards advertising and post-production work though which can be quite limiting and competitive.

The biggest and most significant difference for us is the networking aspect, and being able to easily access a wider network of studios and potential clients. So consequently, we felt that being based in Bristol opened up more opportunities and diverse projects.

However, we have worked with clients from Egypt too while being based in Bristol and are still keen to continue doing so. We really hope to bridge the gap between the animation industry in Egypt with the international market and to help in linking talents across countries. It’s a milestone that we really hope to accomplish in our future plans.

Madison Caprara:

With how new the animation industry is in Egypt, how exactly did the two of you go about getting into the business together?

Hend & Lamiaa:

Back in 2009, we went to the same university in Cairo where we both were studying Media Design and Filmmaking. At some point, we realized that we had been going to the same school but did not know each other! There was only one animation course offered during the five-year BA program and we were both immediately drawn to animation from that point. We realized we shared the same passion in terms of style and interest, so we started working together on uni projects. Eventually, we began to take up freelancing jobs together.

It first started with small gigs from friends and family. Slowly we began to grow our network. In 2016 we both wanted to apply for Masters in Animation. We applied to several universities at the same time and luckily both received full scholarships to the same uni in Bristol, which immensely helped us in continuing to pave our path together! After our graduation in 2018, we applied for Launch Space, which provided us with support in growing our business and setting up a company in Bristol.

Madison Caprara:

It seems almost fated!

How do you go about allocating project tasks between the two of you?

Hend & Lamiaa:

We usually brainstorm together whenever there’s a brief or pitch. We like juggling ideas back and forth and scribbling down rough thumbnails. Once that part is set, we start dividing the work according to the schedule we have. Our roles usually cross over each other, and only recently have we tried to divide them a bit more to make sure we are more efficient and develop as a “business”.

So after brainstorming, usually Hend handles more of the scheduling, emailing, and production side, while Lamiaa takes care of the designs and pre-production work. Once production is ready, we either divide the animation shots between us or hire more people if the project needs it. What is really nice about working together though is that we can easily shift roles! If someone feels stuck with a certain task or feels that they got bored, we change roles to break the rhythm and get the project moving.

Madison Caprara:

So, divide and conquer, I like it.

When it comes to the types of projects or work you take on, is there always a dual, “yes”? If not, what’s usually the deciding factor?

Hend & Lamiaa:

We usually discuss together before we take on any new project. We both have to agree at the end on the decision. So, it is either we both have the same opinion from the beginning or if we don’t, we discuss together until someone convinces the other. The deciding factor is almost always budget and time. We get excited about most projects very easily, and are always enthusiastic to create more!

Unfortunately being our own bosses obliges us to try to be pragmatic and make sure we make enough income. So we try to find a balance between both passion and commercial work as much as possible. We still don’t have the optimum resolution but would highly recommend the book The Freelance Manifesto by Joey Korenman for anyone struggling with that.

Madison Caprara:

For a self-ascribed indecisive, that sounds like a nightmare, to be honest.

Do you ever see yourselves expanding your staff to more than just the two of you?

Hend & Lamiaa:

We are in desperate need of growing our team. The issue is always with the budget available. So we only hire freelancers whenever it allows us to, but are looking into hiring a full-time producer as a start and then hopefully have more people joining us!

Madison Caprara:

I truly don’t know where dash would be without our Producer, Meryn Hayes. She’s a rockstar.

Congrats on your Vimeo Staff Pick Badge for Flipped, by the way! Could you give us a little rundown on where the idea stemmed from and what the creative process was like?

Hend & Lamiaa:

Thank you so much! We were so happy to receive a staff pick for this film! We made it during our MA course in Bristol, where we were asked to pitch three different ideas for a short film. One of the concepts we came up with was “What if kids and adults switched roles?” After our presentation, we found ourselves very intrigued to keep thinking about that; imagining different situations and flipping roles from daily actions that take place in almost every house around the world! Whether it be eating, going to bed, taking a shower, etc.

We spent a few months working on the storyboard and animatic, puzzling around different situations until the whole structure was formed. After that, we worked on the designs and the technical process. This was the first time we ever got to animate this amount of characters, so we wanted to make sure our technical abilities allowed us to do so as we are not traditional frame-by-frame animators. After, we spent some time testing rigs with DUIK on after effects until we reached a look we were satisfied with. You can find more information about the process here and here.

Madison Caprara:

Well, it’s such a fun piece. I love the hand-drawn animation style. It really adds to the idea of children being the main target audience.

Pivoting from there, how integral do you believe social media is to be successful in this industry? Being that I’ve managed to make a career out of it, I’m a little bias. I love hearing others’ thoughts!

Hend & Lamiaa:

Being present on social media is very crucial, especially if you are not employed full-time at a studio or company. You have to keep posting, even if it’s just a work-in-progress. It makes it easier for potential recruiters to find you. However, we are both very bad at this job! Neither one of us is used to sharing quite often, even on our personal accounts. So, we do disappear from time to time, unfortunately.

Madison Caprara:

What would be your dream project or collaboration?

Hend & Lamiaa:

We have several dream projects we would love to work on. Basically, we’re just trying to divide them as milestones and focus on them step by step. For closer milestones, we would love to keep growing our network and eventually collaborate with different studios. We learn so much from working with different people. We especially love the thrill of meeting new people and exchanging knowledge.

Another milestone is working with more film and television show departments. We would love to work on title sequences to be more specific. Saul Bass’ title sequences were one of the main reasons we got into this whole industry, so we would love to work on such a project. A bigger dream is more educationally driven. We would love to contribute in linking communities worldwide as mentioned before by making animation more accessible, whether through work, opportunities, or sharing knowledge.

Madison Caprara:
And where do you go for inspiration?

Hend & Lamiaa:

Book stores to flip through different children’s books, we’ll go outside with a notebook and just observe the world around us, of course, Pinterest, Vimeo, and Instagram are amazing sources of inspiration as well. Also, before COVID, attending networking events and screenings.

Madison Caprara:

As the world begins to feel a little closer to “normal.” Maybe normal’s not the right word, closer to how it was before the COVID pandemic struck. That being said, what does the rest of 2021 look like for you? Is there anything special we can look forward to seeing from you?

Hend & Lamiaa:

This year is all about collaboration and exploring new opportunities for us. It was a bit hard to keep up with our initial plans with all that’s happening in the world, so we are trying to focus on more remote opportunities and whatever we can accomplish with more limited budgets.

A few months back, we collaborated with different animators from around the world in creating one film - in an exquisite corpse style - where each animator created a 15-second clip playing off of the previous clip from another creator. The film should be done by the end of the summer and we are very excited to see the outcome. Now, we are working on a commissioned project until the end of August where we are also collaborating with other extremely talented animators. So we’re really looking forward to releasing the films soon!

Madison Caprara:

Well, we’re reaching the end of this Q&A session. Do you have any closing points or statements you would like to end on?

Hend & Lamiaa:

Networking is very important in our industry. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask any questions you have in mind. You’d be surprised! Everyone understands the struggle of trying to make it as a freelancer in this industry, so everyone is willing to help and share their experiences very openly.

Not sure if that’s relevant, but from what we went through in the past years, we realized how important it is to keep yourself motivated to keep going. It’s very normal to have some low points during the process, it’s ok to allow yourself to feel down for a few days, but make sure to remind yourself of your passions, to stay in focus, and to keep going!

Guest User 7/13/21 Guest User 7/13/21

Takeover Tuesday with Matea Lo

Q&A with Matea Lo, a freelance motion designer, illustrator, and AE animator.

Q&A with Matea Lo
Read time: 5min

Madison Caprara:

Hey, Matea! Why don’t you take a second to introduce yourself?

Matea Lo:

Hi! I’m a freelance designer, illustrator, and AE animator. I’ve been working in the Motion Design industry for around five years.

Madison Caprara:
So ‘Meat,’ huh? Where did that nickname stem from if you don’t mind me asking?

Matea Lo:

I was in a group chat and my buddy was struggling to type my name. “Matea” quickly autocorrected to “Meat” and it somehow stuck!

Madison Caprara:

So funny! Love a nickname with a story.

What did your journey into the industry look like?

Matea Lo:

I studied Art and Design in college without an understanding of what motion graphics really was. My school introduced their first mograph course my senior year and I instantly fell in love.

Madison Caprara:

From an outsider’s perspective, how would you describe your style of works?

Matea Lo:

While I try to push myself to explore different styles, I would say my aesthetic is warm and painterly.

Madison Caprara:

“Warm and painterly.” I like that a lot. Perfect description!

Was there anything in particular that really helped to solidify your look?

Matea Lo:

Early on I would spend hours of my day scouring galleries on Vimeo. You naturally pick up on different techniques after consuming a lot of content. I think what solidified my illustration style was creating heaps of artwork. Everything I drew was ugly compared to the artists I admired. It was extremely disheartening, but after a lot of trial and error, atrocious color palettes, and stray photoshop layers, I was finally proud of my work. Ira Glass’s “The Gap” perfectly describes this.

Madison Caprara:

I’m pretty sure I’ve read about this topic. The difference between having good taste and doing good work, yes? A majority of professional creatives get into their industry because they have pretty superior aesthetic taste, but that doesn’t mean they will be great at translating it in the beginning.

So, design, illustration, and animation. Quite the skillset! Which would you say is your favorite medium? Why?

Matea Lo:

This might be cheating, but it’s probably illustrative motion design. I loved puzzles as a kid and I think the process of animating a static scene requires a similar form of problem-solving. Working digitally also gives you a lot of room to experiment and make mistakes.

Madison Caprara:

No wrong answers here!

Digital work is a bit more forgiving, I imagine. I have a friend who is the most amazing painter; Huge, naturalistic-styled works. More than once I’ve seen her punch a hole through her canvas for one faulty brush stroke.

Madison Caprara:

You graduated from Pratt Institute, looking back on your college experience, what was the most important lesson you have learned?

Matea Lo:

I actually got my BFA at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Because Madison’s Art Department was fine arts-focused, there weren't a lot of resources for design students. It taught me that you have to be a self-starter to thrive in a professional creative space. Later, I sought out a motion graphics certificate from Pratt because I wanted to learn more about animation.

Madison Caprara:

My mistake!

So, you’ve worked with many high-profile clients. In your experience, what is the essential ingredient to a successful ongoing client relationship?

Mateo Lo:

It’s important to be honest in communicating how much time a task will take. Luckily I’ve worked with a lot of great producers to help mediate that process. I think an essential ingredient in any relationship is to be kind and understanding. Everyone on the team is probably stressed. Being someone who is easy to work with really goes a long way!

Madison Caprara:

Who has been your absolute favorite client to work with?

Matea Lo:

My favorite client was Athletes Unlimited. I had the opportunity to lead the design and animation of their Every Moment Counts series. From storyboards to animatic to animation, it was the smoothest process I’ve experienced. It was also really fun to listen to the athletes’ stories and bring them to life.

Madison Caprara:
…and what has been one of your most challenging assignments?

Matea Lo:

One that stands out was a piece called Living Street Art. Our team of three was tasked to animate and composite a 40 foot, 42 screen mural for Google’s Chicago office. It was a huge undertaking but extremely satisfying to experience the final product in person. It taught me a lot about rigging, compositing, and painful render times.

Madison Caprara:

I’m getting very strong Where the Wild Things Are vibes from this one. Big fan!

Now, do you approach creating client work differently than the works you produce for your own personal projects?

Matea Lo:

I try to treat my personal projects like client work. I’ll set a loose timeline for myself and various goals to hit along the way. Having a deadline to post on social media gives me a sense of accountability.

Madison Caprara:

Where do you go for inspiration? I ask this in every Takeover Tuesday interview, it may be getting a little stale, but it’s my favorite. Everyone’s answer varies.

Matea Lo:

Besides the obvious Motionographer, Pinterest, Vimeo, and Instagram, I try to push myself to consume work outside of the industry too. I’ve found inspiration from museums, film, animal videos on Reddit, and random photos I’ve saved to my phone.

Madison Caprara:

What does the rest of 2021 look like for you? It’s hard to believe, but we’re already more than halfway through the year. Is there anything special we can look forward to seeing from you?

Matea Lo:

I’m leaving my staff job of three years to freelance full-time this summer. It’s a daunting transition but I’m excited for new challenges and creative opportunities!

Madison Caprara:

A congratulation is definitely in order! Good luck with your next chapter. That’s so exciting!

Well, we’re reaching the end here, Matea. Do you have any closing advice or statements you would like to share?

Matea Lo:

Yes! I know everyone says it, but create the work you want to do to get the jobs you want! Most are not glamorous but if you can find time to make art you’re passionate about, those opportunities will come along. If you light up when you’re talking about work you’re proud of, that excitement will be contagious.

Guest User 7/6/21 Guest User 7/6/21

Takeover Tuesday with Tomasz Czajka

Q&A with Tomasz Czajka, a freelance Motion Designer from Poland.

Q&A with Tomasz Czajka
Read time: 5min

Madison Caprara:

Hi, Tomasz! How’re you doing?

Could you give a brief introduction to yourself and your work? How would you describe your style for the readers?

Tomasz Czajka:

Hello! I’m Tomasz, and I am a freelance Motion Designer. I’m originally from Poland and am currently living here. I don’t feel like I have a well-defined style yet, though I‘m starting to notice that geometrical stylization, intense colors, and subtle textures appeal to me most. Even so, I’d say achieving different looks in After Effects is what excites me a lot.

Madison Caprara:
Taking style out of the equation, you have a pretty wide skillset: graphic design, illustration, motion design. Do you have a favorite focus?

Tomasz Czajka:

Thanks!

Currently, I enjoy motion design the most, specifically the animation part, though I wish I had more opportunities to design style frames. For a long time, I was very hesitant about what should be my specialisation. I’ve spent endless hours playing video games, so I was almost sure that I want to pursue a career in game development. Before that, I thought that web design was a reasonable choice. The idea of becoming a Motion Designer came to me quite late but allowed me to utilize everything I’ve learned so far. Our industry feels special to me because it combines so many fields.

Madison Caprara:

Definitely brings into mind the ongoing debate of specialism vs generalism.

What did your education journey look like? How did you go about landing your first gig after graduating?

Tomasz Czajka:

I started in a little different field, which was web design. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with computers, so my uncle gave me a book about HTML. I quickly began making multiple small websites, which taught me enough to design a page for my high school. Some people noticed and asked me if I could create something for them as well. That earned me my first income from creative work and motivated me to prepare a portfolio for design school. Eventually, I got into the graphic design program at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Technology. It was a very comprehensive course, but in the final year, I focused on 3D animation. While studying, I worked part-time at a local agency as a Graphic Designer, and soon after graduation, I got my first job as a Motion Designer at Studio Pigeon.

Madison Caprara:

You have gone freelance now, however, correct? How’s the independent life been treating you? Did you experience much of a change with the pandemic? Did it play a role in that decision?

Tomasz Czajka:

When the pandemic hit I was working full-time in Stockholm as a Motion Designer at Essen International. Soon after, my wife and I decided to move back to Poland (where we own an apartment), go freelance, and wait a bit until everything stabilized. I handed over my resignation, but my boss asked me if I would be interested in working with them daily. If the pandemic brought anything good, I think it would be the fact that people are more open to the possibility of remote work. Fortunately, I’m busier than ever, still working with Essen and taking some extra projects from time to time.

Madison Caprara:

I 100% agree with that point. The accessibility to remote work is one of the positive outcomes to come from this situation.

Pivoting a little bit away from your journey, would you say that professional pressures stem more from within yourself or external factors?

Tomasz Czajka:

Definitely from within. A few times in my life, I was lucky to be in a position when I had either a steady flow of freelance work or stable full-time employment. But after some time, I always ended up looking for new challenges. I’m still curious and eager to learn, and I hope it won’t change any soon.

Madison Caprara:

I’m not sure how often you work with U.S.-based clients, but how do they differ from those in Poland?

Tomasz Czajka:

To me, the significant differences are in communication and finances. Not even within budgets (which are definitely lower here), but I think that people in the U.S. are more comfortable talking about money. Whenever I was talking about picking up a larger project, I felt safer to ask for partial up-front or split payment, no matter whether it was direct client work or through the studio. When I was asking about the same things here, it could even mean the end of the conversation.

Madison Caprara:

Wow!

Other than the comfortability with talking money, are there any Polish practices that you wish American studios would adopt, or vice-versa?

Tomasz Czajka:

I’ve heard people in the industry saying that our Art Directors, or Eastern European ones in general, are straight to the point, addressing only the issues and rarely mentioning positive parts of the project. I can confirm that, and I think that when the deadlines are super tight, this approach can help to limit the vagueness and number of revisions. On the other hand, it can feel draining and confusing long-term. Ultimately making people insecure about their work. It would be great to add some American positiveness to the mix.

Madison Caprara:

What has been a career highlight for you?

Tomasz Czajka:

I’d say it was a period right after I released my most recent reel. It gathered very positive feedback and allowed me to work with amazing people. I had the opportunity to work with Moth Studio on the NASAxGoogle project, which is one of my favorites so far!

Madison Caprara:

Amazing!

When working on personal projects, where do you tend to go for inspiration?

Tomasz Czajka:

I go to popular places like Motionographer, Motion Gallery on Behance, or curated channels like Wine After Coffee for motion-related inspirations. Also, Motion Design Twitter is a fantastic community. Extremely talented people share their tricks and tips every day, fueling conversations that often lead to surprising solutions.

When I start a design project, I love to start by browsing through my books and albums. Recently I’m fascinated by graphic design and typography in Eastern Block from the Cold War era.

Madison Caprara:
I can definitely attest to the Motion Design Twitter community. It’s a bit addicting, really!

Before we wrap up, are there any closing advice or statements you would like to share?

Tomasz Czajka:

As a person who struggled a lot with picking up a career path, I could only say that all the experience and knowledge you’ll gather on your way will probably benefit you in the future. Saying ‘yes’ to opportunities can take you to unexpected places, even if you think at first that you are not qualified enough.

Guest User 6/29/21 Guest User 6/29/21

Takeover Tuesday with Tatiana Shchekina

Q&A with Tatiana Shchekina, a motion designer, animator, 3D artist, and storyteller with more than 10 years of experience.

Q&A with Tatiana Shchekina
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

Hi Tatiana! Really excited to learn more about you. Could you give us a little overview of yourself and your work?

Tatiana Shchekina:

Hi Madison, I’m very excited about this takeover! I’m a Motion Designer and Art Director originally from a Russian city in the far east with an unpronounceable name. Over the past 15 years, I was fortunate to work as a Motion Designer in television, advertising agencies, as well as in-house at big companies like Microsoft, AT&T, and Amazon. I’m also constantly working on personal projects. I’ve been incredibly lucky to live in places like Seattle and New York City.

Madison Caprara:
So, how did you initially get into the industry?

