Ever since 2002, URBACT has been leading the way, fostering integrated Urban Development, facilitating initiatives that promote the development of resilient and inclusive cities, which is at the core of EU policy for building a more sustainable Europe.
Urbact Method: A Case Study
URBACT was looking for a service provider to produce 2 short videos explaining the URBACT Method, presenting the URBACT Method for a non-expert external audience. The objective was to highlight the main concepts related to integrated urban development and its relevance for cities.
The Proposal
A competitive proposal was asked as a selection for eventual providers. Based on the outlines on the brief, we came together to define the aesthetics and narrative tone of the eventual piece. We didn’t have a script and the structure would be known once the provider was selected, so we created a mock script as a plataform to develop our vision.
We looked into a minimal, though intelligent approach for the visual development of the abstract infographic content of the video.
We were inspired by the Swiss International Style of the mid-XXth century, with it’s democratic, systemic design, it’s clean structure, geometric and vivid chromatic proposals.
Simple geometric patterns would allow us to create diagrams and other useful infographic visualizations that might be needed to illustrate participation, interaction and collaboration among many elements. Diverse colors would mix when interacting and overlapping in transparencies. Shapes, colours and interaction between elements are to be used along other Gestalt-design principles to convey alignment, participation and overall, unity in diversity.
These graphic elements would be constantly changing, interacting and reconfiguring themselves into different arrays on finfographic unity.
Preproduction + Design
Once the project was awarded, we were provided with an ideal structure over which we could build a real script and copy. A lot of visual and conceptual research was made into the vast database of information available on the subject from the most wide sources. A clear comprehension of the concepts was needed to be able to synthetise them into an inteligible visual language.
Once we had the script, we broke it down into scenes in which we could illustrate each section information, always striving for continuity and visual coherence. A spreadsheet would be useful to grid out and the different visual ideas before committing them to style development, creating a remote communication bridge among the team, while allowing us the necessary flexibility to cope and communicate client modifications and follow-ups.
Production + Animation
Given the tight deadlines, style development was done simultaneously with the animamation phase. While one scene was being animated, the other was being developed in design. Once style development of one scene was aproved, it was passed to asset creation and clean PSD and AI files were prepared for the animators. This streamlined process allowed us to be able to review our progress dialy and to provide the client with clear, periodic advances, gave us the necessary window for improvemoenst and modifications and allowed us to create the piece on schedule and in a very effective manner.
Testimonials
URBACT is taking part at the European Week of Region and Cities in Brussels this week and the video is already been proudly showcased at our stand 😉
The whole reason for the short deadlines was exactly for it to be launched at this event, so we’re very happy with the outcomes of you (and your team’s) hard work!
I’d like to stress that I’m extremely pleased with the whole movie, from each line of the screen to the background music
We’re all very pleased with the results, so (once again) big congrats to your team!
I’m happy to announce the animation is a big unanimous success among the team!! “What a travel”, “very didactical” or “progressive” are just some examples of all the positive reactions. Bravo to you and your team!!
Team Members
Pedro Da Silva
Animation
Graphic designer and Lead Animator with 15 years of experience in the industry of cable, TV and cinema, specialized in the field of 2D and 3D motion graphics and character animation.
Pablo Iranzo
Art Direction
Art Director, Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Painter and Motionographer, Pablo is a very experienced, outstanding and creative artist with an original visual and conceptual twist into motion graphics, branding and design projects.
Edward Thomas
Creative Director / Producer / Animation
More than 30 years of creating award-winning campaigns. Visual Communication and Motion Graphics Professor and Head of Studies of the Supinfocom Rubika Animation Shcool at Pune, India. Currently, based in Madrid as a Freelance Creative Director + Consultant.
