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How do you fall in love?

Yolanda Santosa and her crew at Ferroconcrete know the answer to this question, because each time they take on a project they fall in love with it. They spend countless hours memorizing each detail, even the smallest, most trivial piece. They go past what’s on the outside and find what’s underneath–the true, unbiased story–and then, without thinking, they make it their own. They find the personality in whatever they are working with, then, and only then, they create something truly beautiful–something that will stand the test of time.

It’s this attention to detail and love of creation that has solidified Ferroconcrete, a branding studio located in Los Angeles, California, as a go to company for creating excellent brands, and it shows in their past work with companies such as Pinkberry, Hustler, éple and, most recently, TBS.

A Solid Foundation

This foundation was set in place early in Yolanda’s life. She was always inspired by great branding and knew it was something that she wanted to be a part of. After graduating with a degree in Graphic Design, she got a job in a large branding firm where she worked on strictly on logos day after day. She soon tired of the monotony and yearned for more ways to express her passion which lead her into the world of motion graphics and a home at yu+co.

Working with motion was something that rejuvenated Yolanda and proved to be a integral part of her career. Through the six and a half years she spent in motion graphics she learned the importance of story and the impact motion can have on design. This all culminated in such memorable projects as the end credits for the feature film 300 and the title sequences for Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, to name a few.

Some of Yolanda's work at Yu+co

The Start of Something Beautiful

However, Yolanda felt something was missing. Seeing great brands taking off such as Apple and yearning to get back into her first love, Yolanda set off to create her own company, something she wanted to do since she began working in the industry. When she heard that Pinkberry was looking for a branding company, she jumped at the chance. She took vacation time off from work and got in touch with the company and, in that week, she created and presented her idea to Pinkberry, who loved it. With that, Yolanda left her job at yu+co and Ferroconcrete was born.

At Ferroconcrete, she was finally able to express her passion without restraint, bringing out the personality in the products that she chose to work with. However, she knew she couldn’t do it alone. Needing to hire employees and understanding a company is only as good as the sum of its parts, Yolanda gathered together a group extremely talented designers from different fields who shared her love of creativity and story. Not wanting to create more cogs in the system like she had been when she first started out, she gave them all creative say in the initial design of the brand making an energetic, friendly and competitive work environment. Finally, Ferroconcrete had a truly solid foundation to support it. And, with that, they transformed Pinkberry from a one store shop into an over 70 store national chain (for more on this, check out the great AIGA video on how she created the brand).

Ferroconcrete

Since its grand opening in 2006, Ferroconcrete has gone on to create brands for companies all over the spectrum including Coola suncare products, Skywatch watches, TFO Architecture, City Center on 6th and even Hustler Toys. In each project, they managed to bring a full sense of design and personality to it, capturing just the right elements and bringing them to the forefront. This can be seen in everything they have created from menus and brochures to packaging and labeling; from websites and photos to motion graphics and video. Even shirts and bags. All along the way, they have fallen in love over and over again.

By the time Ferroconcrete was hired to rebrand TBS, Yolanda and her crew were moving in strides. Being somewhat of a return to form for her, Yolanda knew exactly what was needed. Working with the previous static half circle (smiling) logo, Ferroconcrete did what they do best–they brought it to life. Instead of creating just a logo, they created a character all on its own. With that single character, they managed to give the entire TBS company a unique personality evoked every time you watch a their channel or visit their website.

They did this by recreating the TBS smiley face logo in Maxon Cinema 4D, animating it into a mischievous and fun loving character that danced and interacted with various actors from the many different shows on TBS including George Lopez, the cast of The Big Band Theory and Peter from Family Guy. They made a star who loved to have fun, and that made TBS fun. Much like all of Ferroconcrete’s designs, it was simple, but it managed to say so much.

What Dreams May Come

Even though Ferroconcrete already has many awards and accolades under their belt for the work they have already accomplished, they are in it because they truly love everything that they do, and they don’t plan on slowing down any time soon. Along with continuing their branding and motion graphics projects, they are already working on integrating interior design elements into their branding studio as well as iphone application programming and design, among other things.

One could say, they are adding additions on to their already strong home.

