When my daughter Samantha was three or four, she had a pink carrying case filled with little plastic figures. She absolutely loved these figures and brought them along wherever we went. In fact, she couldn’t leave the house without them. “Wait,” she’d scream as we headed out the door, “I need my people!” You can be the most talented designer on earth, but how can anybody appreciate your work if they can’t find it? Like Samantha taught me, we all need our people. Artists need patrons or fans. Content creators need followers. And those of us that communicate for a …

While it may be true that some clients look for a specific style, I’ve found that the best clients hire creative professionals they trust to uncover unexpected solutions. That’s why I try to begin every project with an open mind. Preconceived ideas don’t just shortchange the people paying the bills, they also rob the work of the joy that comes from design exploration. With that said, I must admit there are assignments where I can envision the finished piece almost instantly. Strangely enough, those are the projects I struggle to kickstart. When the destination seems too clear, the creative journey …

Though technology has drastically evolved the possibilities of motion graphics, The 12 basic principles of animation remain as relevant today as they were in 1981. Introduced by Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their seminal, The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation, the principles laid the foundation of believable motion and continue to guide contemporary storytellers who want their work to feel intentional and alive. Similarly, in chapter 9 of Animated Storytelling, Liz Blazer reframes various animation techniques as a series of deliberate creative choices that help support theme and purpose. Alongside the 12 principles, you begin to see how stop …

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand another's perspective. It’s our attempt to experience somebody else’s point of view, and one of the most natural ways to do that is through storytelling. The best stories always leave the audience with a new sense of understanding. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the best storytellers have the unique ability to create a world that's empathetic to their audience. How do animators make imaginative characters and whimsical worlds so believable? Among the most important considerations are the sounds they carefully choose, and the environments they build for their characters to inhabit.  …

I’ve always been slightly envious of those with an exceptional taste for color. Maybe it’s because of my struggle to choose the right pairing for a brand identity. Or, more likely, perhaps it’s because color has always seemed so subjective. Even after spending countless hours picking Pantone chips, I’ll often feel like the various combinations I’ve selected are wrong. Of course, I always present my selections with purpose and intention, but I can’t help but think that a better combination exists. This painstaking process is the reason I so often resort to black. Reading & Writing  Animated Storytelling, by Liz …

We all have a story to tell. While some might have more adventurous experiences than others, everybody has the luxury, or burden, of communicating their personal narrative however they creatively choose. Hemingway, for example, had a way of getting straight to the point. Kerouac, on the other hand, wrote with a stream of consciousness. Substance matters, of course, but authors like these taught us that style does, too. How we tell our stories is arguable as important as the stories we tell.  Reading & Writing Animated Storytelling, by Liz Blazer  Chater 2: StorytellingIn Chapter 2 of Animated Storytelling, author Liz …

No doubt, we’re innately drawn to stories we can relate to. As with our relationships, both personal and professional, it’s only human nature to seek the familiar. But do we take the same approach with the products we buy and the brands we engage with? According to Donald Miller in, Building a StoryBrand 2.0, businesses don’t just understand our propensity for familiar storytelling, the best ones actually take advantage of it. In exacting detail, Miller explains how every successful story can be broken down into seven precise acts. I was a little disheartened to learn that storytelling is so sequential …