Tatiana Shchekina:

I studied Architecture and Interior Design in college and I was making a lot of 3D stuff for my student projects. I became fascinated with Cinema 4D and how powerful and intuitive it was. Around 2005 or 2006, there were very few tutorials or resources online. I wanted to find a mentor who could help me learn C4D properly. By total accident, I found out that our local TV Network had a bunch of designers working in Cinema 4D.

I went there, showed them my ugly C4D renders, and asked if I could help with anything. They let me hang out at the office and I ended up picking up a lot of design and animation basics there. Since I was there almost every day, they would have me do small tasks, and eventually ended up hiring me as a full-time Designer while I was still in school. Only later I found out that I was actually working as a Motion Designer!

Madison Caprara:

From Architecture to Motion Design. That’s incredible!

You relocated pretty far. How difficult was it for you to go from working Motion Design in Russia to the U.S.? Were there any significant challenges?

Tatiana Shchekina:

It was relatively easy for me because I didn’t need a visa sponsorship. I am a lucky Diversity Visa Program winner. The program gives an opportunity to people from all over the world to get a Green Card by randomly selecting them. After winning, I could pick anywhere in the U.S. to live and to work. I picked Seattle as my destination, it wasn’t too big or too small, and had a decent amount of Motion Design jobs. Also, the winter is pretty mild there!

Fortunately for me, American Motion Designers use the same software as Russian Motion Designers (Ae and C4D). The work process is also very similar - from brainstorming to animation. I had eight years of experience working as a Designer in television by the time I moved to the United States, and I was lucky to find a full-time job in an advertising agency just a month after my move. One big challenge I had that is not connected with Motion Design is driving. In Russia, you don’t have to have a car if you live in the city. Most places are accessible by public transport. So I never learned how to drive before I got to the U.S. To get to my first job here in Seattle I had to get up at 5 AM and take three buses. But I was happy to do it because I was still able to do Motion Design on the other side of the world. It seemed like a miracle at the time.

Madison Caprara:

I’ve lived here my entire life and still can’t parallel park, so I 100% feel you.

What is your favorite part of the animation process: pre-production, production, or post-production? Why?

Tatiana Shchekina:

I enjoy the production process the most. When I have a fully defined idea and I know what I am trying to say, I have a lot of fun with the process of experimenting with different approaches and techniques.

Madison Caprara:

In your opinion, Is there any radical distinction between an Animator and a Director?

Tatiana Shchekina:

I usually direct and animate most of the things I work on, and I think of myself as an Art Director. Most creative people want to have input and direction within their work. Once you get more and more experience animating, it's a very organic process to become a director as well.

Madison Caprara:

Do you ever allow yourself to be picky when agreeing to work on a project? What is it that you look for? What boxes need to be checked for you to say, “yes?”

People usually have different answers to this question, and I love the variety I get when it’s asked.

Tatiana Shchekina:

I’m always excited to work with people who are very passionate about Motion Design. I look for opportunities, where I can work with talented people and learn from them, or projects where I can take on new challenges and grow as an artist. I’m also a huge metalhead, and if Metallica ever reaches out with any project, I will absolutely say “Yes!” One time I met a Graphic Designer who worked with them on one of their tour posters, and the only direction that they gave him was to have skulls in that poster. I think that’s the most awesome brief ever!

A metaphor for being a Motion Designer.gif

Madison Caprara:

Going from the ‘potential future’ to the ‘now’, what excites you most about the work you’re doing? Is there anything in particular we should be looking out for?

Tatiana Shchekina:

I love working on personal projects whenever I have a chance. Working on my own stuff gives me complete creative freedom and helps to push the boundaries of my work, and to try out new things. I’m currently working on my new showreel. I want to update an opening for it, and it’s actually one of the hardest things to do because creating a brand for yourself is not easy. I’m very excited about this process though. I’m also working on a few other short animations that I can hopefully publish soon. At my full-time gig at Amazon, I’m excited to drive and define new visual styles and build out a creative team.

Madison Caprara:

Sweet! Well, we will definitely be on the lookout.

Who would you cite as your artistic influence(s)?

Tatiana Shchekina:

There are so many! From Rene Magritte, Frida Kahlo, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and Antoni Gaudi to Nidia Dias, Peter Tarka, Luke Doyle, Johana Kroft, Handel Eugene, Jonas Mosesson, Justin Lawes, César Pelizer...This list is really really long! My mom used to collect art magazines and postcards with different artworks from all over the world. I loved going through her collection as a kid, and it definitely influenced me as an artist.

Madison Caprara:

That’s quite the roster!

Right now, how would you define success in your life? And in the future, how would you determine if you’ve reached that success point?

Tatiana Shchekina:

For me, success is the balance in life. The balance is when I can work on something that I’m very passionate about, keep growing as an artist, and also have enough time to enjoy life and to live in different places around the world.

Madison Caprara:
I would have to agree.

So, I know we went over what individuals inspire you, but which hubs or communities do you go to for inspiration?

Tatiana Shchekina:

I get inspiration from lots of different things. I really enjoy traveling and getting inspired by architecture and art. I loved living in Manhattan because I was always surrounded by beautiful buildings and could go to a new museum every week. I tried to walk around every day during lunch or after work to discover new parts of New York City.

Different Motion Design conferences are incredibly inspiring too! You go there and meet a lot of talented designers, listen to talks from the best people in the industry. I was full of new ideas after Blend 2019. It was an amazing event! I’m also keeping up with motion design trends on Instagram, Behance, and Pinterest. There is always so much new work being made!

Madison Caprara:

BIG Behance fan right here!

Well, we’re wrapping it up, Tatiana. Do you have any closing advice or statements you would like to share?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

Being a Motion Designer is not easy. People that get into Motion Design need to really love the process and be willing to constantly learn and try things out. I have been a Motion Designer for a long time, I’m still learning something new every day and I will never stop learning. The consistent process of growing as an artist can be hard. Don’t let self-doubt and procrastination stop you from making art. Just keep going, and you will see the result!

Guest User 6/22/21 Guest User 6/22/21

Takeover Tuesday with Daniel Moreno Cordero

Q&A with Daniel Moreno Cordero, a designer and animator from Cadiz, Spain who now lives and works in Toronto.

Q&A with Daniel Moreno Cordero
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

Hi, Daniel! To begin, could you give us a brief bio of who you are and how you got into the industry, please?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

My full name is Daniel Moreno Cordero. As you may know, Spaniards have two last names that are sometimes pretty long, although mine’s not that bad! Forty years ago, I was born in the south of Spain in a city called Cadiz. I’m old, I know. It’s a very interesting place. Cadiz is surrounded by white sand beaches and it’s one of the oldest cities in Western Europe (it was founded 3000 years ago). You can find Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Moorish ruins and art everywhere because of that.

Being surrounded by history, I started paying attention to art very early on. I believe I was around eight years old. I would be constantly drawing everywhere, it’s all I would do in high school. My teachers were a bit sick of it as a matter of fact! I hoped to become a comic book author. Motion Design wasn’t a thing yet, but I was very interested in digital painting and Photoshop. So, I would draw on the computer from very early on, in fact, I even got a digital pen in the late 90s (they weren’t as advanced as a Wacom today, unfortunately). I was also very interested in movies and would make short films with friends. In the beginning, I would edit directly on tape which was rather hard and not very precise.

Two years before University, I joined a famous local painter’s studio. He tutored me in classic art and oil painting. It was great and I learned a lot about the technique. Despite all my efforts and hard work, I failed my exam to access art school. It was a practical exam where we had to draw a greek classical statue live, with hundreds of other applicants. I had been training for a couple of years and was pretty confident. However, I later learned that there was this kind of “mafia” in the University at the time where the only alumni getting in were people attending private tutoring from the same teachers in the University. So anyway, I went on to study History of Art at the University of Granada. I loved the degree and even considered becoming a history of art investigator or professor. But then a design school opened its doors in Granada and I decided to attend after completing my program.

Daniel Moreno Cordero:
So there I went and pursued a three-year degree in Design and Multimedia Production. It was an amazing experience and I learned all the basics of design, color, techniques, etc. In my last year there I discovered the world of Motion Design and it was love at first sight. It had everything I cherished: illustration, animation, film, design, art...it was just perfect for me. So I decided to become a Motion Designer.

Madison Caprara:

Wow! That’s quite a journey to get to where you are today.

For readers who may not be familiar, how would you describe your current style?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

That’s a good question! I think I would describe my style as inspired by Pablo Picasso’s ideas while applied to Motion. Picasso is my favorite artist. I try to pursue a child-like aesthetic; spontaneous and fun. I enjoy playing with the abstract to some degree and thinking about the symbolism of the varying shapes and forms, even if that symbolism is not apparent all the time. I focus a lot on color and how it affects the human psyche. I like being bold with the tones, so the pieces end up being cheerful and hopeful. I love classic art, but also African and Pre-Hispanic periods. Early 20th-century vanguard (Dadaism, Cubism, Expressionists, Abstracts, Concept Art, Pop-Art, etc.), and 60’s illustrations and designs as well. I would say my style is a mix of all of that in some way.

Madison Caprara:

That’s probably one of the most intensive descriptions I’ve gotten to date! Gustav Klimt is one of my favorite artists, so we share that affinity for figurative painters.

So you spoke a bit about your hometown of Cadiz, Spain. I see that you are currently living in Toronto, though! What was that relocation like for you? Did work play any sort of role in the move?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

In the late 2000s, the Motion Design scene in Southern Spain was minuscule. Not a lot of people were working in it and there was not a lot of interest from clients either. After some time working as a design teacher and hustling on the side with some clients making Motion pieces here and there, I decided it was time to go somewhere else, somewhere bigger where I could work in a studio. My wife and I packed our bags with our two daughters and we moved to Bogota, Colombia in 2012. There, I joined a very nice studio called LaPost. It was such a great experience. I met wonderful people there and learned so much!

After a year working in-house, I decided to go freelance full-time in the last months of 2013. At that time, it was a bit harder to work with people overseas. Luckily, I got quite a lot of clients from the U.S., so I was able to be constantly working on projects I liked from home. From there, it grew, I even got two Vimeo Staff Picks with two animations I did for Dreambear studio in NYC. In 2015, Polyester Studio in Toronto contacted me for a couple of projects. The projects were crazy in regard to the amount of work and time they gave me, but they were also super interesting and I enjoyed working with them a lot. Because it went so well, they offered me full-time employment. In the beginning, I worked from Colombia. Eventually, they were kind enough to aid with all of the paperwork so that I was able to go to Toronto to work in-house. I first came in April 2016 to check out the city and stayed for a month. I fell in love with the place instantly. In October 2016 my family and I packed our bags again. We left everything behind for a second time and moved over to Canada. It has been a great experience so far and we love the country. In 2020 I decided to go full-time freelance again, and here I am!

Madison Caprara:

You have quite the roster, what has been your most memorable piece or experience thus far?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

My favorite animation is my personal project Art is Theft. It’s a very dear piece to me. Some others I really enjoyed were Line Meets Shape, an abstract piece I co-directed for Polyester Studio, visuals I did for reggaeton singer Bad Bunny, an animation I directed for Yoplait, another mixed media project I did talking about the American Dollar, and a very beautiful explainer I designed and helped animate for Polyester Studio.

However, I have to say my absolute favorites are two pieces I’m working on right now that will come out later in the year. One is for Google, talking about a trans actress called Michaella Jay. Another one is my new personal project called Everybody Loves Salsa. That last one may be my all-time favorite project piece. It’s my most personal and the one I’ve had the most fun with!

Madison Caprara:

Speaking of, your film, Art is Theft, won the Toronto Independent Film Festival award for best animated short in 2017. Congratulations! What can you tell us about your creative process for it? How did you come up with the concept and where did it go from that initial conception?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

Thank you! That was such a rewarding experience! I was able to go to the festival with my family and see the animation on the big screen. It felt great! The idea for this project came from a presentation I did in 2011 when I was still a design teacher in Granada. I gave an hour-long presentation titled Art Is Theft that spoke about how Pablo Picasso took from so many sources to create his Magnus Opus, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, in 1907. This was the first art piece in the style of Cubism ever and the process behind it is just fascinating and super intense. Loving this concept so much, I always considered how important the use of references in projects was. I wanted to talk about the difference between simply copying something and stealing the soul of a style, which has to do more with understanding what that style is about and applying it in your own way. Since I had spent five years studying History of Art at the university, I thought it was an important part of my life and wanted to speak about something related to it.

So, being a history of art nerd, I looked for several quotes from different artists throughout history about art and creation. I put all of them together and edited them so it would make sense as a script. After that, I experimented with the visuals and I came out with the style you can see now on that piece. I talk a lot about the development of the visual style here. The sound part was also super interesting. I really wanted the narrator to sound old and experienced, as if Picasso himself was the one speaking, so I looked for a voice talent that would be older than you would usually find in a Motion Design piece. I think it sounds wonderful. The cherry on top was the amazing sound designer. Ambrose Yu was so kind.

Global Dollar | Daniel Moreno Cordero — *Global Dollar* | Daniel Moreno Cordero

Madison Caprara:

Well, it’s a beautiful piece. Before even knowing the background, I could see Picasso’s influence.

Having spent some time in the education world, what’s one piece of advice that you would give to current students?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

First, don’t be intimidated by all of the great work that is being produced at the moment. I know it can be overwhelming to scroll through Instagram and see masterpiece after masterpiece, but this is actually good! It means the Motion Design industry has come a long way in the last 10 years, there’s an overflow of talent and excitement everywhere. Learn from that, but don’t copy or “steal,” simply get inspired by what you see.

I would advise looking for references outside of the Motion world as well. Sometimes it can be a bit circular, you see the same elements over and over. Go to the classic and modern art influences. There is so much to discover and see and those artists went through the same phases Motion Design is going through now. Get inspiration from your hobbies, the world around you, museums, music...you’ll have more fun and it will be more rewarding and thought-provoking. Also, don’t hesitate to contact your favorite artists and animators. They’re usually pretty cool and will be more than happy to give you advice, wisdom, and kind words. At least, that’s my experience!

Another one. If you go to a studio as a newbie, learn as much as you can from the senior animators there. Don’t try to be a smart ass. The experience they can give is going to be invaluable for you.

Madison Caprara:

In my opinion, self-growth should never end. No matter how talented or successful you are. Do you have any career goals or skills you would still like to achieve?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

I’m starting to direct more now, and I really enjoy that. Coordinating a large team is challenging but I find it super rewarding and it allows you the opportunity to learn from the team. This is something I’m focusing more on little by little. Also, I am trying to be more selective about the projects I work on. It’s something I struggle with because I fear I might run out of work, even though I haven’t stopped since 2012! I guess it’s the human condition of survival. So that’s something I have to learn to manage better and trust more in myself. I am really looking forward to developing more personal projects, one of them is on the way later on this year (fingers crossed)!

Madison Caprara:

We’ll keep an eye out for it!

How do you believe the industry has changed since you first started your career?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

Oh boy, it has changed so much! My first Motion Design work with a client began in 2009, so over the last 12 years, things have really evolved. I would say there’s more interest in Animation than there was before. There are more interesting projects and more opportunities. More artists are making incredible work as well, everyone raises the bar so much. Back in the day, speaking as the old man I am now, if you knew how to use After Effects you were pretty much set. Now you have to be a good ARTIST. It’s not only the programs but also the technique and skill behind them.

There are a lot of studios now with top-quality work, so it’s easier to get in with them and make really good pieces with a talented team. Ten years ago, there were only a handful of studios that were genuinely above the rest making the top work. So, more opportunities all around I would say. It’s more demanding though. Now you have to know your design and art essentials better and you have to push yourself a lot. Motion Designers learn more and more programs and techniques now (2d, 3d, vector style, what have you). So definitely more demanding!

Madison Caprara:
Where do you go for inspiration?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

Well, Wine After Coffee, Instagram, and Motionographer are big ones for sure. But I try to go to other places that are not related to the motion industry. Museums are a big part of me. I miss them so much with this pandemic! Also, traveling once we can do that again. It’s going to boost your views and inspiration a lot more than simply scrolling Instagram, that’s for sure. I have learned the most from the places, cities, and countries I have visited, and the people I have met there!

Madison Caprara:

Well, awesome, Daniel! This has been a great chat, but we’re going to start wrapping up. Do you have any closing advice or statements you would like to share with our readers?

Daniel Moreno Cordero:

Motion Design is very demanding mentally. I sometimes try to rush and find myself depressed because I’m not doing top-quality work all the time. But we are here for a life-long path (hopefully), so there is time for everything. Keep that in mind. Take things easy. Enjoy the ride and the animations and designs will come out better and in a more rewarding way. Sometimes, you see so many great pieces on social media that you feel as if you are missing out or that you are not working or creating great pieces fast enough. Try to manage that. Keep in mind this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Learn from the history of art. You would be surprised by how similar the stages and shifts in styles we are going through right now are to those the artists from the first half of the 20th century went through. You can learn a lot from it and potentially be ahead of the game. Also, sometimes this industry is too focused on North American and Northern European culture. That’s normal because most of the larger studios are in those areas, but if you go to different cultures, Asian, African, and South American for example, you will find a lot more inspiration and different ways of thinking and approaching your art. Try to look around a bit more. Not everything has to be in the Swiss-style design. There’re more valid ways of creating art and design outside of that mentality.

Guest User 6/17/21 Guest User 6/17/21

Industry Perspectives: The Importance of Hiring for Diversity with Bhakti Patel

Mack Garrison and Meryn Hayes sat down with Bhakti Patel to speak on her experiences. Bhakti is a talented Art Director and 3D Motion Designer. She has worked with over a dozen studios including Imaginary Forces, Sarofsky, Cause + Effect, Perception NYC, and Current Studios.

Q&A with Bhakti Patel
Read time: 20min

“when you hire somebody and consider their diverse background, you're considering that they can tell stories in a very different way, and that's what we are at the end of the day. storytellers.”

Mack Garrison:

We appreciate you hopping on the call with us. This is Mack Garrison. I'm one of the founders of dash, we've also got Meryn Hayes, one of our producers here as well. First off, do you want to give us a bit of background? How did you discover motion design?

Bhakti Patel:

So, when I was in school, I initially was going the graphic design route. I found it a bit limiting. You can't go beyond a page or a billboard, at least that was my understanding at the time. I started to look into motion design, and a lot of that was discovered through finding a couple of studios like Imaginary Forces, Sarofsky, Elastic, and just looking at their body of work. I thought it was way more interesting. It also included graphic design, so your options become limitless. That's how I started to get interested. So, I ended up studying 3D animation. On the side, I would teach myself Cinema 4D because we were learning 3Ds Max in school.

Mack Garrison:

Oh, cool.

Bhakti Patel:

Yeah. Whatever I learned how to do in 3ds Max in the day, I'd go home and try to do it in C4D. AfterEffects and stuff were already things I'd been playing around with back in high school, but never really went far into. I started to get a little bit more into that, making little projects for myself. By junior year, I landed an internship at Sarofsky for the summer. Sarofsky - which is based in Chicago - had become a big thing because they had just finished the “Captain America: Winter Soldier” titles. Everybody in my class thought I was nuts to turn down an internship at Nickelodeon for a studio they didn't know about. But my biggest thing was that I wanted to work somewhere I would have the opportunity to work on bigger projects early on, in comparison to just a couple of keyframes at a huge studio. Also, Nickelodeon is more story-based, TV-based, while Sarofsky was more motion design-based.