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Sometimes an idea comes along that is so interesting and unique that it has to be done; you have to complete it just to say you tried, otherwise you might be incomplete. This is the case with Zeroes 2 Heroes Media’s interactive comic book mystery, Are You Awake, and all its tie-ins which include a motion comic video about a detective who can see murders as they happen in his dreams called, aptly enough, The Dream Detective. However, does the idea contain enough of a hook to lift it to the top or will it sink under all the weight of its parts?

The Dream Detective

I was turned on to the project through a brief email which contained a link to a motion comic YouTube video called The Dream Detective which (full disclosure here) has never been my bag of tea. To me, if I want to read a comic book, I’ll download it to my iPad or go to the comic store. If I want to watch an animation, I want it fully animated. This in between stuff has never been much my style unless it has enough flair to keep me interested. Now, that’s not to say The Dream Detective is done poorly. The short video introduces a wealth of characters and gives you a good idea of what the main plot is about. The art is pleasing to the eye, with the addition of some questionable effects and camera moves. Overall, it’s a good effort. It’s just not really my style.

To give it’s creators the benefit of the doubt, I decided to dig a little deeper into the mystery of The Dream Detective to see if it would hook me. Unfortunately, there weren’t anymore videos for me to view on YouTube, but there was a link I found in the description to a website that should hold all of the details.

Done in a motion comic style, The Dream Detective tells the story of Aaron Street, a three-time loser who gets one last change for redemption when he discovers he has an unusual power: the ability to see murders as they happen and track down the killers. In short order, this gets him out of jail, into a fast car and hooked up with a sexy new partner. But it all begins to go horribly wrong when Aaron comes across a killer who shares his unusual gift. The dream quickly becomes a nightmare.

Come check us out at www.areyouawake.tv to see more about Are You Awake.

Are You Awake

Right from the moment I entered the website, I knew the answers I was looking for weren’t going to come easy.

First, to my surprise, there weren’t any videos on the website at all. There were, however, two digital comic books–The Dream Detectives and Pashanata–neither of which were mentioned in the motion comic. The comics were really well drawn and colored, but didn’t contain any characters from the motion comic. They started to hook me when I saw that ideas carried over and, at the last moment, there was a mention of Aaron Street, the main character from The Dream Detective, which lead me to believe future crossovers would happen. There were a handful of links to blogs, Twitter accounts, MySpace pages and more, but I had no idea where to start or why they were even there. After looking for more comics with no success, I dove into the social links provided in hopes of finding some answers.

I waded through the information in front of me with slight confusion and apprehension. I like a good mystery as much as the next person, but if I feel like I’ve been dropped in the middle of an ocean without a life preserver, I’m going to drown. Every clue lead to more questions; every answer didn’t seem to quite fit.

Take the Story, Make it Your Own.

With Are You Awake, we wanted to do something unique. Presented across a number of media, AYA spins a real-time web of deceit, sex, rock n’ roll and intrigue. You can get as close and intimate with Anna or Callum as you would like. You won’t just read the story, you’ll be a part of it. Hunt for the mystery and be the first to unlock the secrets of Are You Awake.

I got the “number of media” thing, but what’s the mystery and how can I be a part of it. Luckily, through some sleuthing and a quick Skype call with the creators, I was able to figure out what the bigger picture was about.

The whole idea was to create a community in which the readers had control of the mystery and destiny of the characters. On the website (you log in and chat in the forums), you can participate in discussions that will lay out the pathway for the main story. The story itself is laid out through a bunch of mediums–which explains the motion comic on YouTube, the two comic books and all the social media links on Are You Awake–and it’s up to the reader (or viewer) to watch/read them all to come up with the answers. There’s also an Are You Awake app that allows you to scan the QR codes in the corners of the comics to get clues to help you solve the mystery.

Oh, there’s also a live action version of The Dream Detective.

Conclusion

I give Zeros 2 Heroes credit for taking on such an ambitious project. Giving readers such a big hand in the story, and by setting clues to the mystery through a bunch of mediums is something that takes a lot of courage and work. Unfortunately, it all comes off feeling like they have no clear direction where they are taking you. Having so many mediums with only a few strands holding them together and an unclear idea of how all the pieces fit into the whole caused me to get lost in the tide.

