D&AD Loops
Year
- 2024
Client
- D&AD
Discipline
- 3D Design & Animation
- Project Overview
- Project Details
Animations for one of
the world’s most prestigious design awards
D&AD is one of the highest honors in the design world. We were originally brought on to create the 3D pencil asset used across the event’s promotions. Once the pencil was built, we extended the project by creating a series of playful looping animations that could be used across digital touchpoints and social media.
Team
Concept, Direction & Production
Rsquare
team rsquare
Design & Animation Lead
Rishabh Gandhi
Animation & Foley
Raz Gadhiya
Pencil Model
Devanshu Tak
The Challenge
Our original brief required us to just create the pencil in 3 dimensions, but we couldn't just stop there. We went ahead and created snappy loops featuring the D&AD pencils. They needed to feel fun, satisfying, and energetic, something that carried the spirit of the awards without feeling too serious or heavy. The pencil was the star, and our job was to make it move in ways that felt fresh and joyful.
The Approach
We began with a simple question: how many ways can the pencil move? To explore that, we sketched ideas on paper and built quick, low-fidelity motion tests.
Once the pencil asset was ready, we tried bringing it to life in as many playful ways as possible, spinning, bouncing, stacking, orbiting, or simply being dramatic for no reason other than it looked fun. The idea was straightforward: keep generating interesting motion bits until we landed on loops that felt fresh and distinct from each other.
These early hardware renders and helped us lock the animations before moving into lighting and materials. The final loops were designed to be modular, satisfying to watch, and versatile enough to be used across various promotional formats.
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Takeaway
This project was especially challenging because we were limited to using only the pencils, without introducing any additional elements. At the same time, that constraint is what made the process so much more fun.
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