The moment that I realized I was going to go full-on into motion design and away from TV and film, was when I went to SIGGRAPH as a student volunteer. I met a guy who told me a story about how he worked on Lord of the Rings. He was a crowd simulation artist, who had worked on this massive scene. He had worked on the scene for five months which is insane. I was like, "I'm so sorry, but I don't remember the scene," and he was like, "oh, it got cut." And, that was it. I did not want to go into film. The fact that you could work on something for so long and it could get cut. What I wanted to do was work on a lot of things, really quickly. Just constantly be experimenting, trying something new. Motion design was the realm to do that. So that was my big attraction towards the industry.

Mack Garrison:

That's so cool. It's one of the reasons that I got into it as well. I'm so ADD, with graphic design being a little limiting, and how static it is, I felt the same way. I was getting bored of my compositions, so it was like animation, motion, graphics. When we make something, I'll just animate it away. I'll start on something new. I love how quickly we move and hop around.

Do you think that your initial graphic design education helped shape the motion side when you were self-teaching with the Cinema 4D? I know we're in an interesting time right now where there's a lot of online classes. There are more tutorials, it’s more self-taught. Is there validation in getting some prerequisites of design fundamentals before getting into that stuff, or do you think it's easier now more than ever?

Bhakti Patel:

It depends on what you want to do with your career. If you want to grow into a creative director, art director, or motion designer, you need to be all those things. You have to have that fundamental background. If you just want to focus on animating, such as a keyframe movie, or taking somebody else's design and animating that, then I think you can get away with only focusing on that part. It depends on how you want to shape your career, but there's nothing wrong with going either way. It really depends on what you want for yourself.

Meryn Hayes:

Looking at all of the amazing work in your reel and on your website, how do you get connected to get a job, say on Black Panther? Maybe their goal isn't to get on a Marvel movie title, but they have a dream client or project. What's your advice on how to set your goal on something like that?

Bhakti Patel:

My first dream was to get into Imaginary Forces. When I was in college, around senior year, I had landed my job after graduation with Sarofsky as a junior designer for three months. A lot of my peers hadn't, they didn't have the connections. I was part of the animation department representation, so I had connections through the Career Development office. I asked them if I could take 10 students with me to New York for two days during our spring break. We could just go tour around a bunch of studios and make connections that way.

So, I set up one-hour sessions at a few studios; BUCK, Imaginary Forces, Hornet. As I was leaving Imaginary Forces, I asked Avan, "Hey, I love your guys' work. It's a huge inspiration for my thesis film. Do you mind if I send you guys a link once it's completed?" They said yes. From that thesis film, I ended up landing a junior designer position with them for the fall. So, after I'd done Sarofsky in Chicago, I went

Bhakti Patel:

Honestly, it's about the little things. For example, not being so in their face; being kind and respectful of their time. When I got to Imaginary Forces, it was me with a couple of interns, and there were certain things...little tasks that most people just didn’t want to do. I went the extra mile and that was enough to get noticed. Every job that I've had, I haven't applied for, which is crazy. I was always recommended.

When I was at Pepsi, it was a friend of a director at Imaginary Forces that connected me. Perception saw an article from the TV show titles that I worked on for Vinyl. At Facebook, I worked under Audrey Davis, who was this amazing director at The Mill, she was also at Imaginary Forces. We never worked directly together, but she saw the working relationship I had with Alan Williams and decided to take me with her. I've just been lucky that people have been pulling me around in this way. It's all about building really good, strong relationships and you end up getting recommended, or people will pull you along.

Meryn Hayes:

That’s amazing, it points to how the motion community is. It's very large in some ways, but also very small in others. It’s about making valuable connections, to your point, not getting in people's faces, but being genuine. It's also a right place, right time kind of thing. You happen to email somebody who thinks of you for a project.

Mack Garrison:

It just made me think of one interesting tidbit that I took away from that. Bhakti, speaking on that early hustle; reaching out, making connections, there's some hesitation when you're younger. That rejection or thinking you're bothering someone by asking them, "Hey, would you take a look at this," pushes you into not reaching out. I know myself, you, and Meryn too, we were all those young people first coming out, not knowing what we were doing. So, I'm always happy to help and reach out. It sounds like the advice you're saying is, make connections when you're first getting going. You have to be talented to get the work of course, but getting your foot in the door comes with meeting the right people and having people know who you are.

Bhakti Patel:

Definitely, and honestly I'm a complete introvert. It’s funny how things have worked out. But just putting yourself out there. It never hurts to step out of the box a little.

Mack Garrison:

How did you break that despite feeling uncomfortable? I'm sure there will be a lot of introverts who are reading through this blog post. Were there any steps or processes when you were doing all that stuff early on, coming out of school?

Bhakti Patel:

There was a little bit of extra drive to land somewhere, it was partially the fear of not landing a job. When you're early on, the struggles are tougher. I mean, in my first few years, I was working two to three freelance jobs at a time. You work and try a lot harder because there's that fear of the next one not coming. Everybody always tells you there's going to be a lull, that month that nothing comes. That used to scare the hell out of me. So I'd be like, "Okay, just in case, I'll take two this month." Then somewhere along the line, I realized I had just worked the whole year, two jobs, without ever taking time off. I desperately needed to slow down.

That's why I started going full-time, as an opportunity to force myself to take vacations and breaks. I think our generation has a little bit of that fear that’s built into us, given how we grew up with the economy, with student loans, and everything. It pushes us harder to get out of our comfort zones.

Mack Garrison:

I've been there myself, particularly before we started to dash. I was freelancing some and had that same issue where I was taking on more work. I didn't know where it was going to come from next. The same goes for the studio. When stuff comes in, we try to take on as much as we can.

I'll transition us a little bit back to what you were doing and then where you're going. You've had so much experience working on a variety of projects. I'm looking at your website, everything from Fox IDs, to Black Panther, to Vinyl. I know as you progressed in your career, you've probably been able to be more selective with the work that you take on. Looking back from when you first got into the field, are there certain types of projects that you like to do more than others? Have you found that you've become more niche in what you try to take on? Or, are you still at a point where you like to experiment and try new endeavors given they sound interesting and it's the right group of people to be working with?

“if you have the core skills and you know how to adapt to any medium, people pay attention.”

Bhakti Patel:

It's more of the latter. I like to be able to experiment, play around, and try new things. Anything that's piqued my interest will get some attention for sure. I like projects that have something I've never done before. When I was working on the American Horror Story teasers with Kenny Kegley, he asked me, "Have you ever animated a snake before?" I hadn’t but I promised I would figure it out.

If you have the core skills and you know how to adapt to any medium, people pay attention. When I was at Pepsi, I was doing global brand experience; the Super Bowl Halftime shows, social media campaigns, UEFA Champions League Opening Ceremony. Had I done anything even related to brand experience before? No. Not in the slightest, but they took a chance on me simply because the fundamentals were there. If you're honest about it, if you're telling them, "Hey, I know how to learn quickly," they'll give you a better chance than if you were just to walk in and be like, "I know everything, I can solve all your problems."

Mack Garrison:

I think that's so cool. As creators at heart, we always want to try something new and push our boundaries, but there's this fear that you're going to let someone down, or that you don't know fully how to do something. That reservation, unfortunately, will pull some creatives back from trying a project that’s in their wheelhouse. I think it's really good to echo your sentiment. Don't be cocky that you already know it, but be confident in your skillset and what you can learn.

Bhakti Patel:

You don't ever want to be confident in your ability to know everything, but your ability to learn. That's a good way to think about it. One is ego and one is a student mindset.

Meryn Hayes:

Knowing that you might not know everything when you're going into a job or project, and there may be a tight timeline, how do you practically set yourself up for success so that you don't over-commit and end up needing help? How do you balance not overpromising and under-delivering on something that you've never tried before?

Bhakti Patel:

There are some things I know for sure I can never learn. I won't try that stuff. For example, I can't do the 2D illustrative style. I know my limit, that's not my wheelhouse. But the things I know I could learn, for instance, there was a project that they wanted me to work on in Maya. I'm not a Maya artist, but it was pretty simple. It was being able to have that producer mindset. Thinking about how you're going to structure out, problem-solving, breaking it down into, “okay, I just need to learn how to model and texture.” I will watch one tutorial on modeling and another one on texturing or I will figure out how to model in C4D and bring it into Maya so that I can texture in there the way that they want it, so I can at least deliver the file that way.

It's trying to be more thoughtful in what you do and how you do it, rather than diving straight in. You don’t want to get knee-deep into something, and then you realize, "Oh, wait, wait, wait. I could have made this whole thing a lot more simple for myself." Having that producer mindset makes a huge difference. Another thing, realizing that you do have a motion community available to you. There's a tutorial on everything; GreyScaleGorilla, School of Motion, YouTube. There are a million resources that you can use. Being smart about knowing all these resources available to you early on, makes a big difference.

Mack Garrison:

That's fantastic. You're still bringing value to the table, even if it isn't with you; by your network and people you know. To your point, studios want to work with proactive people. Talking about just how small the industry is, and how important reputation is, it's crazy to me how everyone is connected to someone you know. Everyone is going to know someone. So to your point, work hard on every project, put in your best effort, don't ever throw in the towel on something just because you're not feeling it, because it gets around.

Bhakti Patel:

Definitely, and everyone hits a project or two where their reputation takes a little bit of a hit because either something personal came up or they made a stupid mistake. I know early on I got burnt out and I didn't give a project 100%. At that point, first, know that everybody messes up to some degree. Second, make sure you do something to make it right because it could stick with you. It could be a problem in the future. I learned early on that reputation sticks.

Mack Garrison:

One thing Meryn and I have been talking about is how male-oriented the industry is. It's refreshing to see this resurgence of more prominent female artists, designers, and animators that are pushing their way up to the echelons; to very elite levels, breaking through what traditionally had this glass ceiling. Have you run into any diversity in your career path when trying to grow? Any recommendations for other women and minorities in the industry? What can they do to position themselves in the best way possible as they move into the world?

“don't be cocky that you already know it, but be confident in your skillset and what you can learn.”

Bhakti Patel:

I did this talk on hiring for diversity, it's more so just talking about where you could take it, and what the benefit is of hiring for diversity. Have you guys noticed that everybody's telling the same stories, and all the work is becoming similar?

Everybody follows the same artists. They keep copying the same words; telling the same stories over and over again. The way to fix that is by hiring for diversity. If you have artists, designers, and creators on your team who think differently - they were raised differently, they grew up with a different culture, they have a female perspective instead of a male perspective - it can completely change how you do business. It can change how you create work, the kind of work you create, and could ultimately end up being better for you and the company in the long run. I don't think people realize that diversity is an asset. It's more than just a check box, you know?

Mack Garrison:

Right!

Bhakti Patel:

When you hire somebody and consider their diverse background, you're considering that they can tell stories in a very different way, and that's what we are at the end of the day. Storytellers.

“you don't ever want to be confident in your ability to know everything, but your ability to learn...one is ego and one is a student mindset.”

Mack Garrison:

It's a great conversation to have. I feel very lucky that, at dash, we're still in such a small studio. There's a lot of input from our entire staff. It's not just the executives or the leadership team making decisions on who to hire, it's everyone involved talking through it while being transparent. But you start thinking of bigger studios and agencies, all of a sudden, it's still a very select few that end up making the decisions about who to hire and why they're hiring. Would you give any advice, if there was a hiring director out there, reading this or listening to this? What are some things that people should be doing to be more proactive about diversity so it is not just a checkbox? How can they be proactive when bringing in that other side of design?

Bhakti Patel:

First is understanding what I just mentioned. Why is it important to hire with diversity in mind? The second is proactively reaching out to groups. There is Panimation, which is full of women of diverse backgrounds as well. There's a Facebook group, but they also have a website with a lot of different portfolios. Talk to your existing employees. Ask, "Hey, we would like to bring in more diverse thought into this company, do you have recommendations?" It's not necessarily about giving preference to female artists over male artists or anything of that sort, but leveling the playing field. There are so many extra steps that we have to take to just get a seat at the table, so it's making sure that we at least have a chance to get our foot in the door. That's what hiring for diversity looks like.

Mack Garrison:

That's great, Bhakti. And that's the proactive nature of what you were alluding to as well. Companies have to be active. They can't be passive when it comes to that.

Bhakti Patel:

Also, it’s easy for there to be a bit of a bros club, at certain places. The people that you get along with the most are those you tend to recommend and hire. So if hiring managers get along with a lot of different male artists or male designers, they're more likely to only recommend men. They have something in common with them. Because of that, the entire culture of the motion design industry has become a bit of a bro's club. Instead of saying "Oh, will they fit into our culture," i.e. bro's club, we need more of, "Does our culture need to change, and will this person help round it out?" That's something that doesn't always get asked.

Meryn Hayes:

Yeah, this is a hard question to pose. It’s not just for you to figure out, but what are some practical ways that studios and freelancers - male or female - can take to chip away at that bro culture? As Mack mentioned, it's something that we're aware of. We want to make sure that we’re looking for a diverse group of people when we are hiring and not just, "Oh, we know so and so who might be someone that we know," it might be another white male. What do you think about how we as an industry can start to reshape that culture?

Bhakti Patel:

A lot of women tend to only get hired for junior positions. Then somehow, they disappear when it gets to the director level. They all get stopped somewhere. I know so many more female designers and artists that get to an intern level, and then that’s it for them. But a lot of their male counterparts end up leveling up. Even just thinking about proactively being invested in their careers makes a huge difference. Talk to them about how they can progress to an animator, art director, or creative director. Make sure that there aren't just women in the lower part of your company, but also in the more executive positions as well. That makes a huge difference. Especially if they can see that they can get to a creative director level. The company values; that thought and that leadership, make a huge difference. Making sure that there's some sort of opportunity or possibility for a mentorship.

Meryn Hayes:

Mentorship is huge. You don't know what's attainable in your career until you see someone else doing it. Being paired with one or trying to find someone that would be in a role that you would want, trying to learn from them and feed off of what they've done, that's so important. Our community is so welcoming and inviting, I know so many people who would be happy to reach out, give advice, and share their experiences just to help set the groundwork for other people; other minorities, or for women.

Mack Garrison:

It's systematic too. If you have these bro cultures, you foster this industry that's filled with white males. Then, all the bonds that form and mentorships created are catered for white men. The folks that get left behind are the women or minorities who are trying to move up to those leadership positions. They don't have the same opportunities that their peers do, and that’s another unfortunate layer of separation in the industry. It goes back to what you talked about earlier, Bhakti, about reaching out and being more proactive in trying to foster some connection with folks in the industry. Maybe even starting earlier on, and connecting with leadership positions who resemble where you want to be and what you want to do so you can have those mentorships.

Bhakti Patel:

For sure. Having more women involved helps change that culture as well. There's a company that I was at, it was all white men. They would always talk about sports, and I just didn't know enough about that, so I could never have any conversation with them that wasn’t design-related. It made it almost impossible, being the only person coming from a different background. So, there was nothing that I could bring to the conversation in any way. During lunch, they only talked about these two or three things, it was impossible to break into it.

“everyone is going to know someone…work hard on every project, put in your best effort, don't ever throw in the towel on something just because you're not feeling it because it gets around.”

Mack Garrison:

Absolutely, and was that a freelance position or full-time position that you were doing there? Did you stick around a long time or a short time because of it?

Bhakti Patel:

It was freelance. I didn't choose to stick around because of that reason. I left because I got a better opportunity somewhere else that paid more, along with other things. They also negotiated my rate down, I wish I stuck with my guns on that one, but I didn't. I was just two years out of school so I compromised, but I feel they never negotiated down for anybody else. They pushed and pushed down, and then added two more hours into the day as well.

Mack Garrison:

Wow, yeah. That's pretty negative. On a positive note, with the Me Too movement and other recent events, I see a progression. People are more cognizant of it than they have been over the last 10 years. I think back to when I first got into the industry, even compared to where we are now, it feels like we're making steps forward. I would be concerned if it was still the status quo. So, in the light of looking forward and thinking about where this industry is heading, where do you see motion design going?

Bhakti Patel:

There is a lot of potential in how bigger companies are approaching motion design in a branding form; thinking about motion design systems. Google has one, IBM has one, Facebook has developed one as well. There's a lot of potential with systemic thinking when designing for motion, and that's a huge conversation with so much potential. But, I don't know where all the motion designers are on this one, so we need you.

The second thing is regarding the AR and VR realms, mixed reality as well. There's potential there. The problem that you run into right now is more so that you have 3D artists with a lot of skill, but not enough design chops. Sometimes you'll have a lot of graphic designers or artists who have these amazing ideas and can design them well, but they don't have the skills to bring them into reality. Motion designers stand in the middle because they can do both. They have the design skills and the motion skills. They can bring these from 3D into AR and VR, so they have this unique opportunity that I don't know if everyone realizes that they can push into this realm. And, there's a lot of money to be made there.

Bhakti Patel:

In terms of advertising, it's interesting. I haven't done too much lately, but I think the projects have dried up a bit. It’s not because motion design is getting smaller by any means. If anything, it's expanding. Expanding beyond the 55 inch TV. If you think about it, AR/VR advertising happens a lot. When it comes to global brand experience as well. That's something that I noticed that Pepsi has done a lot of. They're more focused on building an entire experience around their brand, so instead of doing an ad during the Super Bowl, they'll have the entire Super Bowl Halftime Show to put their logo all over, in motion. Things like that are huge, and I think it's just breaking away from what we understand motion design to be, its application, and thinking about where else it could be applied.

Mack Garrison:

That's great. It's one of the things that is so nice about our industry. You talked about the background and how people get into motion design. You can have a graphic designer with motion skills that come into play. You could have a more traditional animator. Someone who knows code can come into it. You have this melting pot of different characters, personality traits, and skillsets. That creates a lot of opportunities. There are so many different avenues that people can place themselves in, which is really inspiring and very optimistic for folks who are in this industry.

One thing that I was interested in was your comment on systems. You talked about where the future's heading. Animation motion graphics is a great conduit for organizing information and distilling complex materials into something easily digestible. So, I think the systems side of it is really interesting. I was curious if you could talk about your thoughts towards the systems or when you say system design and what that means when it comes to motion.

Bhakti Patel:

When we talk about branding, we talk about logo design, we talk about color palettes, and things like that. How a brand moves is something that people don't fully get into, but it's just as important as what colors you choose. For instance, Google gets away with doing these very bouncy movements, and that's because their brand allows for it. It's more playful in that way. But when you talk about something that's more business-oriented, something that's a little bit more serious as a brand, how does that move differently than how Google might move? These are things that are more interesting to think about, and they’re more like problem-solving, brand directives kind of thinking. There's a lot of potential in that realm. Companies are starting to realize that the way they apply motion to aspects of their brand makes as much of a difference as what colors they use, what types they use, what layouts they use.

