Summary
As an exercise in brand development, I worked on a class assignment to create a motion logo for a fictitious brand. The objective of the assignment was to bring a logo to life using animated features to attract potential customers. I made Inkspread, an on-demand consumer printing business that serves the upstate New York area. Their logo sports a printing head as a mascot and I used animation of the character zipping around to allude to fast delivery. I even had the opportunity to revisit this assignment during my final semester, and I incorporated the knowledge I had gain in that quick span.
Process
Moodboard
My work started with collecting reference for a moodboard. I wanted to use the idea of a mascot as a friendly face for the company, so I sought out examples. What I found gave a good picture of where to go next.
Storyboard
After creating a moodboard, I drafted a storyboard of how I thought the animation would work. I wanted to illustrate instant speed, so I made the print head mascot print right in front of the viewer.
Illustrating
Then I opened Adobe Illustrator and got started illustrating the character in my favorite vector illustration program. I organized the layers in Adobe Illustrator so I would know how I could go about animating it later.
Animating
With my illustration complete, I animated the whole project in Adobe After Effects. I made some layers the parent of others and used keyframes to fine tune the animation I wanted.
Reviewing
A year later, I had the opportunity to revise this project. I wanted to update the logo with my new knowledge because I knew I could improve my original design. For this next iteration, I focused on a simpler style that was even more friendlier and welcoming to potential customers.
Illustrating
I went back to the drawing board and redrew the design I had made earlier. I focused on rounder edges and a flatter look with calmer colors. This gave was for easier animating and recognition of features.
Animating
With my final drawing done, I re-animated in Adobe After Effects using the same techniques of parenting layers and keyframes for fine tuning. The resulting animation improved initial ideas and represents a more professional product.
Deliverables
Original Inkspread Logo
Original Motion Logo
Revamped Inkspread Logo
Revamped Motion Logo
Reflection
Work on this project helped me get better at the tools for motion graphics. Creating a brand is a delicate challenge that requires careful planning. When I decided to revisit this project with a new set of skills, I was happy to have had proper final organization and access to the original files to begin. This helped me understand my original thoughts and pick right up after I left off.