Motion Design · 3D · Animation · 2021
Motion Awards 2021
a 10–15s promo for the 2021 motion awards — concept, design, animation, and original sound, all in two weeks.
role
tools
Cinema 4D · Octane · After Effects · Ableton Live
awards
Gold ADDY · Judge's Choice
Motionographer came to us with a challenge: create a 10–15 second promo for the 2021 Motion Awards. The animation must end with a lockup showing the logo, event title, a call to action, and the web URL. Tone was open and creative. the goal was to drive excitement and entries.
Before jumping in, our team - Duncan DeMichiel, Mirra Eden, and I - took time to truly understand what Motionographer stands for. I proposed a heavily conceptual direction centered around a single hero element: a triangle, simple yet expressive, capturing emotion through movement.
client
project type
team
tools
Concept
the triangle as a hero element
We chose the triangle as a symbol of balance and direction - simple in form, yet capable of complex movement, much like the diversity of styles celebrated by Motionographer. The triangle represents striving artists traveling through abstract worlds. The animation ends with the triangle leaping off a cliff to lock into the Motion Awards logo: a leap of faith submitting work for the awards.
final storyboard — 6 beats from wind-up to motion awards lockup
Design
finding the right color palette
Our biggest challenge was picking the right color palette. We always wanted to isolate the hero and make the triangle the main focus. After rounds of feedback and animating a bit, we landed on the purple background, yellow triangle iteration. Red, white and blue felt too political. The pink was too candyland.
color palette explorations — landed on purple background, yellow triangle
Animation
light, fun, perseverance
We brainstormed keywords for how the triangle should move and landed on "light, fun, perseverance." We wanted this little triangle to feel like it has a huge journey ahead, so when it takes that leap of faith, it really looks like it accomplished its goal. To add character, the triangle bends and folds during its movements.
Sound Design
a custom soundtrack built for the triangle
Once the animation was locked, I collaborated with Kelly Warner to create a custom audio track matching the tone and timing of the piece. I recorded a live drum beat to bring in rhythm and character. Kelly added a melodic layer that brought everything together. The final track supported the animation's pacing and unified the overall tone.
Final Animation
the final cut
After locking audio to animation, we made a few more color edits and refined the color grading. We went with the purple palette because it popped more while still showing the Motionographer brand without being too distracting. Every design decision had to feel intentional. we were representing the Motion Awards, the cream of the crop in the awards circuit.
Outcome
selected to represent the motion awards
The piece was selected to represent the official Motion Awards call-for-entries and highlighted as a standout by Motionographer's editorial team. It was featured in the 2021 Motion Awards public gallery and shared across social channels, reaching over 100,000 motion professionals.
🥇 Gold ADDY
⭐ Judge's Choice
🎬 Featured in Public Gallery
100k+
motion professionals reached via social channels
2 wks
concept to final delivery including design, animation, and sound
2
major awards including Gold ADDY and Judge's Choice
1
triangle. all the storytelling in a single geometric hero.