Irish Animation company

We just finished up work on two fun animated shorts made in conjunction with the cool cats from  Media Coop , Ireland’s premiere media production company for Television and Cinema. They provided the script, voice over recording and brilliant sound design while we covered all the animation and graphic design duties.

These videos are part of a competition ran throughout Irish schools to find new and innovative ways to power communities. The two winning students received a whole bunch of goodies and got their ideas adapted into these animations.

What we did:

Storyboarding for animation

As with all animation projects, the first step is creating a detailed storyboard so everybody gets a clear picture of what the final animation will look like and what areas need attention. We love this stage. Any excuse to draw!

During the storyboard process we hit upon this pleasing colour scheme that was used extensively in the final animation. Compare the above rough storyboard sketches to the animated version and you will see how similar they are.

 Character design for Animation

Because the three characters that appear in the animations are based on real people we had a good starting point for designing the characters…but it also proved hard to adapt the host; Ireland’s George Hook into a friendly face that fits into a light hearted animation aimed at children. He is a great broadcaster and by all accounts a wonderful man but his natural facial expression is something between a scowl and a cranky pout! But after a few tries we found the right design.

Animation Process

Animation services for your company

We are Wukomi; we make animations and provide graphic designs for all types of businesses and purposes. Contact us now to talk about what we can do for your graphic design, animation, eLearning and illustration project.

As a Html5 experiment over on Clamnuts.com I made an interactive comic using Hype. 

Read my HTML5 comic here

I’ve been keeping a keen eye on other html5 comics and interactive webcomics but I’ve yet to find one that really makes use of narration by the artist. I love Bifter and the innovative way they use SVG but I wanted to make a comic that would let me speak and could be more or less understood with out interaction.

Interactive comics have huge potential if done right, I remember seeing on the news about ‘motion comics’ where they cut up lame Spiderman comics and have him swinging between buildings. Wow.

I think the most obvious, easy to implement and powerful application for html5 storytelling is allowing the option to hear the author. 

This was made in Hype but just as I was half way through it I got a mail from Smith Micro the makers of Manga Studio about their new html5 comic tool MotionArtist  so I’m going to try it out for my next html5 comic project. Although their website made me feel ill looking at it.

Here at Wukomi we are experimenting with using Html5 within iBooks for medical and education purposes. Html5 is becoming more and more pervasive on News sites for their infographics and it’s something we are keen to try.

We offer professional custom comic book creation and application design.

HTML5 Banner examples

We’ve been keeping tabs on all the emerging HTML 5 animation technologies that are touted to replace Flash, at least in the online marketing creative field.

Adobe Edge and Tumult Hype are the current leading apps in HTML5 Animation. Hype is what we have adopted here at Wukomi and although personally I prefer it over the current version of Adobe Edge, I think it will be left in the dust by Adobe within a year. Hype is definitely robust and innovative but the sheer development clout and dominance Adobe wields means it will either buy out and absorb Hype or just smush it like a fly.

The above MPU 300×250 pixel is a HTML5 banner example which was created in Hype. Development time was about 4 times longer than a similar ad made in Flash but we learnt a lot about how to animate with HTML5 and the limitations of it right now.

One big benefit for advertisers that HTML5 ads seem to have over Flash is that it will be more or less impossible to block a HTML5 ad…good for online marketers but bad news for most of the internet public!

And although most of the hype around HTML5 ads is focused around the mobile device compatibility and interactive rich media ad spots, I reckon it will play havoc with the online mobile navigation experience while the standards and practices evolve.

Contact us for your HTML5 Banner Advertisement project. We will be adding more HTML5 banner examples as we create them.

This packaging for Bimbo Hot Dog buns is really smart. After a few years living in Spain, the brand name Bimbo has lost it’s comedy appeal.

Skateboard and Cool Paraphernalia

No Skateboard.

Attitude: Bad Boy or Certified Whack?

These jovial young adults are friendly but with no major attitude.

Artistic Merit

Brilliant. Top Marks for Artistic Merit.

Wukomi Wrap up

This is a brave and bold move from Bimbo. Instead of a cool skateboard dude they went with genuinely appealing young adult / teenagers. And it really works. They look attractive, healthy and not condescending or patronising which is tricky to pull off. 

See here for the Introduction to the Cool Skateboard Dude Quest and an explanation of the grading system.

Okay so this one isn’t really aimed at kids, probably aimed at women over 50 but it caught my eye…The faceless character reminds me of the little drug runners from HBO’s The Wire. They always wore plain white t-shirts.

Skateboard and Cool Paraphernalia

No Skateboard.

Attitude: Bad Boy or Certified Whack?

8 year old drug dealers? Bad Boys to the max.

Artistic Merit

The rendering of the soap block is beautiful.

Wukomi Wrap up

This is just wrong. Little back dudes from Baltimore used to sell soap.

See here for the Introduction to the Cool Skateboard Dude Quest and an explanation of the grading system.

Skateboard and Cool Paraphernalia

No Skateboard but check out the crowns and sceptre.

Attitude: Bad Boy or Certified Whack?

The ORIGINAL Bad Boy…baby Lord Jesus.

Artistic Merit

This packaging design just jumps off the shelf. Regardless of your religious views you can’t deny the power of this.

Wukomi Wrap up

Where else but Spain would you find the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus adorning a pack of lentils?

See here for the Introduction to the Cool Skateboard Dude Quest and an explanation of the grading system.

This company, La Ibense de Bornay has been around since 1892 so it’s not surprising that they want to ‘stay fresh with the kids’

Skateboard and Cool Paraphernalia

Nice. We have a skateboard, baggy urban trouser and headphones,

Attitude: Bad Boy or Certified Whack?

Certified Whack. The thumbs up sign is the death knell for any street cred it may have had.

Artistic Merit

I like how it’s exactly clear if its a boy or a girl but it’s a little stiff and I find the trippy background a bit queasy.

Wukomi Wrap up

Meh. Very contrived and false. Even the the lettering is lifeless and flat.

See here for the Introduction to the Cool Skateboard Dude Quest and an explanation of the grading system.

These skewered jelly Smurfs are a bit unsettling though…they’re sort of life size.

I found these in an open air market in Murcia.

I found this in the men’s clothing department in Al Campo in Murcia.

Skateboard and Cool Paraphernalia

No items. Although he does have sneakers.

Attitude: Bad Boy or Certified Whack?

This piece has too much attitude. The Gang signs are the central point of interest. 

Artistic Merit

One part Sonic the Hedgehog, one part Mr. Soft from the Trebor Mint ads, this travesty belongs in the cheap clothing for kids section not the menswear section where I found it. He’s the ultimate wigger; complete white and throwing rap hands.

Wukomi Wrap up

This is genuinely unsettling because it’s an ADULT size shirt…this is aimed at adults not kids.

See here for the Introduction to the Cool Skateboard Dude Quest and an explanation of the grading system.