This is a huge area that we can get into. And the thing is, this is the one area I haven't seen outdated tutorials on. But in terms of an actual full brand, talking everything from advertising, all the way down to button clicks, that's the entire system. So thinking about how people see it on TV, all the way down to how they experience it.

Mack Garrison:

Especially if that ecosystem evolves and becomes more complex, has more deliverables. There are all these different channels, you have to think about that, right? How are people going to be interacting with your brand as motion becomes more popular, as far as the content that people digest? You need to think about, to your point, UX, button clicks, how is the interactive experience going to affect their brand? How is the video someone watches, Instagram fascinating?

Well, awesome! Bhakti, this was great. I know you've got to run so I'll let you go, but thank you so much for chatting with Meryn and I. I think this was incredibly informative.

Bhakti Patel:

Sounds great. All right, have a good one, guys.

Mack Garrison:

Thanks, Bhakti, talk to you soon.

Meryn Hayes:

Thanks, stay safe.

Guest User 6/15/21 Guest User 6/15/21

Takeover Tuesday with Laura Porat

Q&A with Laura Porat, a Los Angeles-based Motion Designer.

Q&A with Laura Porat
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

Hey there, Laura!

Why don’t you give us a brief rundown on yourself? How did you get into the industry?

Laura Porat:

Hey everyone!

I’m Laura Porat and I’m a freelance motion designer living in Los Angeles, California. I’ve always been super into art and would make comic books back in elementary school. In college, I discovered After Effects and fell in love with motion graphics. After graduating, I moved back to LA and worked mostly in the entertainment industry. I shifted towards politics when I worked for Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden’s campaigns!

Madison Caprara:

Wow, COMPLETE shift. We’ll touch on that a bit later.

How would you go about describing your style?

Laura Porat:

I would describe my style as meta, fun, bright, and cartoony with vaporwave elements in it.

Madison Caprara:

Is there a certain subject matter you tend to gravitate towards?

Laura Porat:

I like to draw from real life and my own personal experiences! I’m deaf so I’ve created several artworks featuring my cochlear implant. As a minority, I feel like it’s incredibly important to tell stories about people from underrepresented communities, so that’s a subject matter I’m most passionate about.

Madison Caprara:

Pivoting back to your work in politics, so you’ve worked with both the Biden and Warren campaigns! How did that come about?

Laura Porat:

After the 2016 election, I felt really helpless and wondered what I personally could do to make sure that we didn’t have the same result in 2020. In 2019, I’d been following along the Democratic primaries with interest and really gravitated towards Elizabeth Warren. I’d reached out to her campaign, initially asking if I could volunteer my skills, and found out that they were in need of a full-time motion designer!

It just happened to be perfect timing. I packed my bags and moved to Boston where I worked full-time for her campaign. After she dropped out, I felt like my work wasn’t quite done and joined Joe Biden’s campaign a few months afterward.

Madison Caprara:

That’s wild!

Could you tell us a bit about what it was like working for a political campaign? Did it differ much from the average studio job?

Laura Porat:

Working for a political campaign is absolutely nuts. It’s so different from working in a typical 9-5 studio because for campaigns, you have to be on call basically every day, 24/7. It’s incredibly fast-paced and the work you do is so dependent on what the trending news is because things can shift so quickly. You have to work incredibly quickly and efficiently.

The really nice thing about working in politics is how diverse it is! You have people from all sorts of different backgrounds working on it. Entertainment and motion graphics in LA is very white male-dominated and often I would be the only woman motion designer working at a studio. Sometimes I was the only woman in the whole company. So politics was a huge shift from the entertainment industry.

Madison Caprara:

Did your own beliefs align with the campaign you were working for? I imagine it would be difficult if they didn’t. How did it feel for you when Biden won the presidency?

Laura Porat:

Personally, my own political beliefs are more closely aligned with Elizabeth Warren’s, as she was my first choice pick to be the Democratic nominee. To be completely honest, at first, I wasn’t totally thrilled that Joe Biden ended up being the candidate but ultimately I wanted him to win and defeat Donald Trump. As I worked on his campaign, I discovered that he was running on a much more progressive campaign than I’d initially given him credit for. Through the course of working on his campaign, I began to see him in a new light and appreciated his background and experience.

I was incredibly ecstatic to find out that he won. I was living in New York City at the time and when the election results were finally announced, everyone was screaming in joy and cars were honking their horns. It was like the entire city was celebrating. It was an incredible day and an incredible feeling knowing that all my hard work had finally paid off.

Madison Caprara:

We were popping bottles in my 900 sq. ft. apartment, so I can’t even begin to imagine what it must’ve been like in the city that day.

Now you’re on the West Coast. What’s the Motion scene like in LA? Dash is a bit of an outlier in Raleigh, NC.

Laura Porat:

The motion scene in LA is huge! There are so many different studios and companies that need motion designers in all different fields. Entertainment, technology, health, experiential, etc. There’s a ton of freelance work available which is super awesome.

It’s hard to break into initially if you don’t have any connections because there’s such a talented pool of animators to choose from. However, once you’ve worked at a few studios and do a good job, word of mouth is really paramount. Producers at one studio are always moving over to different studios and if they like you, they’ll bring you to the next studio. So an important takeaway is 1.) Don’t be an asshole, 2.) Show up on time and do the work, 3.) Make friends! Luckily LA has a ton of motion graphics meetups that you can attend and meet other motion designers.

Madison Caprara:

Noted!

How long have you been freelance? What attracted you to it?

Laura Porat:

I’ve been freelance on and off since 2017. Initially, I was forced into freelancing since I found it incredibly difficult to get a full-time job after graduating from college. It took me 10 months after graduating to get my first full-time job at a creative agency in LA. I worked at that creative agency for a year and honed my skills. I learned what it was like to work with a team of animators which is a skill that freelancing can’t teach you.

After working at that agency for a year, I quit and went back to freelancing full-time. I love the flexibility freelancing brings and I love to travel so I can plan my schedule around that. Also, freelancing allows me to take on projects that I’m passionate about and turn down work that I morally don’t align with.

Madison Caprara:

Do you ever collaborate with other designers? If so, what do you like, or even dislike, about it?

Laura Porat:
I love collabing with other designers!

I’ve been running Motion Collabs for about three or four years. Motion Designers from all over the world have participated in it. There’s such a wide range of people who have joined in, from total beginners to seasoned veterans. We’ve done things like making a music video, a pandemic-related video, steampunk pixel art, walk cycles, and many more. It’s super fun working with people who have completely different styles.

The frustrating aspect is that you can run into language and technical barriers. Sometimes I feel like a mom who has to keep track of 30 different animators while running Motion Collabs and making sure everyone follows the prompt. You can check out all of our full-length videos here.

Madison Caprara:

Are there any misconceptions that you have experienced, that comes with being a designer?

Laura Porat:

Probably the biggest misconception is that there’s no money in design. That’s absolutely false. There is money but it’s just a matter of finding good clients who will pay you what you’re worth.

Madison Caprara:

That was always a thought that made zero sense to me. Why would there be such a large pool of talent if there was no money in the business?

Now you know I have to ask it...where do you go for inspiration?

Laura Porat:

I take a lot of inspiration from real life! I like to go to museums and interesting exhibits. Aside from that, I watch a lot of movies and I get artbooks from the animated films that I enjoy. I try to get inspiration from industries outside of motion graphics otherwise I feel like it gets too same-y.

Madison Caprara:

Agreed, work gets stale if everyone is pulling ideas from the exact same sources.

As we’re wrapping up, is there any closing advice or statements you would like to share?

Laura Porat:

A speech therapist once told my mom that I would never learn how to talk or amount to anything. Clearly, that speech therapist was wrong on both fronts! My point is that throughout life, there will always be people who don’t think you can accomplish your goals. My advice is just to follow your own path and don’t listen to what other people have to say.

Guest User 6/8/21 Guest User 6/8/21

Takeover Tuesday with Jordan McBarnett

Q&A with Jordan McBarnett: a Trini-American sophomore at Ringling College of Art and Design currently studying Motion Design.

Q&A with Jordan McBarnett
Read time: 5min

“Calvin Harris Poster” | Jordan McBarnett

Madison Caprara:

Hey, Jordan!

Why don’t you give us a little introduction to yourself and your work? How did you initially get into Motion Design?

Jordan McBarnett:

Yo, what’s up Dash? Thank you for having me be a part of this, I am super honored! Well, my name is Jordan and I am a rising junior studying Motion Design and minoring in Business of Art and Design. I love to challenge myself with learning new things and push myself to become the best designer and creative I can be.

I was a LEGO fanatic who was into design and photography in middle and high school. I created LEGO Stop Motion Animation Videos (aka Brickfilms) on my YouTube Channel since I was 13 years old. I actually discovered Motion Design through Joash Berkeley, who is now the Creative Director of Eido and one of my inspirations. My father and I reached out to him so that we could learn more about the medium when I was in high school. After talking to Joash, I was hooked and knew I wanted to get into the Motion Design industry. Thank you, Joash for everything!

Madison Caprara:

I see that you go to Ringling! Taking into account the ever-present debate of pursuing a formal education, how has your experience been?

Jordan McBarnett:

Oh trust me, I have debated myself going to an art school ever since high school. Studying at Ringling College has been pretty amazing and inspiring. The teachers here are all very dedicated to our improvement and success. My peers and Motion buds are so uplifting and talented as well. I believe that if I didn’t go to Ringling, I wouldn’t have known half as much as I know now about animation, design, professionalism, or even composition and storytelling; everything at Ringling is very useful. Because of simply attending Ringling, I have had a much better opportunity to communicate with outside professionals and successful alumni in the industry due to the “name” that Ringling has!

I truly believe that to be successful at any medium, you do not NEED to pursue a formal education. However, it is fantastic for connecting to people in the industry. You just have to take the initiative to make those connections become a reality.

Madison Caprara:

100% agree, sometimes interpersonal skills are more difficult to learn than technical skills.

Pivoting off of that, is there anything you feel that you have experienced or learned so far that you wouldn’t have been able to gain from anywhere other than Ringling, or a university in general?

Jordan McBarnett:

Hell ya!

Again, the connections were a huge part of Ringling I have experienced while attending the college. Also, I have definitely learned more about storytelling and pacing to properly communicate your idea! There’s this one class called Concept that has been super helpful that isn’t found at any other college except for Ringling. It has been very effective in turning my ideas into coherent designs and animations.

Madison Caprara:

The world has pretty much been flipped upside down with this pandemic. Out of all the communities that I feel have been impacted the most, students are definitely up there.

For me, consistency is key. What’s your daily routine looking like these days? In which part of the day do you feel most productive?

Jordan McBarnett:

I normally start off waking up at 8 AM and fix myself a light breakfast before my morning workout, usually followed by reading 10 pages of my book. After eating a high protein, whole grain lunch, I either work on freelance opportunities or my part-time job, depending on the day of the week. At night, I spend time with my family till about 8 PM and do more of my personal work till midnight. I find that I am most productive in the evenings and at night.

Madison Caprara:

Nice! I love hearing about other people’s productivity schedules. It’s always interesting to see how different our brains thrive.

Moving on, Is there a singular type of design or style you see yourself gravitating to most? If yes, why?

Jordan McBarnett:

I gravitate more towards 3D Design and Animation as of right now. I just love the ease of using Cinema 4D and the complexity of Redshift. I’m finding supplies to build my computer to optimize my ability to create more beautiful designs and animations in Cinema 4D.

Madison Caprara:

Aside from creating them for enjoyment, what are some benefits you feel you gain from personal projects outside of your client work?

Jordan McBarnett:

Although personal projects are super fun within themselves, doing a personal project helps me learn more about a certain program in general, and helps me develop and finesse my style overall!

Madison Caprara:

What has been one of your favorites?

Jordan McBarnett:

I normally don’t have a project that I gravitate towards. But to give you an answer, the project that I had the most fun with was my Mango piece. If you were to ask me what was the meaning behind this animation, I wouldn’t know the answer! I just wanted to create a piece that made me smile.

Madison Caprara:

What are some hobbies outside of design that you do to decompress?

Jordan McBarnett:

I am a gym addict and love to work out at least five times a week! I also love to eat healthily and take care of my mental health by meditating and reading inspiring books. Particularly ones where I can learn about finance, business, mental health, or human nature. On the weekends, I mess around with my guitar and spend time at the movies.

Madison Caprara:

Where do you go for inspiration?

Jordan McBarnett:
Inspiration can be found anywhere, even right under your nose. I try to not overthink my ideas and go with the one on top of my head. If I am in a mental rut, I’ll usually go on a run outside or meditate to calm my nerves.

Madison Caprara:

Wrapping up, do you have any closing advice, points, or statements you would like to share?

Jordan McBarnett:

Yes! I believe that you should always get out of your comfort zone and try new things, mentally and physically, even if it seems very scary or uncertain at first. A life full of comfort is no way to live and can get very unfulfilling and boring; you only have so much time to spend, never waste a second away. Finally, never limit yourself and your views; when you grow and improve as a person, your work, ambitions, and relationships in life will also drastically improve.

Guest User 6/1/21 Guest User 6/1/21

Takeover Tuesday with Josh Edwards

Q&A with Josh Edwards: a motion graphics designer based along the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

Q&A with Josh Edwards
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

Hey, Josh!

Why don’t you start off by introducing yourself and giving us a bit of background on how you got into the MoGraph world.

Josh Edwards:

G’day, (I’ve got to say that right?) I’m Josh Edwards and I’m a freelance Motion Graphics Designer based along the Sunshine Coast in Australia. I'm also a husband and dad to three rad little humans.

My road into motion graphics I suppose was pretty typical. As a kid, I always loved to draw and in high school, my older sister told me about graphic design. She thought it would be right up my alley. So I checked it out at a university open day and knew right away that it was what I wanted to do. I didn't so much like the idea of being a struggling artist, so commercial art seemed perfect. I got to the end of my third year and had the thought that I was making all of these static designs and images, but how much cooler would it be if they moved? So I decided to teach myself After Effects for part of my final project. That then landed me my first job outside of Uni as a Junior Motion Graphics Designer.

Madison Caprara:

You definitely had to throw in the stereotypical g’day!

So, after University, at some point, you ended up as an Art Director at BUCK Sydney. I understand you’re no longer with them. How has the transition been from that to remote freelance work?

Josh Edwards:

Definitely a gradual one! I absolutely loved being an Art director at BUCK, they are seriously the most talented and awesome people. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. But between my wife and kids (I had two then, three now), and the cost of living combined with big hours in Sydney, it just wasn't sustainable for us, especially with no family close by. It was a really tough decision, but we decided to move up north to where my wife’s family is. BUCK was awesome about it and I stayed on staff for about a year, mostly working with the NY office on c4d jobs. I then naturally just shifted into freelancing, since I was already working remotely and working across multiple offices.

Madison Caprara:

Makes sense, it’s awesome they accommodated for a bit. You don’t see that very often.

Did the pandemic play any role in your decision to transition?

Josh Edwards:

For the most part, you hear stories of how much COVID has disrupted work/life. But for me honestly, not a whole lot changed. I’m very fortunate to live in a place where they managed to almost eliminate the spread, and I had already been working remotely for over a year. It just so happened that the pandemic shifted everyone else in the industry quickly over to what I was already doing. We did have a baby girl literally days before lockdown, being able to work from home and enjoy so much time with her has been a great gift.

Madison Caprara:

Congratulations! My sister also had a baby mid-pandemic. She VERY much valued the extra time in his early months.

So, freelance was a great move for you, is there anything you miss about being a part of a larger company though?

Josh Edwards:

Friends and community for sure. I’m a natural recluse, so I'm quite comfortable doing my thing on my own. But I also realize how incredibly beneficial it is to rub shoulders with such talented people today. I still get to do it a little, but with freelance work being mostly job-to-job, it takes out some of that consistent interaction.

Madison Caprara:

I definitely think we can all understand that feeling to a point. Even us self-ascribed introverts or home-bodies.

This industry has so many talented creatives. And now with the pandemic promoting remote working conditions, it’s even easier to collaborate with someone halfway across the world. How do you maintain that creative edge?

Josh Edwards:

The thing I love about design more than anything is that design is about problem-solving, and more often than not, that problem-solving is for someone else. I’ve always been interested in the ‘why’ of things. I was the kid that pulled cameras and toys apart to figure out how they worked and why they had been created the way that they were.

I find that it’s pretty easy to just accept things as they are, but almost always, there has been a lot of thought and reason put into something to arrive at the final result. I honestly just love the problem-solving aspect of design and being able to use processes from unrelated areas to come to an effective solution.

Madison Caprara:

Interesting, speaking more on that, in your opinion how does someone go about setting themselves apart?

Josh Edwards:

Haha, that’s a great question and to be honest, I'm not sure. I learned a long time ago, that I personally do my best work when I'm not the frontman. I’m way more productive and comfortable being a right-hand man, so I’d much rather blend in and get to work with all of those insanely talented people rather than compete against them for attention.

I know that some designers niche down and develop a ‘style’ to set themselves apart. But the reason I work in short form animation rather than film is that each project looks totally different from the last. I’d get so bored if everything I did looked the same, mostly because I feel like there are fewer design or animation problems to solve.

Madison Caprara:

A lot of creatives believe that a good motion designer should also be an excellent graphic designer. Would you agree?

Josh Edwards:

I think it definitely helps, but it's not essential. One of the things that I love about our industry is that almost everyone has a different way in, which adds so much more character and substance to what we make.

Design fundamentals are really helpful but also things like animation principles, life drawing, photography, storytelling, good transitions, sound design, and cinematography principles are all super helpful. For me, I've always loved making things, which is partly why some of my favorite jobs I've worked on are practical or mixed media. But that's not for everyone.

Madison Caprara:

Happy to get your take on that, Josh. When asked, I have been getting a wide variety of answers, but everyone always has a killer reasoning for backing it up.

If you had to choose one collaborator for a dream project, who would it be?

Josh Edwards:

It’s really hard to work out what a dream project would look like. If I think about the best jobs I've ever worked on, it’s all about the teams that I got to work with. I’ve managed to tick off working with almost all of my favorite studios. However, I would still love to line something up with Jorge R. Canedo Estrada at some point. I worked on the biggest story with him ages ago and we just haven't managed to make our schedules work.

Madison Caprara:

Sick! He’s actually one of our most anticipated speakers for The Dash Bash this fall. Jorge’s work is amazing!

I have to ask this next one of everyone, I usually find a new outlet for some inspo. Where do you go for inspiration?

Josh Edwards:
Probably the same places everyone else does, to be honest! Instagram, Pinterest, WINE after COFFEE, Stash Media. But I also like some alternative sources like leManoosh (for product design) or places like Colossal.

We are currently renovating a house that we bought at the end of last year, so I’m learning a whole lot more about building, architecture, interior design, and all the trades. Learning how to do all of it is super inspiring, and I'm sure it'll flow into my work in some way.

