Retooned Network
“Because we’d created such a gridded and structured designs for the overall approach, it became imperative that the movement of these pieces felt snappy, fast-paced, and above all, playful and full of life,” said Calvert. “Our animators developed a language that’s rooted in familiar physical interactions, but caricatured and amplified into something incredibly captivating and energetic.”
It was important to Cartoon Network that each day part be distinct and branded with its own colour, humour and expanding level of complexity. “We wanted to share on-air the excitement we found in the initial explorations of the checkerboard and the grid,” said Adolfsen. “From the first to the last second of each day, we looked for ways to consistently surprise viewers and build on the language of the checkerboard, eventually creating a visual shorthand the audience could embrace.”
The creation of each animated asset in the project was led by BNS’s Hyesung Park, Arthur Hur and Andy Mastrocinque. Among many elements created by various artists under their supervision is a series of 14 short, black-and-white animated IDs, each of which derives visually from the letterforms of the newly designed Cartoon Network logo.
“Our enthusiasm for the brand reached every pocket of this redesign, culminating in the ID system we developed,” explained Calvert. For the ID’s, Brand New School established a simple rule: make a black and white animation based on each of the 14 letters of the words Cartoon Network. “The idents are both a nod to the channel’s history as well as an opportunity to curate the artists we love. They’re a celebration of every form of animation, from hand-drawn cel to 3D.”
For HD design and finishing, as well as all elements of the broadcast package, primary artistic tools for BNS have included Adobe Creative Suite, Autodesk Maya, Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Flame.
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CREDITS:
Project Name: Cartoon Network Brand Expansion Client: Cartoon Network Chief Marketing Officer: Brenda Freeman SVP On-Air/Creative Director: Michael Ouweleen VP Production On-Air: Nathania Seales Art Director: Eric Lacombe Design & Production Company: Brand New School Creative Director: Jonathan Notaro Art Directors: Eric Adolfsen, Mike Calvert Associate Art Director: Forest Young Logo Designers: Jonathan Notaro, Jens Gehlhaar, Eric Adolfsen, Mike Calvert, Ryan Waller Lead Designers: Adam Wentworth, Damien Correll Icon Designers: Mike Calvert, Aaron Stewart Pitch Designers: Eric Adolfsen, Mike Calvert, Forest Young, Josh Parpan, Will Frohn, Pat Arrington, Philippe Intraligi, Ryan Cox, Sal Dell’Aquila, George Vincent CG Director: Vadim Turchin 3D Animation: Walter Lubinski 3D Tracking: Han Ho 3D Modeling: Walter Lubinski, Adam Rosenzweig Lead Animators: Hyesung Park, Andy Mastrocinque, Arthur Hur Animator: David Rasura Additonal Animation: Eric Bauer, David Lucido Flicks Movie Package Design: Mario Sader, Jungeun Kim Flicks 2D VFX Supervisor: Arthur Hur Flicks 3D VFX Supervisor: Han Ho Flicks CG Director: Han Ho Flicks Movie Package Editor: Sam Goetz Storyboarding: Will Rosado Managing Director: Danny Rosenbloom Head of Production: Devin Brook Producer: Greg Babuik Associate Producer: Michele Watkins Production Coordinator: Ilona Klaver Production Assistant: Madison Brigode ID Design and Animation Credits “C” (Magnet): Design: Meg Hunt; Animation: Stieg Retlin, Kat Morris, Andy Mastrocinque “A” (Roadway): Design: Mike Calvert; Animation: Freddy Arenas “R” (Car Chase): Design: Ryan Cox; Animation: Walter Lubinski “T” (Helicopter): Design: Ryan Cox; Animation: Walter Lubinski “OO” (Split Eyes): Design: Travis Millard; Animation: Stieg Retlin, Hyesung Park “N (Footjoy)”: Design: Eric Adolfsen; Animation: Freddy Arenas “N (Teeth)”: Design: Ricardo Villavicencio; Animation: Hyesung Park, Stieg Retlin “E” (Bubbles): Design: Mike Calvert; Animation: Andy Mastrocinque, Steig Retlin “T” (Clothesline): Design: Stephen Kelleher; Animation: Hyesung Park “W” (Serpent): Design: Andrew Poneros; Animation: Andy Masterson “O” (Infinite Donut): Design: Travis Millard; Animation: Stieg Retlin, Hyesung Park “R” (Arrgh): Design: Meg Hunt; Animation: Hyesung Park, Stieg Retlin, Jessica Milazzo “K” (Mega Bite): Design: Ricardo Villavicencio; Animation: Andy Mastrocinque Original Music: Mad Decent and Michael Kohler