A
nimation is having a moment. With
brands increasingly favouring the
medium to communicate large
and complicated subjects in a concise
way, there’s never been a better time to
master the craft. Animation can express
emotions through character animation as
well as using more abstract imagery, while
text and kinetic typography can express
powerful meaning often with a big impact.
The market for 2D and 3D animation is
growing, and illustrators are also keen to
get in on the act.
“A growing number of illustrators are
now developing skills as animators after
experimenting with simple gifs,” explains
Sue Loughlin, executive producer at award-
winning production company and artist
management agency Jelly London. “They
want to learn how to take their work into
longer sequences that naturally leads into
storytelling or communicating a message
on a timeline. There are many ways to tell
a story and so it’s a skill that’s increasingly
being developed by illustrators. Even gifs are
becoming more than just a couple of looping
images, becoming a form of content with
more of a message – almost like mini stories.”Representing a range of animation
directors and studios as well as being an
illustration agency, Jelly’s artists and directors
work across a range of styles. These include
2D to stop-motion to multiple CGI styles,
including character and abstract animation
and illustration. And, being a fully functional
animation production company, as well as
representing a roster of illustration artists,
provides fertile ground for cross-collaboration
between disciplines on both sides.
“With more illustration turning to
animation, our artists frequently collaborate
on projects,” says Sue. “We always help
them where we can, which is easy for us as
we have the resources available. We help all
of our illustrators who want to see their
work animated.”UNUSUAL STORYTELLING
London-based animation studio Strange Beast
operates a similar director-led model. “All of
our work is driven by the vision and aims of the
artists we represent,” says executive producer
Kitty Turley. “We have a particular love for
more unusual and sometimes less-obvious
commercial design and approaches to story-
telling. We also have a gender-balanced roster,REPORTREPORT
BELOW
Nike Air Max React
and Air Max Plus
Gumball animation,
by Jelly London.ABOVE
Still from Body Patterns
created by Milo Targett
for Adult Swim’s Off the
Air series.