Inside Albert - Santino Cimino

Hey there! My name is Santino Cimino and I am a 2D graphic artist and animator at Albert. I work closely with the Creative Director and am responsible for a variety of tasks, all related to the visual identity of the Albert products and the world inside. In short, I draw static art and also make it come alive by making it move.

The storytelling is definitely the most fun thing to work with. In the world of Albert, the user gets to follow a variety of characters facing daily adventures. Sometimes I’m involved from scratch in developing these characters. Everything from how they look, what their purpose is, their interests, behavior, movement etc. based on the established minimalistic and eye-catching style.

Creating stories featuring these characters, we first work with storyboards and animatics to present our ideas, where we can go crazy with thoughts, putting the characters into various scenarios, often having to revolve around their respective subjects. The stories are often silent or narrated, so posing or animating the characters actions directly and comprehensively is essential for making the story as clear as possible both for kids and parents alike.

Mixing the educational aspects with a fantasy world in which children can immerse themselves in is a fun challenge. Growing up I’ve always had a fascination for games and cartoons and I often tried to incorporate those fun elements into my learning during school-years. So getting to be a part of the creative process and production of these things, I usually think back to my kid self and how happy he would be!