“Bridgespan - Narrowing The Crowd” | Josh Edwards

Madison Caprara:

Nice! Well, good luck with the house renovations! That’s always an exciting/stressful time.

To finish this off, do you have any closing advice or statements you would like to share, Josh?

Josh Edwards:

I’ve found the best thing that you can do is to solve other people's problems. Try to make the lives of the people around you easier, not more difficult. The amount of responsibility that the leaders in Motion Graphics companies carry is massive, so the more you can help them out the better everyone ends up. It's a team sport.

Madison Caprara:

Nice! So we’re reaching the end. Do you have any closing advice or statements you would like to share?

Josh Edwards:

I’ve found the best thing that you can do is to solve other people's problems. Try to make the lives of the people around you easier, not more difficult. The amount of responsibility that the leaders in Motion Graphics companies carry is massive, so the more you can help them out the better everyone ends up. It's a team sport.

Guest User 5/27/21 Guest User 5/27/21

Event Accommodations

We’ve been able to secure room blocks at multiple hotels within walking distance to our location. To book within the room block use the instructions below. Room blocks are limited and are first come first serve:

Screen Shot 2021-05-27 at 10.53.19 AM.png

(1) Holiday Inn

Address:

320 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC, 27603

Details:

Set in a 19-story rotunda, this modern hotel is 0.7 miles from the Raleigh Convention Center and 14.8 miles from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Go online or call 855-914-1878 to book a room block (use Block ID: DAS) to book by phone. You will need to book by 8/22/2021 to get the discounted rate.

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(2) Hampton Inn & Suites

Address:

600 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh NC, 27603

Details:

This modern hotel is 1 mile from live music at the Red Hat Amphitheater and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Go online or call (919) 825-4770 to book.

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(3) Aloft

Address:

2100 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27607

Details:

On a tree-lined boulevard across from North Carolina State University, this stylish hotel is a mile from the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh and 2 miles from the North Carolina State Capitol.

Visit the website or call (919) 828-9900 to book

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(4) Longleaf

Address: 300 N Dawson St, Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

An 8-minute walk from the North Carolina State Capitol, this chic hotel with a mid-century modern vibe is a 16-minute walk from both Raleigh Union train station and performances at the Red Hat Amphitheater.

Check out the website or call (919) 867-5770 to book

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Here are a few other places we’d recommend that do not currently have a room block:

(5) The Guest House

Address: 420 S Bloodworth Street, Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Set on a tree-lined street Downtown, this genteel adults-only boutique hotel in a 19th-century Victorian home is a 14-minute walk from the North Carolina Museum of History and a 12-minute walk from the North Carolina State Capitol. It's a mile from Raleigh Union Station.

919-533-3052.

(6) Sheraton Raleigh Hotel

Address: 421 S Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 2760

Details:

This sophisticated hotel is a 2-minute walk from the Raleigh Convention Center and a 5-minute walk from the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

(919) 834-9900.

(7) Origin Hotel Raleigh

Address: 603 W Morgan St, Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

In the vibrant Warehouse District, this upmarket hotel is a 7-minute walk from contemporary art exhibits at CAM Raleigh and an 8-minute walk from Raleigh Union Station. The North Carolina State Capitol is less than a mile away.

(984)275-2220.

Guest User 5/25/21 Guest User 5/25/21

Takeover Tuesday with Victoria Blair

Q&A with Victoria Blair: a motion designer & illustrator based in D.C.

Q&A with Victoria Blair
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

What’s up, Victoria?

Could you give us a little intro to yourself and your work? Some background if you will?

Victoria Blair:

Hey, I’m Victoria!

I’m a freelance motion designer & illustrator currently living in Washington D.C. I’m originally from Pennsylvania (the Philly/Wawa side) and I’ve been a doodler since my early days in diapers. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with a lot of collage-style motion work, as well as experimenting with lighting in my illustrations.

Madison Caprara:

Nice!

Building off of that, how did you get into motion design and illustration? When did you know that this was something you wanted to pursue? Did you have any support in your decision?

“lately, I’ve found my best art comes from allowing myself to just create what I want, and how I want it while ignoring all the rules and trending styles.”

Victoria Blair:

I’m really lucky that my parents have always supported my creative side. I studied film production in college, and during my time I loved learning about cinematography, directing, and editing, but I struggled to find that motivating spark with anything production-related. Towards the end of my senior year, I saw a few computer science majors working on a kinetic type project in After Effects for one of their classes, and I thought that was the COOLEST thing. I think that very night I downloaded the program and started to play around with it while sorting through every tutorial on YouTube.

After graduation, I worked a few odd jobs in arts marketing & editing. I told my managers at the time that I was interested in learning motion design, and they encouraged me to incorporate it into the work that I did. Those projects were very simple, but looking back I appreciate how supportive my teammates were. I eventually discovered School of Motion, and after taking Animation Bootcamp, was able to land my first gig in the industry. I’ve been working ever since!

Madison Caprara:

So, I’ve noticed that some of your most recent pieces are collage works. Your reel looks amazing, by the way! What’s been one of the most challenging styles for you to get into or learn?

Frames of Fear 2020, Unkempt Beast - By Victoria Blair

Victoria Blair:

Thank you so much!

I feel as though I’m still in this exploratory phase of my career. I know what I love to do and what I want to learn (which lately seems like everything). But I don’t have a ton of experience in a variety of styles. One of the first real projects I ever worked on was a collage-style animation, and I think that helped me get hired for projects requiring that particular style. I’d love to learn more traditional frame-by-frame animation, as well as character work.

Madison Caprara:

What about one of your favorite styles?

Victoria Blair:

I love those styles that are a hybrid of 2D & 3D, to the point where I have no idea how it was accomplished but I desperately want to dissect it and try to create something similar. I love the look of 2D illustrations, so when that gets placed in an environment that plays on perspective giving it a 3D feel, I think that looks incredible!

Madison Caprara:

So, in your opinion, what are - if any - some visual trends right now to focus on?

“be proud of the work you do! not every project will be a masterpiece, but you’re always learning and will continue to improve, and that is a beautiful thing to experience.”

Victoria Blair:

Hard to say!

I feel as though there are a lot of visual styles I see frequently. I’m drawn to the weird and outrageous, where the characters are odd and almost ugly looking, but in a really beautiful way, you know? At the same time, I also admire the pieces that can accomplish the story with simple abstract visuals and geometric shapes.

Madison Caprara:

I tend to gravitate more towards the “weird” and abstract pieces too!

How do you personally stay relevant in this industry when there are so many talented creatives?

Victoria Blair:

Lately, I’ve found my best art comes from allowing myself to just create what I want, and how I want it while ignoring all the rules and trending styles. I feel really lucky to be a creative, but it can be a funny thing when you make that your career. Most of my professional work tends to fit a standard or commercial style, and sometimes I let that creep into my personal work.

My brain sometimes thinks my personal work isn’t good because it doesn’t fit a trending style, or isn’t presented in a way to fit a fancy algorithm. As a kid, I was always creating something without a care for other people’s opinions, so I try to maintain that kind of attitude and enjoy each piece I create.

Madison Caprara:

That imposter syndrome. It’s a b. We’ve spoken about it a lot recently. It seems like everyone battles with it in some aspect.

Being a woman in this industry, you’re a bit of a minority, have there been any particularly hard hurdles to overcome?

Victoria Blair:

Definitely. There were some difficult moments in college, especially in my major where I was one of only three women in my class. At the time I was just a quiet kid with no clear direction of where I wanted to go, so I struggled to speak up and advocate for myself and my skills. There was always someone with a louder voice or a bigger ego in the room, so I just kept my ideas to myself and helped everyone else out as best as I could. Even though that approach gave me a lot of experience, I left college without a real project that I was proud of and could call my own.

Breaking into the industry wasn’t super smooth either. I like to think I’m a very easy-going person, so when I was hired on a long term contract with a boss that turned out to be extremely sexist, condescending, and ultimately cultivating a toxic work environment, I had no idea how to handle it and failed to stand up for myself. I left that contract early for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest takeaway from that was learning the importance of self-worth and the power of confidence.

Madison Caprara:

Self-confidence is game-changing, but EXTREMELY hard to put into practice. I’m a big fan of the fake it ‘til you make it mindset.

Do you have any advice for young women just beginning their own journeys?

Victoria Blair:

Talk to others, experiment and fail, and enjoy the ride! It can be really really really difficult when you are just starting out. Know that you aren’t alone and that teammates, managers, or other animators in the industry you admire are incredibly helpful and important in developing your career. Ask them questions, share your struggles, and chat through your goals. In school, it was drilled into my brain that success in the industry is “all about who you know.” Strong professional relationships will pave the way for opportunities in the future.

Madison Caprara:

Who is your absolute FAVORITE artist or work?

Victoria Blair:
Impossible to pick just one because I have so many favorites! For illustration, I’ll always have a soft spot for Edward Gorey’s work. His illustrations inspired me to continue drawing in college during my free time (and during lectures…). I love his creatures and characters, specifically the ones from The Gashlycrumb Tinies.

School of Motion Holiday Card - Victoria Blair

Madison Caprara:

So pivoting from there, where do you go for inspiration?

Victoria Blair:

Everywhere! Cinematography in films, artwork in museums, old crumbling architecture, weird creatures in nature, and especially music with how lyrics and instrumentals paint their own visuals in my mind. When I hit a creative block, I know that’s when I need to leave my computer and go to my sources of inspiration to find that next idea.

Madison Caprara:

Nice! So we’re reaching the end. Do you have any closing advice or statements you would like to share?

Victoria Blair:
Something I’ve been trying to preach to myself lately is to be mindful in the moment, admire the progress I’m making, and all the people that have shaped me into being who I am now. It’s so easy to dismiss and doubt your work when you only compare it with what you see on social media. Be proud of the work you do! Not every project will be a masterpiece, but you’re always learning and will continue to improve, and that is a beautiful thing to experience.

Madison Caprara:

Great speaking to you, Victoria!

We’ll catch up again this Friday on our Mograph Lunch podcast!

Guest User 5/18/21 Guest User 5/18/21

Takeover Tuesday with Stephen Ong

Q&A with Stephen Ong: an animation director with a penchant for crafting loops and short films

Q&A with Stephen Ong
Read time: 5min

Madison Caprara:

Hey there, Stephen! Tell us a bit about yourself. How would you describe your current work and what did it take to get you where you are now?

Stephen Ong:

I’m Stephen Ong, I’m an animator & director from the UK.

My current work often involves short looping animations, featuring bouncy playful objects, scenes, and deconstructed characters. I also create short films and work on commercial animation projects.

Madison Caprara:

Nice!

What was it about this field that initially attracted you?

Stephen Ong:

I believe play is so important in life, even as an adult. For me, working in animation feels like a big toy box to keep exploring and having fun with. You can create a different world every day without rules or restrictions. This was the main reason I chose to study animation and illustration.

Madison Caprara:

I love that outlook on life. That’s probably one of the most interesting ways I’ve heard animation described yet.

So, you had started your studio, Make It Move, with your partner, Mark Fuller, correct? How exactly did that come about? What was that dynamic like?

Stellar - Directed by Stephen Ong & Mark Fuller, Sound Design by Drew Simmons, Produced by Make it Move Productions

Stephen Ong:

Our studio is no longer operating. Mark and I are both independently working now and we are repped by the lovely people at MATHS in the U.S. for commercial work.

Having the studio was fun, but it made me realize that I don’t want to run full-service production. I found working too much with the client-side took some of my love out of animating, fortunately, I have a good balance now.

Madison Caprara:

That’s great to hear! Finding that balance is always a bit of a journey.

Speaking on balance, we’re in the midst of an extraordinarily challenging time, especially for professional creatives. What gives you hope these days? How’re you keeping your mental health intact?

Stephen Ong:

I’m an introvert so initially, I really enjoyed the isolation. I was creating a lot of animations to keep my mind busy. However, a lot of our inspiration comes from being in the world; culture, meeting people, and experiences. It takes more than just looking at things on a screen. So winter this year was hard, the main thing that keeps me going is to make plans for when we can do things again.

Madison Caprara:

I tend to lean a little towards introversion too, I was really surprised by how difficult it was to adjust to not being able to just hang around people socially.

Pivoting over to the professional world, has the pandemic radically affected your access to work, or maybe even, your creative process in its entirety?

Stephen Ong:

I have mainly been making shorter pieces of animation during the pandemic, animated loops have really helped me get things finished. My work in 2020 feels like a lot of studies, exploring how I make work, testing out ideas and techniques. It’s felt very explorative, which has been fun.

Madison Caprara:

I see that you are pretty active on your social media - particularly Instagram. How important do you think these digital outlets are for the success of professional creatives?

Stephen Ong:

This came about from wanting to explore and find out if something, a particular style or subject, worked. I like seeing how an audience responds to things, and it helped me to find a direction and curate things. I’m not good at curating my own work, so social media has helped a bit.

The importance of social media is outside of what you see on the feeds though. I’ve had conversations and connections with people in DM’s or on Discord/Slack that have led to opportunities and me making new friends in the industry. I guess that is the cool part about it, everyone is so connected and people are just up for talking and sharing experiences and support.

Madison Caprara:

That’s the biggest thing I love about social media, the ability to connect. It’s partly why I’ve made it into a career, but there can be some downsides. Are there any cons that you personally perceive?

Stephen Ong:

Just looking at your phone too much, look up at the real stuff!

Madison Caprara:

Fair, very fair!

So then, where do you find yourself going for inspiration? Any advice to those stuck in a creative rut?

Stephen Ong:

Ha! This follows the last question well. Just being in the world, exploring and experiences. Not Google Images or social media, all my ideas come from life.

Madison Caprara:

What is one of your favorite pieces that you’ve worked on? What about one of your favorite pieces in general - can be from someone you admire!

Stephen Ong:
I did a really fun piece for RSA last year, but it’s been so delayed due to COVID...it’s not even published yet. My favorite short film I’ve worked on is probably Stellar which is about a space-traveling eyeball. I made it a few years ago. It was just such a simple production, I storyboarded it and animated it in two weeks. Visually it’s simplistic but I like the story.

Work that I admire…I really like music videos, most of the stuff directed by Canada or Michel Gondry. Or any Ok Go videos, I don't think you can NOT like them. I also love Geoff McFetridge's paintings.

Madison Caprara:

Is there anything in particular you try, or would like to try, to address or explore through the animations you create?

Stephen Ong:

I’d love to try painting on a large scale. There are quite a few legal walls where I live, so I would love to paint some sort of sequence on those with my characters or something.

Madison Caprara:

Interesting, going from the digital to the physical. I’d love to see it!

Are there any particular apps, software, or other technology you would recommend getting familiar with to someone just getting into animation?

Stephen Ong:
I would recommend picking up something like rough animator on an iPad and playing around with fbf animation. They just get you in tune with timing for animation.

Madison Caprara:

Good to know!

Do you have any closing advice or points you would like to share?

Stephen Ong:

Keep having fun!

Light - Illustration & Animation by Stephen Ong, Music composition by Josh Alport

Guest User 5/11/21 Guest User 5/11/21

Takeover Tuesday with Sofie Lee

Q&A with Sofie Lee: a freelance Motion Designer and Illustrator.

Q&A with Sofie Lee
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

Hey Sofie!

How did you get into the career of motion design and illustration?

Sofie Lee:

I studied motion design at SCAD where I learned both animation in After Effects and 2D vector design. Drawing wasn’t a thing for me and I wasn’t much interested at that time. As I started my career in the industry, however, I saw a variety of design and illustration styles that were incorporated within animation. It was such a mind-blowing experience. They were so fascinating. Being able to share my ideas within drawings is a magical skill when beginning rough concepts, you know? That’s when I started to teach myself drawing and illustration.

Madison Caprara:

So, have you ever worked with a studio/agency, or have you always worked freelance? Do you see any pros and cons for both?

Sofie Lee:

During my senior year at SCAD, I had an opportunity to intern at a design and animation studio, which then luckily transitioned into a staff position. I embarked on my freelance journey last year to be on a new adventure.

But yes, definitely. In my personal experience, I’d say the pros of being in a staff position are that: 1.) It gives a safety cushion in terms of financial security, especially when you are fresh out of college. 2.) You have access to resources provided by the studio and get to learn a lot from other artists as well as the production pipeline. And 3.) You have fewer responsibilities on your shoulders because there will be an art director and creative director to back you up if you make a mistake or have to take time off due to any health issues.

The cons of being in a staff position: 1.) I personally felt constrained. Animation requires great teamwork and the majority of the job is client/commercial work where things need to be executed quickly, but beautifully, within the timeline. So, people were hired for a specific skill whereas I was interested in a lot of different things and wanted to grow at my own pace while making trials and errors. 2.) Having a limited income; income is often limited to the agreed salary unless you get a bonus or are promoted. Sometimes as an international employee, you are responsible for those extra attorney fees which are taken out of your salary.

Sofie Lee:

On the flip side, you have freelance work. Some pros are: First and foremost, you are your own boss which is the most exciting thing if you think about it. Because you are a producer of yourself as well, you can plan out your own schedule and grow at your own pace. Secondly, you get to learn the business side of production, which helps a lot to be aware of why smart decisions are important; how to get things done within the time limit with great work, etc. These new perspectives in business have been helping my workflow as well. And lastly, there is less distraction. When working at a studio with people around you, sometimes a random call pops up or your co-worker asks you to get a coffee (I miss this part) but you don’t have much of these since you are working alone. I’m realizing that I tend to focus better and get things done quicker working alone.

Cons of being freelance: You have to manage EVERYTHING and be responsible for them. Secondly, you can feel isolated and disconnected from people because you are working alone. And lastly, your daily routine can easily crumble if you don’t stick with it or remind yourself every day.

School of Motion: Jofie Collaboration - Design by Sofie Lee. Animation by Jon Riedell. Sound Design by Sean Smith.

Madison Caprara:

I feel like you’re either in the ‘love it’ or ‘hate it’ camp when it comes to remote work. There’s no grey area. I personally am a big fan.

Moving on, what has been your most interesting experience to date?

Sofie Lee:

I’d say attending the 2019 Blend Festival in Vancouver. I met a lot of great artists that I had been following. We talked about work, things we were inspired by, and just got to know each other in person. It felt dreamy.

Madison Caprara:

Nice! I haven’t gotten to experience one of these festivals yet, it’s why I’m doubly excited for dash bash this fall!

What is your favorite subject matter to draw inspiration from or pay homage to?

Sofie Lee:

Human anatomy and weird geometric forms and objects that draw on a certain mood. I also love abstract things (both organic and geometric) because they can be interpreted in many different ways. There isn’t a certain answer to be understood.

Madison Caprara:

How often do you allow your personal experiences to play a role in your works? Is there a specific piece you can think of for reference?

