by tompainter | Jun 22, 2015 |
NCP Branded character design Marketing illustrations In 2011 we were contacted by NCP to help them with their new marketing idea; to introduce a character series that could be used in a variety of future campaigns. They were determined that the design of the characters was unique and something that could be instantly recognisable as being part of the NCP brand. Taking the brand 3D We developed a geometric 3D style that mirrored the “rounded squares” design of their famous logo, which we used when creating all the elements that would make up our images. It was important that the customers of NCP could relate to the characters and so we ensured that our designs were extremely open and friendly. Personalised caricatures To avoid a very generic feel in this campaign we decided to base some of the characters on actual people from within the business. We created detailed caricatures in the style we developed, incorporating the body language and personalities of the employees. This added a human touch to the project and meant that it was completely individual to NCP. Design process Detailed planning is a key part of all the work we do and this project was no exception. We played close attention to detail when drafting all of the images for NCP, which allowed us to solve any design problems on paper before beginning the work digitally. This process is vital when working on a tight time scale, saving us time and effort. Rendering style We tailored our characters to include the best parts of reality and cartoon, creating a perfect blend for a clean and professional style. Although the cartoon characters were simplified, we used realistic lighting to create subtle shadows and...
by tompainter | Jun 21, 2015 |
Zurich Municipal Sophisticated financial services illustration Beautiful corporate illustations Bigman was involved in helping Zurich Municipal create some illustrations for a risk management brochure they were producing. They had previously featured a singular image of a prism showing light refraction and wanted to develop this into a full series that could be used throughout the publication. Darkside of the moon Physics lessons at school taught us that prisms can be used to split white light in to a pretty spectrum of light ranging from red through to orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Our challenge came when we needed to combine this knowledge with our digital expertise in order for us to recreate the natural behavior of light digitally. CGI science To accurately simulate the physical properties of light we needed to do more than just paint the rays digitally. We found a technical, scientific solution which helped us to perfectly create this variety of images. Similar Projects Truchet August 11, 2015 Smart For Two August 6, 2015 MGM Advantage July 12, 2015 Prudential July 1, 2015 Scottish Government June 30, 2015 NCP June 22, 2015 Zurich Municipal June 21, 2015 Pixar Euro Pixels June 20, 2015 Sourz June 19, 2015 Gadget Buddy June 18, 2015 Mechanical Keyboard June 17, 2015 Flex June 11, 2015 Pollock June 10, 2015 Pixar Render Farm June 8, 2015 Ernst and Young May 29, 2015 Pixar Piggy Tutorial May 12, 2015 LV= May 11, 2015 South Downs May 8, 2015 Sainsbury’s May 6, 2015 Highland Springs May 4, 2015 NCP Christmas 2012 May 1, 2015 Virgin Trains It’s a Wonderful Line April 7,...
by tompainter | Jun 20, 2015 |
Pixar – Euro Pixels Celebrating the pixel Our Pixar partnership As beta testers for Pixar we often work closely with them and have even helped to produce tutorials for their Renderman University. Interesting images Their tutorial ‘Euro Pixels’ was about setting up a network of computers for 3D rendering that could be accessible from anywhere in the world. They came to us to see if we could create some images that would bring this dry subject to life. A remote controlled business For this project we took inspiration from Bigman director Tom Painter’s actual trip to Europe. Whilst travelling he was able to remotely control our own rendering network at our UK HQ. The humble pixel As the basic element which forms all of our work we thought that the pixel would be a great device to visualise the process of remote rendering. Stylised satellite data We developed a program that would automatically convert satellite images into pixels. The data from two satellite images was combined to form each illustration. One black and white image, which showed the height of the land, and one colour image, which depicted the actual colours. When processed, the geographical elements of both images were perfectly replicated in 3D pixels. Making your data more engaging This is a great example of what we are able to do in order to liven up any data and with the techniques we have at our disposal the possibilities are endless. Similar Projects Truchet August 11, 2015 Smart For Two August 6, 2015 MGM Advantage July 12, 2015 Prudential July 1, 2015 Scottish Government June 30, 2015 NCP June 22,...
by tompainter | Jun 19, 2015 |
Sourz Spooky 3D illustration Frightfully tasty In 2013 for Halloween Sourz created a limited edition toffee apple flavour and needed some spooky art work to help launch the new drink. We’re all ears Sourz already had a clear concept for the campaign and wanted our help to turn their vision of a ghostly apple carving in to a realistic 3D object that could be seen alongside the new bottle design. A digital advantage Actually producing and photographing this would have been a tricky challenge but using CGI we had much more flexibility to create a very high detail image. Polishing an apple It was important that the digital apple looked as organic as possible. We spent time studying real apples and how light interacted with them, so that we could accurately recreate every detail in our carved one. Design continuity As the drink had a Halloween launch we wanted to continue the theme and make sure the image was as atmospheric as possible. We created a dramatic backdrop that would accentuate the focal element of the images. Previsualisation When creating our images the bottle had not yet gone into production. This meant that our finished work allowed Sourz to previsualise their final product. This is another great benefit of CGI and be can extremely helpful when developing a product. Similar Projects Buhler Sorting Machine Explainer July 18, 2018 Puppy May 26, 2017 The World in Your Hands May 6, 2016 mCommerce May 5, 2016 TIPPS Ear Plugs April 20, 2016 Brugal Rum April 6, 2016 Truchet August 11, 2015 Smart For Two August 6, 2015 MGM Advantage July 12, 2015...
by tompainter | Jun 18, 2015 |
Gadget Buddy Friendly 3D mascot Rebranding challenges London agency, TDG, came to us with a unique challenge from the Rock Insurance Group to rebrand their specialist gadget insurance service, Gadget Buddy. The brand was being completely refreshed and so their existing mascot needed to be updated too, as character design experts this is where we came in. A contemporary CGI mascot The old Gadget Buddy had been well received whilst the brand was growing but it was felt that it was time for a more sophisticated, modern character that would have a greater appeal to their wide target market. Our character design strategy The top items insured by Gadget Buddy are high end mobile phones and tablets, so we wanted to incorporate this into our design. We decided to mirror the slick, minimal styles of brands such as Apple and Samsung. Our thinking behind this plan was that Gadget Buddy’s design should be consistent with products available in the industry. In safe hands Of course gadget buddy also had to be your friend, an open and trustworthy guy you would be happy to entrust your expensive devices with. So we had to work hard to make sure that we gave him the perfect personality. Back to the drawing board We began this project on papar, which allowed us to explore many options quickly. We scrutinised every detail of our designs and if any particular feature couldn’t be rationalised then we took it away until we couldn’t simplify it any more. A smooth 3D model As we worked the designs into full 3D glory we were careful to ensure that Gadget Buddy was composed of smooth, simple, elegant lines. The complexity came from the realistic, appealing lighting...
