As a keen illustrator, animation has always been on my bucket list. But since I’m someone who struggles with starting at zero and I have little to no coding background, I’d reluctantly put my animating career on hold. Recently though, I got a taste during a Hyphen project for People First Bank, where I collaborated with our film guru Mark to transform a series of two-dimensional frames into a dynamic and playful three-minute film.

Designing graphics

I based the graphics around the bold and colourful People First branding. The logo icon, consisting of just three rounded shapes, informed most of my illustrations, line work and image framing. Being restricted by these rounded edges made the drawing process quick and consistent.

Transitions

While drawing each frame was something I knew well. Creating graphics that transitioned smoothly from one frame to the next was more of a challenge! Most of the work was in thinking about the in-between moments. And once I had a transition idea in my head, I had to figure out how to relay these ideas to Mark, our animator. And then there was actually executing these ideas, which I’m sure was the hardest part of all. Thank you, Mark!

While contemplating the transitions, I had to consider how the camera would move with the timeline. Sometimes, it made sense for the camera to follow the timeline across the screen. Other times, rotating the whole scene on its side created a smoother transition. I had to determine how the lines would re-enter the screen so that it made sense to the viewer and had enough variety to keep things dynamic.

Morphing added yet another dimension: a number 1 became clock hands which then became the timeline line. A plane propeller morphed into a washing machine. This was a new way of creative thinking for me, and I loved it!

The two-dimensional space

Drawing people and objects in a two-dimensional space is straightforward but thinking about movement in this space is a whole new ball game. There was one scene, which was later pulled, that involved two men shaking hands over a pub dinner. I sat at my desk for too long shaking my own hand as I wrapped my head around how this could be animated in 2D from an overhead angle. It can’t be. At least not in this simplified style. A fist bump would have worked better.

Even though the illustrated images appear flat, each element had to be separated onto its own layer in Adobe Illustrator so that Mark could manipulate specific parts of the illustration without the whole image distorting. Heads, arms, legs and facial features all needed to sit separately. Otherwise, when one arm moves, the whole body goes with it.

Adding personality

My favourite thing about animation is the way it can take a simple sketch and bring it to life with simple movements. The way the houses bounce and the skyscraper stretches high into the clouds, bring an energy that illustration alone cannot. Sound effects are another great way to do this. The Martian babble in the covid scene depicts the 2020 era perfectly. The music, along with all the pops and dings, elevates each scene, taking something that is visually very simple and turning it into something that feels real and relatable.

Upskilling

Working on the backend of this project, sketching and developing ideas, I learnt a lot about the animation process. It has led me to start working on my own animation projects in After Effects and, although these sessions often end in a headache, I am enjoying the challenge!

– Jane Heriot, Junior designer