Sofie Lee:

I like to allow my personal experiences to play a role as much as possible because creating art based on my own experiences is such a therapeutic process to me. However, I also love collaborating with other creatives where the work doesn’t necessarily need my personal experience. It’s sometimes even better to remove myself and treat it as a creative solution. In the evenings, I work on my personal projects and that’s where I revisit my journals which are full of my own stories, feelings, and experiences. It’s almost like I’m hanging out with my past self and paying attention to my inner voice. I think one of the references I can use is probably my film I directed and designed called, Dream, where you can listen to my story and meet me through the work.

Madison Caprara:

I’m not sure if you’ve ever taken on a project that goes against your personal beliefs. How responsible do you feel creatives need to be when it comes to the overall message communicated with their work?

Sofie Lee:

I feel like this is a very subjective question and needs to be considered in a lot of different ways in order for it to be answered. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have a definite answer. I wouldn’t take on a project that’s crazy out of my scope of beliefs, and I’d also feel responsible for every type of project I agreed to work on regardless of my belief system because it’s about professionalism. Any work we create, whether it’s professional or personal, always communicates some sort of message which can be interpreted subjectively.

So my questions are: Should we as creatives feel responsible for every work we’ve created? Does every project we work on determine who we are? Are there any set rules and regulations to go about evaluating? What if you have other responsibilities that are bigger than pursuing your social responsibility as a creative? I definitely think it takes a crucial role to be aware of the power of creatives to influence the world, yet I’m genuinely curious to hear what others’ thoughts might be in regards to this.

Madison Caprara:

It is such a complex, weighted question. I’d be really interested to hear feedback from others as well.

For your personal projects, where do you go for inspiration?

Jesper Ryom Music Video; Nights - Designed by Sofie Lee. Directed and Animated by Mathijs Luijten. Sound Design by Jesper Ryom. Hosted by Delicieuse Records.

Sofie Lee:

I love going to art museums, watching movies, or going on a trip with my camera. On the internet, I check Motionographer pretty often as well as Wine after Coffee on Vimeo. Reading editorial magazines is also one of my go-to’s when it comes to finding some inspiration. Oh, and I can’t forget to say The Metropolitan Museum of Art website is full of amazingness.

Madison Caprara:

What is a skill that you believe is universally beneficial for all of the folks within the industry to perfect?

Sofie Lee:

I believe it is your communication skill; being able to articulate one’s thoughts and ideas is so important. I can’t stress enough to emphasize that. Surprisingly, it often gets underestimated. We all come from different backgrounds and people are now working remotely from all over the world. That being said, we should never assume the way we communicate individually is the right way, as there isn’t such a thing. Try to be a good listener. I also believe this would encourage the creation of an environment where anyone can speak their minds when it comes to collaborative work.

Madison Caprara:
Surprisingly - or not - you are not the first I’ve spoken with within the industry that stressed the importance of good communication skills.

Are there any particularly big challenges right now that you’re trying to overcome?

Sofie Lee:

As I’m now running my own business, the first big challenge at the moment is time management. I used to be pretty impulsive and would do things that I just felt like doing. I also have a puppy to take care of now, so my time is limited. Therefore, I’ve been making a schedule first in the morning based on my priorities and try to stick with it.

The second biggest challenge is keeping myself healthy. I was pretty swamped last year in both my personal and professional lives as I began working as a freelancer. I’ve been trying to exercise even just for five minutes a day. It’s tough because I’m not a big fan of moving my body and feeling sore. However, I love so much of what I do and want to keep pursuing this creative career.

Lastly, is to sustain peace of mind and toughening up my inner strength. Freelancing can be a rollercoaster. I didn’t believe it when people said it, but it is true. A precise schedule is needed but it doesn’t mean it always works that way. So I often try to remind myself that today won’t come again once it’s passed, don’t be shaken by temporary circumstances and feelings, cherish every moment I live in.

Madison Caprara:

That’s a great mindset to have.

Do you have any closing points you would like to share?

Sofie Lee:

I recently watched a documentary on Henri Matisse because I was really inspired by one of his works (I mean I always do but this particular one pulled extra interest) that said, “art should be something like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue.” Working for someone is great but this quote reminds me of giving myself some time to be immersed in my own art and feel at peace and relax as we all deserve that.

Dream - Directed and designed by Sofie Lee. Animation by Omid Seraj. Sound Design by The Chicken and Sono Sanctus.

Guest User 5/8/21 Guest User 5/8/21

The Importance of Self-Branding with Zack Davenport

Read on to gain insight into Zack Davenport’s thoughts about the importance of self-branding. Zack is the Founding Designer at Hellosaurus, an interactive video platform for kids.

In the past, he’s worked in-house at Vimeo, Foursquare, and Vine (RIP), and freelanced for companies like Nickelodeon and HQ Trivia.

Q&A with Zack Davenport
Read time: 10min

*“JC’s Pizza Cave,” Created by Zack Davenport.*

Mack Garrison:

Let’s start with a little bit about you. Tell us about how you got into the design industry and what led you to Vimeo.

Zack Davenport:

I started design as a hobby back in high school and was interested in t-shirt design. Threadless.com was a big influence on me back then and designing t-shirts and getting feedback from the community was how I learned the basics quickly. I hadn’t considered making design into a career but eventually found myself in the college of design at NC State University studying Graphic Design. I was always in the print lab screen printing and doing letterpress which is where I imagined my career would go. A lot of the designers I looked up to were making a name for themselves up in New York, so I had a lot of aspirations in eventually moving there.

Senior year, I was starting to put my feelers out there, starting to apply for jobs. I ended up getting a job at Foursquare in New York, as a Communications Designer. My job started mostly in Marketing; working on print deliverables, direct mailers, and marketing assets. As I grew there, I started getting more into the visual design of the app itself; the branding, the iconography, doing all the stickers and badges for Foursquare's app. That got me interested in visual design and branding and eventually led to me looking for a new role. At the time, I was talking to one of the co-founders of Vine and he ended up hiring me as a Product and Brand Designer. Vine was an interesting moment for me because I got really into animation, motion design, and understanding how the two can go together. I got an appreciation of motion and how my designs can take a life of their own when animation is added.

When Vine folded, I wanted to continue in a role that was specifically for Brand Design, but I liked working with video and I wanted to find another similar role. When I started talking to Vimeo, the pieces just aligned. Now I've been there for a little over three years. I started as the only Brand Designer on the team, and now it has grown from just me and a copywriter to a team of around 15 people.

“motion is at the forefront of all of our design thinking.”

Mack Garrison:

I can't believe it's been three years. That's wild. I feel like it was just the other day, I remember you started Vimeo. Tell me, what is expected of a brand designer? What is the role of a Brand Designer at Vimeo?

Zack Davenport:

Brand Designers at Vimeo oversee all the design work and all the creative that goes out the door on the marketing and brand side. Any time there's a product launch, maybe there's a marketing campaign geared towards that, that would be the work that I oversee. Also, making sure that that work is up to Vimeo’s high standards.

A campaign or anything like that can touch a lot of different media. Anything you see on vimeo.com, when you're not a logged-in user, are pages that my team and I have designed and support. We design emails and videos. We have an in-house production team that we work very closely with. We have motion designers on that team that we work with as well. Though I'm not necessarily animating anymore at Vimeo, I am art directing those projects; working with motion designers who are much more talented than I am and using them and their abilities to elevate the work that we want to do.

Mack Garrison:

Let me ask you this, Zack. Naturally, within the motion design industry, we can steadily see the progression of our field as we've grown, and how much more complex it can become. As well as the different avenues you can take with it. How have you seen the brand design role shift because of motion?

Zack Davenport:

Yeah, totally. I think motion is at the forefront of all of our design thinking. As a video company, I'm working with developers to make sure that all of our landing pages can support embedded video. We want to use video in a way that gets people excited. We make sure that everything we put out there has a video-first mindset, in a lot of ways.

We just launched a new product called Vimeo Create, it's a way for small businesses to create short videos, more Instagram-style stories, and other social videos. We are working on a campaign for that right now.

Mack Garrison:

Do you have any tips on how freelancers or smaller studios should think about their brands?

Zack Davenport:

I think a lot of studios or individual freelancers don't think about branding at first, which makes sense. You want to focus on the client's work and everything. But branding yourself is a great way of making sure the client understands what they're getting when they work with you.

Mack Garrison:

I think one of the things that we were excited about when we started our branding project for Dash with you was a lot of surprising aspects that I don't think I would've thought of, had we gone at it on our own, versus bringing someone like you in.

Let's say someone out there wants to rebrand themselves. What would you encourage them to do first? What's the first thing you do when you're starting a branding project, whether it's freelance or something at Vimeo?

Zack Davenport:

Yeah, that's a great question. I think a lot of people don't understand the amount of thought that should go into a branding process, on the business owner side. For example, I'll get a lot of people reaching out asking for a rebrand or something like that. The first thing I'll do is send them the questionnaire that they should fill out. It's a lot of questions around: what is the long-term goal of the company? What's the short-term goal? What’s your company’s special sauce that separates you from your competitors?

These are all things that influence the brand. I think a lot of times, people don't quite understand when they reach out to a designer for a rebrand how much thought will have to come from them first, and how many questions internally they'll have to answer. I think it's a great process. Especially when you have business partners, it's kind of an opportunity to take a step back and align together, to make sure that you're both on the same page moving forward.

The biggest challenges with rebranding projects occur when that alignment doesn't happen in the beginning. All the answers to my questions inform the direction that I end up pitching to the client. If there isn’t an alignment at the beginning, then the brief isn't there, it isn't fleshed out. And it doesn't lead to the best results.

Mack Garrison:

Can you give some more examples of the types of questions you may ask a new client?

Zack Davenport:

Yeah, sure! What are the personality traits that you want your company to embody? When a client is looking at your website, looking at your videos, what is the expected result of that? How do you want them to feel when they've seen it? I think also, having a clear understanding of where your brand lives in the world. If you're a bagel shop, you're going to have a different result in terms of branding process than you would for an agency that makes digital ads. All those areas where your brand lives are extremely important when approaching the design of a logo, of a type hierarchy, of color, and scale.

Mack Garrison:

I'm sure you've seen so many portfolios, either from vendors or people applying to jobs at Vimeo. What are some of the more egregious things that you see that people don't think about, that they should be 100% considering when they're building their website?

Zack Davenport:

To be honest, I think some of the more egregious stuff that I find on portfolio reviews and stuff like that is trying to overdo it. I think a lot of time the best answer for a portfolio is generally the most simple one.

Sometimes, over-designed portfolio websites can overshadow the work itself. I think that's the most important: your portfolio is meant to show off your work. Unless you are a web designer and you're applying for a job as a web designer, I think the web design portion of your portfolio should almost take a back seat, if that makes sense.

“branding yourself is a great way of making sure the client understands what they're getting when they work with you.”

Mack Garrison:

What are your thoughts on platforms like Instagram or social media in general? Do you feel like that's an important presence to have, as any designer, whether it's motion or static? Is there a necessity to have social media in that regard?

Dash mark and a supporting brand system created by Zack Davenport.

Zack Davenport:

I don't think there's anything wrong with having your work in as many places as you can. I still get a lot of client projects through Dribbble, for example. Especially for motion designers, having a portfolio on Vimeo and Instagram just makes sense. You never know who's looking or who could track your work down in various ways.

Mack Garrison:

Do you have any thoughts or ideas on what the future of designing a brand looks like? Any thoughts on things that either companies or freelancers should be cognizant of as we move into the next 10 years?

Zack Davenport:

I think about that question a lot. The tools that we, as designers, use regularly are constantly changing. Even the stuff that we were using five years ago isn't necessarily the stuff we're using today. You can't be attached to anything. One thing I've learned throughout my entire career is you have to be willing to embrace the next big thing or drop what you're doing based on client feedback and try the next thing.

Mack Garrison:

We just got back from a portfolio review down at SCAD. We had a lot of students who were asking about things they should think about when they get out of school. If you could advise yourself 10 years ago, what advice would you give?

“one thing I've learned throughout my entire career, is you have to be willing to embrace the next big thing...”

Zack Davenport:

I personally believe the best asset a designer can bring to a team is being a generalist; someone who has the skills and passion to solve the problem, no matter the medium. Be the person who can jump from branding to product design, from illustration to animation depending on the day. Focus on keeping nimble, keeping fresh, and creating a process that doesn't rely on specific tools. take advantage of the resources that you have available to you and keep challenging yourself to learn something new.

“focus on keeping nimble, keeping fresh, and creating a process that doesn't rely on specific tools.”

Mack Garrison:

Zack, this was great. I don't want to keep you too long. Any teasers for what you might be talking about at the dash bash? Have you given any thought to that yet?

Zack Davenport:

Been thinking a lot about it. I'm not going to tease anything yet. I have too many options.

Mack Garrison:

No, that sounds good, buddy. This was great, man. I appreciate you taking the time to hang out.

Guest User 5/7/21 Guest User 5/7/21

Ticket Update!

the Dash Bash

raleigh, nc

september 23-24, 2021

early bird tickets on sale may 28th, 10 am est

A limited number of Early Bird tickets will be available the morning of May 28th, priced at $300 plus taxes and fees. Get them while you can - we will have a limited quantity with a possible second wave of sales based on updated state and venue restrictions. Keep an eye out for that update in early June. For now, once they’re gone, they’re gone. Don’t miss out!

COVID Policy:

Dash Bash attendees will be required to follow current mask regulations and social distancing where possible as well as any other guidelines set forth by the state of North Carolina.

FAQ’s:

Check out our FAQ page for any additional questions. Don’t see your answer? Shoot us an email at bash@dashstudio.net. We can’t wait to hang out with our favorite Mograph friends!

Guest User 5/4/21 Guest User 5/4/21

Takeover Tuesday with Rachel Reid

Q&A with Rachel Reid: a freelance 2D and 3D character animator, living in Detroit, MI.

Q&A with Rachel Reid
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

What’s up, Rachel?

So, let’s start from the beginning. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your upbringing!

Rachel Reid:

Hello! My name is Rachel Reid and I am a freelance character animator. I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and attended the College for Creative Studies with a BA in Animation.

Growing up, I loved to draw and play video games with my twin brother. Drawing was really the only thing I wanted to do both at school and at home. My father encouraged my brother and me to learn Toon Boom Harmony, Blender, and Maya from a very early age. We spent so much of our time creating our own animations and making fun 8-bit video games. My brother would create a flip-book with stick-figure animations on sticky notes while I’d create my own comic books and watch cartoons. I grew up very fortunate to be surrounded by a loving and supportive family who encouraged me to learn and grow artistically.

Madison Caprara:

So, how exactly did you get into drawing and animation career-wise? When did you know that it was something you wanted to pursue?

Rachel Reid:

I loved watching animated films. Growing up, I was always interested in understanding how they were made. More than the movies themselves, I enjoyed watching the “behind the scenes” footage of some of my favorite Disney or Miyazaki films. Strangely, pursuing animation never felt like something I decided to do. It simply felt like a natural response to my growing need to find my purpose in life!

While the interest was always there, my father especially encouraged me to dive into the medium. His support was crucial in my pursuit as he provided me with a computer and always had the animation software equipped and ready to go. I remember the day he begged me to start exploring Autodesk Maya. I’ve never stopped using Maya since!

Madison Caprara:

That unwavering support is so crucial. Despite that, was there ever any hesitancy or doubt when deciding to pursue this career path?

“it wasn’t until I realized that there weren’t many women and BIPOCs in the industry, that the doubts came rolling in.”

Rachel Reid:

I’m very blessed to have parents who encouraged me to pursue my artistic goals from a young age. I realize not many young artists have parents who support their endeavors, as it seems much more secure to pursue something more practical. Because of the support from my parents, I had no reservations as I began studying and pursuing animation for my career. It wasn’t until I realized that there weren’t many women and BIPOCs in the industry that the doubts came rolling in. However, nothing felt more divine than my pursuit of animation; so my doubts were completely drowned out as I began learning the 12 principles!

Madison Caprara:

So, going from pursuing an education to actually delving into the professional world, how did you end up at Gunner? What was your experience like there?

Rachel Reid:

A month or so after graduating from The College for Creative Studies, I landed an internship at Gunner (which was a start-up studio at the time). I didn’t know much about Gunner or how popular they would become later down the line. I was just happy to have landed a job more than anything.

Gunner turned out to be a great experience though! My skills improved so much during my time there. Because my work was heavily relied on by my peers, I had to shift my focus from nitpicking to just getting the job done. Modifying my thinking in that way helped me focus on making the next project better than the last, and that's when the growth came. The best thing about working for Gunner was collaborating with the freelancers and networking with talented artists throughout the industry. If I had spent less than the five years I did at Gunner, my jump into freelance work would not have been as seamless during the pandemic; I was meeting new people in the industry up until the very last day I was employed at Gunner, and I’m super thankful for that.

Madison Caprara:

Sweet!

So personally, I’m pretty sensitive to the environment I’m in and the things going on around me. How do you allow the going-ons of everyday life to influence your works?

“Knandu Apparatus” — By Rachel Reid.

Rachel Reid:

This is a tricky question for me. I think the biggest challenge I’ve had since working professionally is having a life outside of work so that I can stay motivated and inspired.

It was easy to work on my own projects while in college, but it’s been a long time since I have created, designed, storyboarded, and animated my own ideas. That’s a muscle I have to stretch a little more. When I finally take time off from work, that's when I become more observant and try to stow away the interesting things I see - and experience - into my memory for future projects. I’d like to get back into the habit of carrying a notebook with me so I can write down any ideas that come to me.

Madison Caprara:

Pivoting off of that, what is your favorite subject matter to play off of? Why?

Rachel Reid:

My favorite subject matter is history! When I’m learning about the history of any country or culture, I feel like I’m in a time capsule! It’s interesting to learn how people, societies, cultures, and traditions evolve over time. History is the best explanation as to why things are the way they are today and is a good indicator of how far we’ve come as a society.

Madison Caprara:

Or how far we haven’t come.

Fun speed round! Critique one well-known animation. This can be on any scale. What do you like? Dislike? What would you change?

Rachel Reid:

I really love J’ai Perdu Mon Corps by Jérémy Clapin. I love this film because it's very adult and a much more thought-provoking film than it is action-packed. As far as the style of the film, it doesn’t go out of its way to be too impressive. The heart of the film lies within the narrative, the story is a bit existential with a lot of symbolism. In every scene, I feel close to the characters and the story gives us - the audience - room to sit with them and feel what they feel, in both the silence and the noise.

There’s a sequence about a quarter of the way through the film where the main character and a young woman have a meaningful conversation through an apartment intercom. It’s my favorite scene because you can actually feel the thread connecting these two strangers in an intimate way, even though they can’t see each other. Their personalities are conveyed clearly through their tone of voice, body language, and reactions rather than recited to us by some outside character. If I could be a part of an animated film that is just as thought-provoking and cinematic as J’ai Perdu Mon Corps, then that would be a dream come true.

“history is the best explanation as to why things are the way they are today, and is a good indicator of how far we’ve come as a society.”

Madison Caprara:

It sounds beautiful, for sure one I’ll be adding to my list.

