tween

I’m writing this in a cozy little cafe called Gallery Espresso in Savannah, Georgia. I’m having a great time here, and I’m getting incredibly excited about going back to school—specifically going to SCAD. I haven’t heard any official news yet on my acceptance, but my hopes are high.

I’ve been getting a bunch of great email over the last few months from people wanting their websites added to Tween. These email are fantastic; they’re what keep Tween interesting for me and for all you readers out there. Unfortunately, though, I have to make "editorial decisions" about what to post and what not to post. This isn’t necessarily a reflection of how I perceive the quality of a studio’s work. It’s merely my attempt to choose sites that either a) tickle my fancy (this is a blog, after all), or b) might tickle your fancy.

Of course, I don’t know you all very well (we should get a drink sometime, shouldn’t we?), so the whole thing is an admittedly messy and imperfect process. That’s not a bad thing, though. That’s what makes this site Tween.

With all that in mind, here are few links that are interesting for one reason or another:

aerodrome : big-client brand identity design
leBeat : whimsical animation and illustration
WOW : artsy, modernist design and animation (thanks to Shaun, who found the link via Newstoday)
Little Siberia : some very nice mograph work
Solid™ : kick-ass animation and design (reel here)

More news soon…

Speaking of Digital kitchen, they appear to have updated with lots of goodies. So, you know, check that out too.

Digital Kitchen

mn8
..is the online portfolio of Jake Sargeant. He used to work for Digitial Kitchen, and I now hear he’s freelancing. He has some really interesting work in his reel, and I was pleased to see he worked on the title sequence for House, a recent favourite of mine. Check it, yo.

I should have posted these items over the weekend instead of trying to squeeze them in before heading to work, but I supposed they’re better late than never…

Check out Cocoe’s inventive "Como tú quieras" for Burger King. Very nice. A little reminiscent of Hoogerbruge. (I mean that in a good way.)

Psyop departs from their trademark style in these gritty new spots for Napster: One | Two | Three

Thanks for the tip, Shaun.

Before I get going, I want to welcome Fabricio back into the fold and thank him for representing Brazil in his recent post. I look forward to your future posts, amigo. Now, on with the show…

Renascent: Update
Renascent has updated with new work for MTV’s "Making the Band 3," which you may have caught in the recent Tween post featuring Lightborne. Renascent was tasked with creating the stadium that transports the band (literally) to stardom. Joost did a beautiful job, of course.

And don’t miss the recently added logo animation for Sojitz Corporation, which you’ll find along with the MTV spot in the Motion Graphics section of Renascent’s site.

Onesize: Update
Onesize has posted two new spots: Spyder and MTV/KFC. I really dig the pacing and seamless transitions in the Spyder spot.

Hornet: Good to Be Square Part II
You may remember a while back when I posted Hornet’s first installment in the Good to Be Square campaign for Wendy’s. Well, now director Aaron Stewart is back with two new spots featuring the incredibly understated Square: Flair to be Square and I’m Hot. Both are great examples of Hornet’s trademark wit. (They really do have some kick ass talent on their roster.)

Now eat me.

Yo! How´s going gang?
Well, its been quite a while since i´ve posted something here for Tween, and to be quite honest, its been a while since i´ve done anything interesting… but that is about to change! Cat in the hat! More and more news to come from now on!

What is happening latelly with me…
Well, lots of things been happening latelly with my silly life.. but the greatest of all is that i finally got a job as a motion designers!! (yayyy). And its for one of the biggest TV channels here in Brazil (soo excited).

But enough with this yadda yadda yadda… lets go to business. And as far as my concern, guys here at Tween have been uploading heaps of new and great stuff from all over the world. And as it is quite hard to get a chance to see something before they do (lol, those motion hunters!!) I have some new work to show from here, the sunny country, Brazil. And lets start shall we?

::Dino::
Dino has a simple yet very well resolved style, he uses colours like he knows what effect he wants to get through them, and that is very easy to understand after you´ve watched his reel. The guy´s style its just all there! I am so lucky to work close to such talented people

::Estado de Sonho::
Marcão is the guy behind Estado de Sonho, he has a sharp eye for small details and tiny moves, i guess thats what makes his works even more intense and powerfull. Probably one of the first guys bringing a fresh new look to Brazilian TV, after almost a decade of watching the same-usual-visual from our broadcast programs. There is much more new work to come and i will keep you guys updated! Now go to his website and blow your minds for a few seconds, please!

::Buraco de Bala::
Do i really have to introduce these guys again? No, I dont think so.
I only need to remind you guys that those talented fellas are growing up over the Brazilian vaste territory, and it seems it is not going to stop there, they want more blood!!
Check out their new work, including a fancy spot for VH1 and a funky commercial using lego

loyalkaspar was hired to create a show open and graphics package for ESPN’s new show, "Quite Frankly." The jewel-toned palette and illustrative treatments give the open a bold sophistication that I dig. I’m also a fan of the vacuum transition to the title card at the end of the spot.

Very nicely done, LK (as usual).

Critica updated last month and I missed it. Go there right now instead.

…

For those of you still reading, the latest update is a feature project they worked on with Attik UK for Camel. I’m still not positive as to what Camel is, but the spot is hot. Directly from the site:

“CRITICA did new work for ATTIK UK as part of the rebranding of CAMEL. The CAMEL Project HORECA features collaborations by 4 illustrators and 4 animators around the globe. Illustrators include Ray Smith and Vault49 from UK and the list of animators includes CRITICA from Singapore, Ramiro Torres from Brazil, Ted Gore and Nextseason from USA.
The 4 animations will be edited together to play in clubs in the whole of Europe”

Update: Ramiro informs me that he is not, in fact, Brazillian – he is from Ecuador, and works in the US. Sorry about that Ramiro.

Jayson Whitmore: Nick Toons
Jayson Whitmore (working with Exopolis) has been busy creating some great new work for Nick Toons. Check these out:

Three-Headed Monster | Promo 1 | Premier 1 | Sneak Peek 1

Brien Holman at Exopolis art directed the entire project and designed Three-Headed Monster and Promo 1. Gmunk designed Premier 1 and Sneak Peek. Mr. Whitmore rocked all the timelines.

nailgun*
nailgun* recently completed a strong show open for ABC’s Primetime. They built the spot from scratch (including the highly-detailed model of the camera) in a week.

Craig Frazier
I think I first ran across the illustration work of Craig Frazier in one of Hillman Curtis’ books. Mr. Frazier’s clean lines and bold palettes have a classic beauty to them that’s multiplied when animated with a little help from the folks at Feel Good Anyway, as in this short film, entitled "Stanley Goes for a Drive."

Also check out this small collection of Mr. Frazier’s animated work.

Thanks for the links, Seth Taylor.

FAILE
Dez from El Blogatisto brings word of FAILE’s crazy new site. Give this one a few minutes of your time and make sure to click around a bit for hidden downloable fonts and desktops.

While you’re "inside" the site, use the red tabs on the sides of the screen to navigate to other areas. Check Films for some interesting… well… films.

Brand New School created a superb collection of :15 spots for Volkswagen that really show off their flexibility and wit. Here are five in the series of over two dozen:

One – Two – Three – Four – Five