I also credit Zeros 2 Heroes for their use of interactivity with the code reader, but it never worked for me; not even once. I ended up downloading QR Scanner which worked the very first time. Unfortunately, some of the links didn’t work anymore. The links that did work only lead me to music clips and a few sound clips that really didn’t add anything to the story, but it did add to the interactivity of the comic.

Giving readers the opportunity to follow their favorite characters on multiple platforms as if they are real is cool, but, once again, it doesn’t pay off for those who jump right in the middle of the story. You end up reading too much in a blog or on a Twitter feed and get lost all over again, not to mention having to jump around to multiple social media sites in order to get all the information is really just too much work.

Z2H Media says they are currently finding a direction to take their project, and I hope they do soon. It really does have a lot of potential, but, as it is now, its just too easy to get lost in the tidal wave of information and you’ll be wishing you were a dream detective in order to figure it out.

Am I wrong in my conclusion? Give it a try for yourself and see if you can make sense of the mystery, then let me know in the comments below.

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RECAP

In my last post, I featured a handful of visually alluring motion reels, including that of Paris motion studio Gkaster. Pierre Magnol, the founder of Gkaster, is not easy to track down, but I’ve managed to finagle a brief interview with the man behind the stunning portfolio. Pierre mentioned that he’d be posting his latest reel any day now (which has got me on tenterhooks), but unfortunately we’ll have to wait just a little longer. Meanwhile, for those of you who haven’t seen Gkaster’s reel, feast your eyes:

PIERRE MAGNOL, IN HIS OWN WORDS:

Hi! My name is Pierre Magnol. I’m a graphic designer and animator. I founded Gkaster.com studio with Pierre Fabre (typographer and also mattepainter). I have a wide range of experience because I am self-taught. I started as an editor for Canal plus, then worked for Ultime, Limoges (where I discovered motion design) as an editor, a special effects specialist and multimedia project director. After that I became a freelancer and took my first step into motion graphics as a director with my first company name, Kurtzmedias. I did a lot of short movies and contemporary productions, even “corporate” animation.

THE INTERVIEW

First of all, thank you for this interview. Who and/or what inspired you to become a motion designer?

The movies Bladerunner, Tron, Akira, and conceptual designs of Syd Mead. There are no specific things that I could point out in those masterpieces, but it’s a global approach; about the design, the interfaces, the perception of the future, and the robotics that I really like.

How did you get started in this industry?

I’m totally self-taught. First, like many others, I learned a lot of things through forums where you can find many tutorials and very pleasant people who share their time and expertise with you. I would like to thank Creative COW and many other forums like it.

With the many disciplines you’re involved in, which has been your favorite to explore, and for what reasons?

Gkaster’s main discipline is to make motion design, and the second is the reason why I partnered with Pierre Fabre, to promote his skills in matte painting and his approach to typography. Today, what’s most important for us is to simply create images and pictures, whether they move or not.

What advice would you give to young creatives just starting out in motion design?

I have no specific advice, sorry. :) But you know, I would say, it’s a mix between a bunch of hours in front of our screens, trying to learn new techniques, a lot of emails and rendezvous trying to promote our works. It’s also nice meeting with people through the internet who give you advice about your works, and on and on… there are no specific secrets, just passion and coffee. :)

Where do you go for design inspiration?

I have no specific place I go. I take a look everywhere on the internet, and within many art fields. Like everybody I guess :). I take a peek from time to time at Computer Luv, Motionographer, Mograph Forum, and so on. In France, we have FUBIZ. But you know, you have plenty of other web sites which talk about contemporary arts and architecture.

How do you typically start a new project?

Like everybody, with an empty screen.

What are the tools you couldn’t live without?

My tools:

• A MAC
• After Effects
• CINEMA 4D  (a special thanks to Peder Norrby, creator of Trapcode plugins)

Is there an area of the creative world you wish you were more active in?

Film, I mean I recently bought a camcorder and I started to film the nature around me; it’s a great experience.

What have you found to be the most effective ways to market yourself to potential clients?

All the websites I talked about, motionographer and others, they are well known and give you the opportunity to be seen all the over the world.