How do you see the difference between making 2D animation, 3D animation, and more illustrative projects? Do you have a preference between the three?

Rachel Reid:

I don’t necessarily have a preference between 2D, 3D, and illustrative work. I feel like each requires me to work a different creative muscle. Though I find illustrative projects to be very fun and a little less stressful than animation because they don’t require drawing thousands of frames, 2D and 3D animation are more my forte. It’s easier to lean on the 12 principles of animation and the rules of anatomy and body mechanics than it is to choose from literally thousands of different design decisions.

3D animation takes a little longer for me to execute because I’m dealing with so many controls in order to puppet a character. Also, did I mention that dealing with Z space can be a pain? Nevertheless, I love 3D animated projects because it gives my brain a rest from the tedious process of 2D animation. In my mind, animation is animation regardless of 2D or 3D. I’m still drawing from the same fundamentals and each medium is super fun to work with!

Madison Caprara:

You have some seriously amazing work!

How’s your work/life balance going? How do you find the time to step away and decompress a bit?

Rachel Reid:
Thanks so much for the compliment!

Work/Life balance is something that I’m still trying to figure out! It’s really tough. Usually, I NEVER take any time off, and that has made a huge negative impact on my health. Now that I’m freelance, it’s my primary focus to organize my schedule and take time off. So far, the best way for me to find time is to make sure I don’t overbook myself. When I first went freelance, I didn’t realize how intense each project would be. I would book the next job the very next day after my current project wrapped up. I even did some moonlighting.

Rachel Reid:

It’s tempting to say “yes” to every project, but that only leads to quick burnout and completely depleted motivation. I think taking a couple of days, or even a week, between bookings has really helped me reset my mind and give me the time to focus on other interests such as learning a language or an instrument. I realize without that time to catch up on life and gain new experiences, my enthusiasm for animation becomes non-existent. I say all of this to say, there’s nothing wrong with saying the word, “no”. If you want a life, you’ll have no choice but to say “no”.

Madison Caprara:

I’m sure burnout is an easy slope to go down when you’ve turned your passion into your career.

I am pretty new to the industry, you are one of the few BIPOC animators I have come across. The lack of diversity has surprised me. If you are comfortable, do you have any thoughts or experiences to share on the topic?

Rachel Reid:

Ah yes, BIPOC in animation. Yes, I have a lot to share. First and foremost, it is very disappointing that there aren’t many BIPOC in the animation industry across the board. That includes motion design, feature animation, TV Animation, and games. The very same black artists that inspired me when I first started studying animation 12 years ago are the same people who inspire me now. However, I have not come across many in-between that time.

While I’ve always wanted to pursue animation, I did feel hesitant at times. I had come to notice that I did not see any BIPOC artists in the “making of” footage of my favorite animated films. Because of this, there was a time when I didn’t understand the point of my pursuit. I truly thought I’d be rejected at first glance. So I made a point to work really hard. I wanted to be so good at animation that they’d have no choice but to hire me. While I’m still working on perfecting my skills, I do believe I’ve made it this far because of the ‘work to the bone’ mentality of my youth. But to be honest, I don’t like being one of the very few BIPOC animators in the industry. I don’t want to feel like that token black woman animator. In fact, a friend of mine referred me to a colleague describing me as a “black woman animator.”Just “animator” would have sufficed.

Rachel Reid:

I prefer a more diverse workplace where artists from all over the world can contribute their experiences and sensibilities to every project. Men are already outnumbering women in creative workplaces but the homogeneousness creates a feeling of all-encompassing isolation to POCs, no matter how fun and outgoing your colleagues are. I believe a diverse industry would create diverse projects that will no doubt be innovative and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before in animation. The biggest honor I could ever have is being an inspiration to a young black artist who’s ready to impact the world with their art.

“…there’s nothing wrong with saying the word, ‘no’. if you want a life, you’ll have no choice but to say, ‘no’.”

Madison Caprara:

Very, VERY well said. It’s sad how this issue transcends every industry I’ve come across.

Moving on to a lighter topic, where do you go for inspiration?

Rachel Reid:

Life gives me inspiration! Spending time with friends and family, listening to music, traveling, immersing myself in culture and history; All make a huge impact on my work as well as my motivation to continue in the animation industry.

“if there is anything that's equally important as staying on top of your craft, it's taking a break and having a life so that you can feed those experiences back into your work.”

Madison Caprara:

Nice! Well, do you have any closing advice or points you would like to share?

Rachel Reid:

For anyone looking for advice in regards to working in animation, I would say to stay passionate, but be realistic.

While it’s not always easy to break into the industry, the grass is not always greener once you’re working full time. Making your life’s passion your job can sometimes bring disappointment. Not every project is going to be fulfilling and finding the time to work on personal projects will be tough. This industry is very demanding. It requires a lot of crunch and over time, so understanding the importance of work/life balance is key if you’re looking to stay for the long haul.

Give yourself some time to work on your own projects. Collaborate with friends and give yourself time to learn new things. I feel very blessed to draw for a living, but that does not mean it’s stress-free. If there is anything that's equally important as staying on top of your craft, it's taking a break and having a life so that you can feed those experiences back into your work.

Guest User 4/27/21 Guest User 4/27/21

Takeover Tuesday with Nocky Dinh

Q&A with Nocky Dinh: a freelance motion graphics designer and animator currently living in NYC, but originally from Vietnam.

Q&A with Nocky Dinh
Read time: 10min

Madison Caprara:

Hey, Nocky! Why don’t you give me a brief introduction to yourself and your work for folks reading at home?

Nocky Dinh:

I’m Nocky Dinh and I’m currently a freelance 2D + 3D motion designer. In the past few years, I have mostly focused on 3D works. I strive to tell compelling stories with a cinematic approach and pleasing composition.

Madison Caprara:

I see you are originally from Vietnam, was there anything cultural-specific you can think of that fueled your passion for motion graphic design and animation?

Nocky Dinh:

Yes, I went to school for Digital Filmmaking because I was watching some Vietnamese TV shows and realized that I wanted to contribute to my country’s film industry. When I was in film school, I only took one 3D class - in Maya - and two After Effects classes. I wasn’t very good at motion graphics during my school years at all. I graduated without knowing what easy ease is, to be honest. Being an international student, if I wanted to work in the U.S., I needed to score a job that would sponsor me immediately.

At the time, I noticed that there was a demand for motion graphics, so I promoted myself as an “editor with motion graphics skills.” Luckily, I found a full-time gig a few months afterward and learned everything motion graphics-related on the job. Slowly I moved away from doing editing and focused solely on motion graphics at the company. After six years, I decided to freelance to expand my horizons.

Nocky Dinh:

Lately, I’ve been trying to fuse my cultural background into my personal projects. I’ve been chasing the Western aesthetic for so long, as I’m getting older, I realized that my own background is full of inspiration to pull from as well.

“I’ve been chasing the Western aesthetic for so long…I realized that my own background is full of inspiration to pull from...”

Madison Caprara:

Is there anything special you’re working on now that you’d like to share?

Nocky Dinh:

Yes! Aside from client work, I’m currently working on another one for the Kokeshi dolls series. I’ve made one before featuring Frida Kahlo and this new one will be focusing on Van Gogh.

I recently read that in order to know something well enough, you need to explore it more than just one or two ways. Instead of working on just a one-off idea (which I’ve done in the past), now I am exploring the concept in several ways before I make a series out of it. I highly recommend everyone trying this mindset.

Madison Caprara:

That’s an interesting way to go about re-learning the actual learning process!

What are some of the best and worst aspects of working in the motion design and animation field that you’ve experienced?

Nocky Dinh:

Best aspect: you can create anything and not be constrained to real-life physics. Working in animation makes me slow down, observe, and appreciate the small things. For example, how people walk or how cloth flutters in the wind.

Worst aspect: people think it’s easy and often underestimate how long or how difficult it is to make something from nothing. They think in minutes, while I’m thinking in frames. Not to mention the “fix-it-in-post” way of thinking.

“A Moonlit Night” — By Nocky Dinh.

Madison Caprara:

Do you typically work remotely, or have you transitioned due to the pandemic?

Nocky Dinh:

I used to do a mixture of working remotely and being on-site. My dream is to be able to work completely remotely. Commuting is a waste of time and energy. Ever since the pandemic hit and lots of studios opened up to remote working, I have been able to collaborate with people from all over the world. It’s so refreshing because you realize how big the pool of talent is when not being limited within the U.S. or Canadian borders.

Madison Caprara:

How do you stay focused? What do you perceive as your biggest distraction?

Nocky Dinh:

I must always trick myself into working for just 15 minutes. After that initial 15 minutes, then I’m able to get in the zone. Sometimes, I’ll even become so into the work, that I need to schedule an alarm to remind myself to eat lunch. Having a routine has definitely helped me get into focus mode a little easier.

My biggest distraction is social media! I often put my phone faced down during work hours if I can.

Madison Caprara:

What studio, designer, or artist - dead or alive - would you want to have a Zoom meeting with? I’d say dinner, but you know…

“you can create anything and not be constrained to real-life physics.”

Nocky Dinh:

Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. I think he needs no introduction.

Madison Caprara:

When you feel stuck, or are in need of some inspiration, what - or where - are your go-to’s?

Nocky Dinh:

I discovered that my brain tends to come up with ideas when it is in a relaxed state. Often time, I have “wow why can’t I think of that before”-solutions when I’m in a shower. However, it’s unrealistic to shower 20 times a day so mind-mapping works wonders when I need to dive deeper than the low-hanging fruit ideas.

I also look into the adjacent fields of motion design - such as photography, sculpture, museum installations, fiber arts - and I subscribed to some curated websites like The Colossal, HypeBeast, AIGA Eye on Design — where they curate all sorts of cool projects in lots of different fields. It’s important to look for inspiration in places outside of the direct connections to your work. You never know what could spark interesting ideas.

Nocky Dinh:
I recently read that Joyce N. Ho went to the library to look for inspiration for the Semi Permanent title sequence and I thought that was a fantastic idea. When things are open again, I can’t wait to venture into random sections of local libraries.

Madison Caprara:

Speaking on inspiration, is there anything particularly interesting you’re reading, watching, or listening to right now?

Nocky Dinh:

I’m re-listening to a podcast called, Hardcore History: Wrath of The Khans, by Dan Carlin. I highly recommend all the podcasts from him. I’m also reading, Thoughts on Design, by Paul Rand. It’s very interesting.

Madison Caprara:

Can you share one of your personal failures and what you learned from it?

“…my brain tends to come up with ideas when it is in a relaxed state…however, it’s unrealistic to shower 20 times a day…mind-mapping works wonders when I need to dive deeper than the low-hanging fruit ideas.”

Nocky Dinh:

My Psychedelic Hot Dog poster was done in 2016 but it was the most memorable failure that I had to date. I was doing an “everyday project” challenge where I worked on one of my 3D personal projects every day (though it’s not necessary to actually finish in a single day.) I was trying to model a hot dog and at the time, I did not know what a proper UV was in 3D for texturing, so I was struggling very hard to texture the buns correctly.

I was cycling through all the projections then it hit me: “hey, if I can’t get it to work properly, why don’t I take advantage of it being NOT correct?” and so this trippy texture came about. With some design in photoshop, I was able to turn it into something really interesting. The lesson I learned here is that sometimes if you cannot get something to work generally, turn it into something that works for you.

Madison Caprara:

What about three general habits to improve workflow? Or some insightful dos and don’ts?

“my entire career was built upon personal projects. they’re not just a calling card but also an exercise to discover who you are and what your voice is.”

Nocky Dinh:

1.) Be super organized with your project files. Label all the layers and objects in your scene.

2.) Take breaks and come back to the projects later. You’ll see things you didn’t see before.

3.) Save your projects in increments! In addition, also store your current working project files on Dropbox. There are times when the ‘delete history’ of Dropbox saves the day!

Madison Caprara:

Perfect! Well, do you have any closing advice, points, or statements you would like to share?

Nocky Dinh:

Personal projects. I cannot stress how important personal projects are for freelancers. My entire career was built upon personal projects. They’re not just a calling card but also an exercise to discover who you are and what your voice is. Don’t chase what’s trendy. Focus on what you like, and you will naturally find yourself different from others.

Also, in terms of work, it’s so important to be somebody who is fun to work with. I’ve seen people getting hired consistently because they are team players and easy to collaborate with, even if their skills are not at the top level. And vice versa, super talented people not getting hired again because they are difficult to work with.

Guest User 4/20/21 Guest User 4/20/21

Takeover Tuesday with Millie Woodcock

Q&A with Millie Woodcock: a freelance illustrator and designer who also animates for Lambda Films.

Q&A with Millie Woodcock
Read time: 5min

Madison Caprara:

So, how did you get into the illustration and motion design game? Did choosing it as a career path click immediately or did it take some self-exploration?

Millie Woodcock:

As a kid, I had always loved drawing my favorite cartoon characters. Once I realized that this was an actual job, it stuck with me and I always wanted to go into an animation career. Illustration as a job came a little later after I studied animation, and then motion graphics came even later after I graduated. Motion graphics took a bit more self-exploration, I never really felt like I could fit in with traditional animation techniques and really took to the graphical styles of motion graphics. I had a few intern jobs after graduating, then managed to get a full-time role as a motion graphics animator. I’ve been working as an animator now for seven years and started freelancing three years ago.

Madison Caprara:

What kind of education did it take to get you where you are today? Looking back, are you for or against pursuing a formal education?

Millie Woodcock:

I did a BA in animation at Norwich University of the Arts. I think formal education is really down to the individual person. I don’t think I would have had the self-motivation at 18 to learn what I needed to learn with online courses. However, there are now so many online options run by industry professionals that it seems much easier to learn online. There weren’t as many of these when I went to University. There isn’t a right or wrong path into the industry.

Madison Caprara:

What are the best and worst aspects of working in the animation field?

“there isn’t a right or wrong path into the industry.”

Millie Woodcock:

The best part of my job is being able to work on many different projects, which means I get to explore different styles and approaches. I tend to get bored on a project if it lasts too long. Working in the commercial field of motion graphics keeps me on my toes as I don’t tend to be on a project that lasts more than a couple of months.

The worst aspect is that sometimes you can get some really tight deadlines where you feel like you don’t have time to think and consider your approach.

Madison Caprara:

Tell us a little more about your aesthetic. It’s so fun and almost...serene?

Millie Woodcock:

Thank you! I feel like my aesthetic is always developing. I do love playing with shapes, specifically in my character designs, I also love to play with proportions and perspectives.

Madison Caprara:

What is the craziest client or project experience you’ve had thus far?

“Attention Everyone” — Designed and Illustrated by Millie Woodcock; With Very True Story.

Millie Woodcock:

I have one that was a crazy project in a good way!

I was approached by the team at Very True Story to storyboard and design an animation that was scripted by 4th Graders. It was so much fun to bring their story to life.

Madison Caprara:

What is your all-time favorite animation or illustration and why?

Millie Woodcock:

It’s hard to pick but one of my all-time favorite animations is, My Moon, directed by Eusong Lee.

The story and design are both amazing, I never get bored of watching it.

Madison Caprara:

Are there any new trends that newbies (or even veterans) should be focusing on, in your opinion?

Millie Woodcock:

I feel like I’m seeing a lot of noisy gradients. I’ve even started to add them to my own work because I like how it looks. But, I don’t think it’s super important to have to focus too much on trends. If you see something you like, take inspiration from it and give it a go.

“I don’t think it’s super important to have to focus too much on trends. if you see something you like, take inspiration from it and give it a go.”

*“Opposites” — Illustrated by Millie Woodcock.*

Madison Caprara:

How has the pandemic affected your access to work?

Millie Woodcock:

I’ve been lucky to not have a decrease in work. I live in a small town and I think the pandemic opened up more remote freelancing work too.

Madison Caprara:

Do you foresee an increasing or decreasing demand for animators and illustrators now and in the coming years?

Millie Woodcock

At the moment, I feel like there has been an increased demand for animation work. I think where physical filming has been difficult to do during the pandemic, these projects have moved over to animation instead.

Madison Caprara:

Where or who do you turn to for inspiration?

Millie Woodcock:

I get inspiration from many places; being able to travel and socialize helps refresh my brain a lot, so this year I have found it a struggle to get the motivation to create personal work.

I also get inspiration from all of the artists I follow on social media; looking through my Instagram feed can help motivate me to create something. I now have a dog, he has occasionally inspired me to create some illustrations that feature him.

“don’t let imposter syndrome get in the way of putting something out there for people to see.”

Madison Caprara:

Do you have any closing advice, points, or statements you would like to share?

Millie Woodcock:

I personally struggle to finish personal pieces, so a piece of advice I really need to follow for myself is to finish something and move on. Don’t let imposter syndrome get in the way of putting something out there for people to see.

Guest User 4/18/21 Guest User 4/18/21

Things To Do In Raleigh

Attention future dash bash attendees: you’ll have an entire weekend to romp around our city. As the vaccine becomes more widely available, and you feel more comfortable venturing out, experience Raleigh like a true local. Take a look at some of our favorite places to hang and things to do around the City of Oaks!

A list of cool Raleigh to-do’s.
Read time: 10min

(1) Take a load off, grab a cocktail…

Dram & Draught

Address:

1 Glenwood Ave., Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Dram & Draught planted roots in Raleigh in the Summer of 2016. Though they feature some pretty amazing hand-crafted cocktails, craft beer, and local wines, their claim to fame is the 300+ international whiskeys you can peruse. Let us know your favorites!

The Haymaker

Address:

555 Fayetteville St. #155, Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

The Haymaker is a little off the beaten path. When you stumble upon this hidden gem, you will find a perfect combination of downtown frenzy mixed with neighborhood watering hole vibes. Overall, a hip haunt featuring creative cocktails in a cozy ambiance with an offbeat, vintage-style decor.

Junction West

Address:

310 S. West St., Suite 110, Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Located along Union Station’s tracks, if you’re looking for a bright and welcoming spot with some killer cocktails, look no further. Junction West was opened by a local couple within the Warehouse District. Rob Grantz, one of the bar’s co-owners, is a second-level cicerone, beer sommelier, and a former brewer at Trophy Brewing Co. That being said, their selections are top-notch.

Clockwork

Address:

519 W. North St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Heavy on the speakeasy feel, Clockwork takes you on a trip back to a time when cocktails were fresh and music was timeless. Come for the drinks, stay for the vibes. Pro-tip: check out their outdoor seating area!

Gallo Pelón Mezcaleria

Address:

106 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Gallo is a mezcal-focused, come-as-you-are, rock & roll cocktail oasis in the heart of downtown Raleigh. Unfamiliar with mezcal? In short, it’s a smoked agave liquor. Think of it as tequila’s cooler cousin. Need we say more?

2) More of a beer person? We got you…

Brewery Bhavana

Address:

218 S. Blount St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

A brewery and dim sum restaurant in the heart of downtown Raleigh. We love a one-stop-shop! This chic hangout showcases a variety of handcrafts, house-made brews, and dim sum. All in a multifunctional space that also houses a book and flower shop.

