- My contribution
- Motion exploration, timing & animation curves
- Illustration preparation & outline reconstruction
- Character rigging
- Tools
- Illustrator
- After Effects
- Duik
Animated
illustrations.
Giving an irregular illustration style a movement language of its own.
For trivago, the challenge was to build a foundation for animating illustrations with an asymmetric, irregular cartoon style. The movement needed to carry that same personality and express the brand.
Irregular lines.
Expressive movement.
I started by exploring expression, timing and which animation principles the illustrations could absorb while keeping their distinctive character.
Those studies helped us define two complementary movement dynamics: short, quick actions with a snappy, savvy feel, and a calmer, satisfying rhythm for the “winning feeling” moment.
The bellboy and the butterfly
Character animationThe traveller and the concierge
Illustrated sceneA quick snap.
A winning feeling.
These two dynamics became building blocks. They could alternate, be interwoven, or form sequences with different orders and durations. Each could also work on its own.
That flexibility gave us a foundation for animating different characters and situations while keeping a recognisable approach to movement.
Brief, snappy movements with a savvy feel.
A slower moment that lets the winning feeling settle in.
Floating / Overhead view
Character animationAt the pool / Front view
Vertical sceneRigs, curves
and keyframes.
I prepared the illustrations in Illustrator, then redrew the outlines in After Effects to preserve their irregular cartoon quality in animation.
I used Duik for the rigs, followed by many, many keyframes and carefully shaped animation curves to build the timing and expression.
On the phone / A
Character animationObjects and supporting elements
The piggy bank
Object animationThe spinning coin
Object animationBanknotes
Object animationCoins in colour / Desktop
Campaign variationPersonality
in motion.
The result was a set of animated illustrations full of personality and style, carrying trivago’s identity through movement.