How can your personal animation style stand out in the industry?

I'm sure that this is going to get me in trouble, but here goes... Many people in the industry spend more time focusing on animation style than story-telling. I have a semi-constant refrain in my office that says "as long as the story is compelling, we could tell it with popsicle sticks. With that said I have seen some brilliant series that created extraordinary worlds that complimented the story like THE SPIDERVERSE, ARCANE and WHAT IF?.

As a franchise creator who works with known IP, I am often asked by animators how to get work on well-known shows. I always remind them that a strong creative director/producer is usually not looking for someone who can mimic a style. That is something we can test and train for. Smart executives and companies are looking for talent that will elevate their brands. I highly encourage artists to be unconventional, playful and exploratory when evolving their style. Share on social networks and get feedback from a wider audience. Don't be afraid to show different explorations and styles. There is only one you and that is what we want to experience through your personal animation style.

What I was taught back when I was starting out was to get to know myself first and foremost, before getting to know some of the influences. One consistent practice I always do with my team is to consistently taking a step back to look at whatever we are doing and judge objectively so that we would know ourselves better. This then poses some questions to ourselves: What stories are we telling? What are our recurring themes in the work? By knowing ourselves first, we would get a better connection between our artistic approach with the influences we choose to embrace. This then could take us further in developing our own creative voice.

Try to create a style that communicates the full range of personality of your characters and you feel very comfortable drawing/doodling. You want to sense the person inside regardless how simple they are designed so they inspire you to write stories for them - then voice choice and sound builds upon that. But if the writing is one dimensional and poor/lazy/cliched then it really doesn't matter how good the design is. Good story and dialogue is key. Personally to make sure my style stood out I created personal short films that played around and developed further my style until I was able to get series work. But that style, voice and writing is ever evolving.

-Try different things until you find a style that feels like 'you' -Make characters and stories that are different and interesting -Use your own experiences to make your animations real and special -Keep your style similar in all your projects so people recognize your work -Mix what's popular with your own cool ideas. -Work with others and listen to what they think about your work -Improve by learning from feedback and trying new things -Share your work online so people can see how unique you are -Be yourself and make animations that are different from the rest

What works for me is to imagine first the idea of what I want to do. Then ALWAYS sketch it in a notebook or iPad or any surface (even if it is a movement idea or camera angle). After that, I researched of how is the best way to do it that doesn't take a lot of time. Could be any software, screen recording, camera shooting or even AI generator. All tools are welcome to be part of the process of your work but remember that every experiment should reinforce the message you want to tell.

Experimenting is quite enjoyable! It's like being a magician, mixing different media such as hand-drawn textures, vector shapes, photographs, 3D elements, etc. You can even explore different techniques within a single software, such as keyframe animation, shape layers, effects, and plugins. Feel free to reuse some of your past designs and try experimenting with variations, tweak parameters, and seek feedback from peers or mentors to improve your work or to get a different opinion and a new inspiration spark. Continuously analyzing your work and identifying what works well and what could be improved is a great way to refine your style over time.

Experimentation is KEY to figuring out what your style AND continuing to grow as an artist. You won’t know if you like a tool or a or style if you never try it out! If you’re scared of trying something new with your artistic process I recommend saving iterations of your work. Don’t like what you made? Go back a step and approach it from a different angle! I personally recommend doing timed thumbnail sketches when experimenting. Try something radically different with your work for 5-10 minutes and if it reads as a thumbnail you’re set! Timing yourself let’s you explore an idea without taking a lot much time from your production schedule. Some of the most beautiful and innovative artwork is created by doing things differently. Embrace it!

Explore various techniques and software to discover what best suits your style and allows you to innovate and differentiate yourself creatively.

First and foremost, consider developing an angle or story that you'd like to tell in the animation before even exploring tools or a certain style. A few key considerations would be: - What kind of feeling/emotions to evoke through the style/treatment in the story you're telling - One key message to convey in the visual storytelling - Timeline and Budget (3D Tends to be more resource intensive) The above would serve as anchor to make the choice of style to be much more intentional and meaningful. A quality animation is not restricted to a particular style. It shows through the intention of the story that's being communicated.

Work on something that you really wanted to see animated rather than reproducing other things you already saw animated. Focus on your inner feelings for a moment, and try to make that emotion showcase thru your animation. It can be a unique design, unique theme, or unique animation style, whatever you choose, you must persist and keep polishing it until you are satisfied. Sometimes it's a matter of accepting your style as opposed to "chasing" another style that you want it for yourself.

Identify aspects of your work that set you apart, whether it's a particular aesthetic, storytelling approach, or character design, and consistently refine and showcase these elements.

1st. You are the unique signature you are looking for. Leverage your unique personality and your best in animation, regardless of the medium and bring that to life. This way you are not only developing your signature element, you are also building your own brand. Sure, you might take some time to figure out what sets you apart and figure out your style. 2nd, Take inspiration from designers and artists across history and understand how they developed their signature style. This can be based on just colours or patterns, a very specific presence of a unique element or a animation rhythm. 3rd. Explore and implement, a lot. You will eventually get something that's purely yours. Take feedback. Implement what works for you.