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Raleigh Brewing Company

Address:

3709 Neil St., Raleigh, NC 27607

Details:

Raleigh Brewing’s mission is to embrace the City of Oaks with every beer they brew. From the murals of the capital city on the taproom walls to the actual names of the beers, they thrive for the city!

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Bond Brothers Beer Company

Address:

202 E. Cedar St., Cary, NC 27511

Details:

Bond Brothers’ recently completed industrial, modern space is quickly becoming a popular epicenter in the downtown community. With over 9,000 square feet of brewery, taproom, and beer garden space to enjoy, they have built a destination that equally matches the quality of their beers.

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Burial Beer Co. - The Exhibit

Address:

500 E. Davie Suite 170 Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Established in 2019, The Exhibit space serves as an alternate realm to Burial Beer’s Asheville and Charlotte locations. It’s a unique exploration of the Burial art world located in Downtown Raleigh's Transfer Co. Food Hall. Here you’ll find a selection of VISUALS wines, cider, vermouth, and over 24 taps.

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Neuse River Brewing

Address:

518 Pershing Rd., Raleigh, NC 27608

Details:

Neuse is a craft brewery situated between North Raleigh and Downtown. Nestled just outside of the Five Points neighborhood, NRBC is accompanied by five other craft breweries, all within a one-mile radius of each other. Neuse focuses on Belgian ales and IPAs, but also experiments with some more contemporary and experimental styles, ultimately offering a wide selection. Everyone can find something they’ll enjoy.

(3) Hungry…?

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Hummingbird

Address:

1053 E. Whitaker Mill Rd., STE 111, Raleigh, NC 27604

Details:

A New Orleans-inspired kitchen. Along with a killer food selection, Hummingbird offers handcrafted cocktails, wines, and a full coffee bar, all in a relaxed, open setting.

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Irregardless Cafe

Address:

901 W. Morgan St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Winner of OpenTable’s Top 50 Vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the country, Irregardless is a farm-to-table cafe with meals sourced from local farms around the triangle. Come for the delicious food, stay for the live music hosted weekly.

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Beasley’s Chicken + Honey

Address:

273 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

James Beard Award–winning chef Ashley Christensen opened this modern fried chicken and waffles spot, which serves the namesake dish as well as modern takes on other Southern classics. Sit at the bar and wash down the restaurant's hearty cuisine with a craft cocktail or glass of champagne. Brunch here is also a BIG hit on the weekends.

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Sitti

Address:

137 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, Sitti offers authentic Lebanese dishes with a modern spin in an airy space featuring a communal table + an art deco bar.

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Transfer Co. Food Hall

Address:

500 E. Davie St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Transfer is built around food and its power to connect the community. Located in a local historic garage in Downtown Raleigh, it’s THE go-to food hall, market, and gathering place. The hall houses 11 different vendors, meaning everyone can find something they’re craving here!

(4) Get your caffeine fix…

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Heirloom

Address:

219 S. West St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Heirloom is a modern cafe featuring espresso-based drinks, loose-leaf teas, and sake cocktails in a bright, sleek venue. Feeling hungry? They also serve Laotian and Taiwanese food that earned them a spot on Bon Appetit's ‘Top 50 restaurants of 2019’ list.

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Morning Times

Address:

10 E. Hargett St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Neighbor to The Raleigh Times Bar, Morning Times is a two-story coffeehouse serving light fare in a bohemian, exposed-brick space with an art gallery located upstairs. Evening visitors can enjoy a glass of red with dessert as they check out the works created by the featured artist of the month.

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Jubala

Address:

2100 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27607

Details:

Located on the first floor of the Aloft Hotel, Jubala is a made-to-order coffee shop, serving single-origin, pour-over, and French press along with the classic espresso drinks. The space features an open kitchen along with the option of outdoor seating. Try one of their breakfast sammies!

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Sola Coffee Co.

Address:

7705 Lead Mine Rd., Raleigh, NC 27615

Details:

Sola is a family-owned neighborhood cafe & espresso bar serving up eats such as pizza and pastries. Pro-tip: stop by on a Friday night to enjoy some live music.

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Raleigh Raw

Address:

7 W Hargett St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

For all of our caffeine-sensitive friends, Raleigh Raw is a community-inspired organic juice bar and cafe. Along with their killer juices, they serve a menu of exclusively raw foods, including poke bowls!

(5) For all of our art + cultural lovers…

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North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA)

Address:

2110 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh, NC 27607

Details:

Located in West Raleigh, the NCMA houses more than 5,000 years of artistic heritage, including one of the nation's largest collections of Jewish ceremonial art. The museum offers daily guided tours of the exhibitions, and on Saturdays at 10:30 AM, you can catch a guided tour of the surrounding park. The 164-acre park features nine monumental works of art, which visitors can peruse on foot or by bike. Iris, the museum's light-filled, in-house restaurant, looks out over gardens. On Friday both the restaurant and museum stay open late and offer live music. Admission is free!

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Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) Raleigh

Address:

409 W. Martin St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

CAM Raleigh is a stunning gallery with beautiful vaulted ceilings and plenty of natural lighting. The facility houses a great variety of multimedia, contemporary artworks. Guided tours are offered every Sunday at 2:00 PM. The best part? Admission is free!

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Museum of Natural Sciences

Address:

11 W. Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Our Museum of Natural Sciences is the oldest established museum in North Carolina and the largest museum of its kind in the Southeastern United States — go us! The museum features dinosaurs, whale skeletons, live animals, walk-through dioramas, special exhibits, hands-on science education, and accessible scientists. You can also view more than a dozen exhibits from coastal to prehistoric North Carolina, see a live sloth in the Living Conservatory, engage in hands-on activities in the Discovery Room, and even experience life as a bug in the Arthropod Zoo. General admission is free!

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Gregg Museum of Art + Design

Address:

1903 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27607

Details:

The Gregg is located on the North Campus of NC State University. Admission is free, and their permanent collection houses more than 35,000 objects including ceramics, paintings, photography, sculptures, architectural drawings, archaeological artifacts, modern furniture, and so much more!

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NC State Library

Address:

1070 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27606

Details:

Ever been to a robotic library? Now you can say you have. The Hunt Library is located on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Here’s how it works: book selection is headed by a supercomputer in the bowels of the building. The bookBot barcodes the volumes, sorts them by size, and stores them in more than 18,000 bins. You can watch the bookBot through a glass wall on the first floor of the building as it speeds through huge storage aisles to retrieve books, journals, and other materials.

(6) Support a local business…

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The ZEN Succulent

Address:

208 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

The ZEN Succulent is a black-owned, neighborhood plant shop full of unique greenery and handcrafted gifts from local makers. ZEN was created by the mother/daughter duo, Margaret and Megan George, and is most known for its modern terrariums, workshops, and DIY terrarium bar. If your space needs a little greenery, this is definitely the place to go.

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Raleigh Denim Workshop

Address:

319 W. Martin St., #100, Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Raleigh Denim is an industrial-chic shop specializing in high-end, hand-crafted rustic denim jeans & apparel. All apparel is locally designed and manufactured in their downtown workshop. Check them out if you are in need of some new threads!

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Father + Son Antiques

Address:

3022 W. St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Located in the Warehouse District next to the train station, Father and Son’s has been selling Mid Century Modern home furnishings and vintage clothing since 1997. This store has one of the best vintage clothing selections we’ve seen in a very long time.

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DECO Raleigh

Address:

207 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

DECO is a lively, colorful, and unique gift shop located in downtown Raleigh. They feature the work of more than 50 local artisans, including jewelry, prints, pottery, cards, chocolate, and the very best local t-shirt collection. It’s definitely one of our go-to’s for souvenirs.

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Edge of Urge

Address:

215 E. Franklin St, #110, Raleigh, NC 27604

Details:

Located between Two Roosters ice cream and Wine Authorities, Edge of Urge is your one-stop shop for unique local gifts, small-batch cosmetics, handmade jewelry, and women's fashion from emerging designers and independent brands! Jessie Williams had originally founded this quirky boutique in Wilmington, NC back in 2002, and expanded to Raleigh’s Oakwood neighborhood around five years ago. Stop by if you’re in the market for some kitschy gifts.

(7) Experience the great outdoors…

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Dorothea Dix Park

Address:

2105 Umstead Dr., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Raleigh’s largest city park encompasses a whopping 308-acres in the heart of downtown. The site features an off-leash dog area, seasonal sunflower field, and a stunning view of the Raleigh skyline.

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JC Raulston Arboretum

Address:

4415 Beryl Rd., Raleigh, NC 27606

Details:

The JC Raulston Arboretum is a 10-acre, nationally acclaimed botanical garden with one of the largest and most diverse collections of landscape plants in the Southeast. This stunning garden displays more than 6,000 different types of plants from around the world. Admission is free!

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Nash Square Park

Address:

200 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Named after Abner Nash, the second governor of North Carolina. Nash Square Park is the perfect place to picnic while enjoying some city views.

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Neuse River Greenway Trail

Address:

Multiple access points.

Details:

Along the eastern edge of Raleigh, the Neuse River Trail follows the river for nearly 30 miles from Falls Lake Dam to the Wake/Johnston County line. There are several river crossings along the way, including two on suspension bridges. The scenic, tree-lined trail offers numerous wildlife viewing opportunities. There are three points of access, which we have taken the liberty to list below:

2928 Horseshoe Farm Road (2928 Horseshoe Farm Road)
Buffaloe Road Athletic Park (5812 Buffaloe Road)
Anderson Point Park (20 Anderson Point Drive)

(8) And at the end of the day, rest your head…

Heights House Hotel

Address:

308 S. Boylan Ave., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

Montfort Hall, now known as the Heights House Hotel, is an Italianate-style estate completed in the early 1860s. It sits on the highest point of the Boylan Heights neighborhood in downtown Raleigh and is one of the few remaining pre-Civil War houses in the area. Having undergone restorations to be made into a boutique hotel and event space, the house now has nine large en-suite guest rooms that can sleep up to 20 guests.

Aloft Raleigh

Address:

2100 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27607

Details:

Aloft is a design-forward hotel celebrating local art and unique lifestyles. Set in the heart of downtown Raleigh, it’s directly across from NC State University’s campus and is extremely walkable to Cameron Village’s shopping and dining areas. Even better yet, it’s dog friendly, so bring your furry friend if you so feel inclined!

The Longleaf Hotel

Address:

300 N. Dawson St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Details:

The Longleaf Hotel is a modernized, mid-century gem located at the northern gateway to downtown Raleigh. In their own words, “Expect an unpretentious atmosphere that is just a little bit swanky, because you should feel both comfortable and special at the same time.”

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Guest House Raleigh

Address:

420 S. Bloodworth St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

Guest House is an intimate, eight-room boutique inn and cottage in the heart of Downtown Raleigh. It’s walkable to almost everything (including a fair amount of places noted on this list).

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Raleigh Marriott City Center

Address:

500 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Details:

The Marriott City Center is located in the middle of Downtown Raleigh. Connected to the Silver-LEED Certified Raleigh Convention Center, this modern hotel is in close proximity to the city’s top entertainment, shopping centers, restaurants, and business district.

We hear the best things come in pairs, so keep an eye out for a part II!

Guest User 4/13/21 Guest User 4/13/21

Takeover Tuesday with Zoë Soriano

Q&A with Zoë Soriano: a freelance Motion Designer + Animator currently living in Washington, DC.

Q&A with Zoë Soriano
Read time: 10min

“I put my dreams on the back burner for a while…”

Madison Caprara:

So, what originally led you to pursue a career in motion design and animation?

Zoë Soriano:

Growing up, I absolutely loved animated movies. One of my favorites was Over the Hedge. On a particularly long road trip when I was maybe eight or nine years old, I decided to watch the behind-the-scenes recap on how the movie was made. It was at that point that I realized that making animations was an actual job that people could have. Over the years, it was instilled in me that my career path should be “realistic,” meaning maths or sciences, so when it came time to pick coursework in high school, I decided to go heavy on math and took essentially all AP STEM classes while avoiding art classes like the plague.

I put my dreams on the back burner for a while and even did two years in college of math coursework before I decided to take an art class for credit my sophomore year. In that art class, I fell in love with creating and drawing; things I imagined being manifested on paper. At that point, I knew that art/animation was something I didn’t want to compromise on anymore, so I transferred to an art school and really began learning animation!

Madison Caprara:

Was there ever a point where you doubted that career path?

Zoë Soriano:

Absolutely. There were two major moments that I felt huge amounts of doubt. The first was when I first transferred to MICA — I was surrounded by so many talented folks that I was really overwhelmed. Having only taken one art class prior, I felt behind in comparison to my peers. A majority of them had been drawing since they were young, they’d been honing their skills for way longer than I had. I felt at that moment that I made a huge mistake. That I would never catch up to them.

The second major moment was after I held a couple of jobs in motion graphics, I had been working as a motion designer for about a year professionally. All the while, I felt very dissatisfied and unfulfilled. Art school really sets you up to work on projects from start to finish, to have ownership of the projects you do. I felt like I was a “pixel pusher,” just churning out keyframes like a machine. During this time, I felt I had two real choices: 1.) Go freelance and see if having more control made me feel better, or 2.) Change careers to a job that I lacked a passion for, but would ultimately pay the bills so that I could work on passion projects on the side. It was a really tough decision but I ultimately decided to go freelance and I’m so happy I did.

Madison Caprara:

Is there any specific experience you can recall that has directly contributed to your established style or process?

Zoë Soriano:

I think as a whole, going to art school and being surrounded by so many different types of art was really formative to me. I’ve always been drawn to the motion design and animations that incorporate layering mixed-media textures, 3D elements, and 2D cel animations. I attribute it to being able to experiment with all of those mediums at MICA.

Another HUGE thing for me was working at Franc - my first job out of college. On my first day back in 2018, they asked me to create a “Welcome, Zoë” animation. I made some designs, they looked at them and really critiqued my color palette. At first, I was a bit shocked because I really liked the palette I chose, but they challenged me to pick only three or four colors and experiment with those shades. Ever since then, I’ve formed most of my color palettes around three main colors. Now, I even consider myself “strong” at colors.

*“Nike: Self-Care Saturday” by Zoë Soriano.*

Madison Caprara:

What has been your absolute favorite project? Tell us a bit about the creative process and subsequent reception by either the client or your personal following.

Zoë Soriano:

Ooo, this is tough because every project is my favorite as soon as I finish it! But I would say my all-time favorite project would be the first freelance piece I did when I went full-time. It was with the Miami Freedom Project - two sisters. The budget was tight, and so was the timeline, but I really put my heart and soul into it. It was the first time that someone asked me to do a project from start to finish; doing the art direction, character, designs, animation, even the sound design.

The project was about getting Latine folks in Miami to vote. MFP wanted to create this story about an Abuela and her grandson. They had a rough idea of what they wanted. The Abuela and Grandson would be going about their day and ultimately at the end, they go and vote together - socially distanced, of course (this was for the November 2020 election).

Zoë Soriano:
They sent me a bunch of photos to help shape this world — photos of their own Abuelas and trinkets to put in the scenes. Using the photos as a reference point, I created a bright and colorful palette around the vibrancy of Latine and Miami culture. Due to the quick time restraints, I opted to do more of a limited animation style and focused on creating textured and vibrant illustrations for the piece.

I look back at what I made a year ago, and while I know it’s not perfect - I can still see imperfections - I look at it quite fondly because it was something I really committed myself fully to. I really wanted to bring these characters to life and tell their story as best as I could. Miami Freedom Project absolutely loved the finished product. They actually told me that it made them really emotional (in a good way!) to see a character design based on their Abuela. Being able to evoke such strong, positive emotions is always a rewarding feeling because as an artist, all I want when someone looks at my work is to feel something.

“being able to evoke such strong, positive emotions is always a rewarding feeling because as an artist, all I want when someone looks at my work is to feel something.”

Madison Caprara:

What do you believe is the key ingredient for a consistent, successful final project?

Zoë Soriano:

Organization and clear communication are the salt and pepper for consistently successful projects! I’ve always been a fairly organized person, but once I went freelance and was in charge of a lot of my own project management, it was really important for me to make sure I had correct deadlines and that I could find all the files I needed.

Madison Caprara:

I see that you have a deep passion for activism, particularly regarding social and environmental issues. How have your personal beliefs affected projects you take on or clients you work with?

Zoë Soriano:

As an activist, it’s super important to me to put work out into the world that I feel makes a difference. When I first started off with freelance, I was very fortunate that my first project was with the Wall Street Journal for their Future of Transportation project. It opened the door for me to then work with GRTMA, the Greater Redmond Transit Management Association, where I worked on an informative project about how GRTMA was fighting for new bike lanes to be built. As someone who is passionate about environmental issues, I was really excited to take this on as I’m a huge supporter of alternative modes of transportation. When I’m really excited about a project, I really put my heart and soul into the designs.

Madison Caprara:

In the freelance game, there can be extended periods of downtime. What do you recommend doing to keep your skills sharp during these times?

Zoë Soriano:

Always learning! I’m currently in a busy period, but in December, I had a few weeks of lull and I spent the time researching new plug-ins and testing them out. It’s super important to do work for yourself during these times.

Also, it helps to maintain your routine, at least for two to three days of the week during lull periods. Replace working on client projects with learning a tutorial or doing a personal project. Non-work-related hobbies are something I really enjoy indulging in during my downtime; learning a new language or reading a good book are ways I keep my mind sharp and help me keep creative energy without actually making.

Madison Caprara:

How has the pandemic affected your access to work?

Zoë Soriano:

I went freelance during the pandemic, so far, the flow of work has been fairly steady! In 2019, I did try to do the freelance thing, but I didn’t get past 2 months before panicking that no work was coming in and decided to go back to full-time work. The pandemic has been extremely helpful for me in getting work because a lot of companies are now open to remote work, and are willing to work with folks from other states, so it’s been nice in the way that I’m not limited to my city.

“non-work-related hobbies are something I really enjoy indulging in during my downtime; learning a new language or reading a good book are ways I keep my mind sharp and help me keep creative energy without actually making.”

Madison Caprara:

Where do you go for inspiration?

Zoë Soriano:
Instagram, Behance, and Dribbble are my main sources of direct design/motion inspiration, but I also find a lot of inspiration in everyday life and other forms of art. Whenever I’m working on a personal project, I draw a lot of inspiration from my personal life which is why a lot of the stuff I do tends to be character-based. I also collect “Art of _____” books - I have all the Disney and Pixar books, and am beginning my collection of Studio Ghibli books. The concept art in these books is quite incredible and the color palettes inspire me greatly.

Madison Caprara:

Favorite and least favorite aspect of this industry?

Zoë Soriano:

Favorite: Community - being able to talk with folks about their experiences and their willingness to share.

Least favorite: The hold system and how male-dominated the industry is.

Madison Caprara:
Do you have any closing advice, points, or statements you would like to share?

Zoë Soriano:

Remember to take time outside of work to cultivate your hobbies and relationships! Having breaks from work is essential for your mental health.