While it sounds distinctive and special, 'signature elements' could be very restrictive in one's development of creative/artistic voice. For example, the first few years of our studio work revolved around many 3D cute characters to tell stories. Due to other business and marketing needs of our clients, it forced us to be versatile in pivoting to a few different styles such as kinetic typography, motion graphics with collage to tell historical facts and stories. One takeaway was we took some of the essence of a style we got so comfortable with and brought it into many different styles. For example, cute characters always have snappy and slapstick qualities of it that could be applied to kinetic typography animation in the way it moves.

As you gain more experience and confidence in your work, focusing on refining your unique visual language and aesthetic preferences is essential. Feel free to experiment and combine different styles to create a signature style that sets you apart as a motion designer. With time and practice, you'll be able to develop a recognizable and distinctive style that truly reflects your creative vision.

Showcasing a portfolio strategically could also mean creating different types of portfolio catered to different group of audience/potential prospects when you've had accumulated a wide range of style and body of work. Portfolio in the industry of banking, financial and corporations could be presented to similar group of industries or even their competitors to ensure relevancy. Similarly, a certain style for example character-driven animation portfolio could also be presented to brands that constantly require certain mascots/persona to be their voice. Grouping portfolio according to certain style or industry could increase the chance of getting into more conversation as they prove to be more relevant to the people we are showing to.

No basta con aprender y practicar, es indispensable el compartir tu trabajo y conectar con personas en la insdustría, aprender de otros artistas e interactuar con ellos. Mantener tu portafolio actualizado, con tus mejores trabajos.

One of the biggest misses I see in animation is the lack of slowing down of, the weight of, and the pause of represented. It's like the break between the notes in music - if it isn't there - there's a huge amount then missing from both immersion and the overall quality of animation. We need these breaks to make impact to the storytelling aspects. Whether you have a broad range or highly specialized skillset, show as much process of how you got to your finals as much as possible. This helps us as recruiters understand where your skillset lies outside of the final product. Lastly, a beat list or written detailing of what we are seeing and what your direct contribution was is extremely helpful if you're on the hunt for a new role!

Curate a portfolio that highlights your strengths and showcases your unique style, ensuring potential clients or employers can easily recognize your distinct voice and artistic vision.

Sharing your work can be an excellent way to seek feedback and encouragement from others. Whether you're presenting a work in progress or something behind the scenes, getting fresh perspectives can be incredibly helpful. Others can provide valuable insights and constructive criticism that can help you improve your work. So, don't hesitate to put your work out there and see what others have to say.

Connect with other professionals in the industry, collaborate on projects, and seek feedback to expand your reach and refine your style through exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences.

In any field, networking and collaboration within the same industry are important because they facilitate professional growth, knowledge sharing, collaborative opportunities, and career advancement. By actively engaging with your network and building meaningful connections, you can unlock a wealth of opportunities and resources to support your career or business goals.

Lo digo siempre haciendo industria a través de la colaboración y el compartir, aprender de los demás son la clave para contar y crear las mejores historias

Outside of networking or collaboration - connect with groups as well as individuals. Possibly start working on cross-portfolio pieces (work with a character artist to provide solid models vs. those provided online for instance - especially when you're first getting started). If you're more senior, think of helping the industry through building mentorships or feedback for others. Getting involved in community can be extremely uplifting for all parties involved.

Connect with other animators, artists, and industry professionals to exchange ideas, collaborate on projects, and gain exposure for your work. Networking can help you build relationships, learn from others, and discover new opportunities for growth and development.

On of the best pieces of advice I've heard is to become relentlessly curious about your craft, regardless of your field. It will rarely lead you down a bad path. In terms of the Animation field (or any creative and technical industry) - it's always growing, morphing and changing. Ensure that you have that growth represented and update your reels as often as possible.

Beside all the above, I believe consistency is the real answer. We are supposing you meet the industry quality standards, if so, consistency is the key. Consistency does not mean 1 or 2 projects with style X or jumping from your style to blob trends and vice versa, consistency means years of relevant projects with your style. The only cheat code would be winning something so big that everyone gets momentarily exposed to your style or work on something completely able to reach a massive audience, maybe into the spider verse could be an example.

Remember that discovering your style in motion design is a personal and continuous journey. Don't be afraid to experiment, remain inquisitive, and rely on your intuition as you cultivate your distinct voice as a motion designer or animator.

Animation can be done in many different ways. For example, you create a stop motion piece and have been working on it for days and nights and you don’t get sick of it - this can be a way and style to go for. If you prefer to experiment with a 3D Software and you enjoy unintended motion graphics - that can be a very artistic and mind-opening way to animate. Your style is what you can identify yourself with and love to do without getting tired.

Look outside of animation for stylistic influences, including different art forms and creatives. Study art history and see what came before. Also, look at what is trending and popular and try to separate yourself from the pack.