Table of Contents
For all Navigational Needs
Prologue About the Designer Page 4
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01 BioLumiLight Page 6 2019 - 2020
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Pirate Store Website Page 12 2020
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Usless Animal Farm Page 24 2018, 2020
Unchained Title Sequence Page 18 2019 - 2020
06 The Blend Museum Page 34 2019 - 2020
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“TED” and Videezy Page 42 2019 - 2020
08 ToxicSquiid Animation Page 48 2017 - 2020
?? Honorable Mentions Page 54 2015 - 2020
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Cryptid Postcards Page 28 2017, 2020
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Tyler J. Grant ToxicSquiid Productions, Graphic Designer Now when I started doing art, there was about two fundamental principles that matter to me, and that was the fun and the creativity, two things which shaped me and my branding into what it is today. I have always been a strange guy, and I have harnessed this energy and funneled it into creative story-telling, concept creation, and graphical designs. That is where I thrive, where design tells a story, and the story itself embraces the creative and unique aspects that make it truly different.
First, I feel it is important to discuss my roots and discuss what inspired me to become a Graphic Designer and artist in general. For the longest time, my father has had a peculiar obsession with two of the most famous animators in history: Chuck Jones and Walt Disney, and I was constantly exposed to them and their creations throughout my early life. I was infatuated with their designs, their humor, their understanding and mastery of animation, character design and story-telling. As I explored more of their worlds, I became more and more interested in following in the footsteps of these giants and pursuing a career in the fine arts. Popular animations from Looney Tunes to live action masterpieces like Pirates of the Caribbean all had a large hand in shaping my young mind.
I drew, and drew, and drew until my mind could not even rationalize what I was drawing, I just drew to draw, and this allowed my mind to open itself to endless possibilities, which the child-like mind really is. Monsters, heroes, villains, creatures, and more were the results of my endless struggle to become like the best. There are no design laws, there is no logic, there is just the pencil and the dream, nothing binding it to the mortal plane of existence. This, is where I found my passion, in the lawless “mindscape” of a creative child. Since those times, I have harnessed that raw creative, fun energy and riddled it down to its essence to create designs that are both “good” by every technical law and creative in existence. And that is the true goal of my branding, which originated from those creative thoughts long ago: to create design with all the fun and passion of a child, rather than being hindered by so many constraints that design becomes a chore.
Project 1: BioLumiLight Branding, Packaging, Point of Purchase Display
Brand Concept Lightbulb companies in the United States are generally very drab, corporate products that mimic each other in appearance and operation, with no single clear benefits other than unproven claims. BioLumiLight is a unique spin on lightbulb branding that tackles the problem of blending into the crowd and identifies as an eco-friendly company that wishes to reduce pollution in the oceans by using recyclable packaging.
Design Challenge Create a unique brand, product or company that appeals to a specific audience, with clear benefits to the consumer, specifically those interested in reducing pollution or exploring eco/ bio-friendly options. The brand must be differentiated enough from its competitors that it does not simply blend into the oversaturated market and must possess the nautical theming that the name BioLumiLight implies.
Design Solution Using the anglerfish, a creature known across both science and pop culture, as the icon for this brand associates the nautical with the lightbulbs, which are further connected by the inspiration of its name: BioLumiLight which is inspired by the real process animals use to produce natural light (particularly fish and sea creatures) bioluminescence. The brand is very fun and bright, something very catching versus the usually dull colors and designs of most competitors. The brand also aims to help reduce pollution through the use of recyclable packaging.
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BioLumiLight - Brand Board Brand Board, Branding Process Color Palette and Typography The primary color palette combines Scale Orange (something intended to contrast the blues in the competition), Sea-Green Blue (sourced from the color of bioluminescent creatures), and finally Life Bloom Yellow which plays off of traditional lightbulb colors which are typically a pale, yellowish color in appearance. The secondary palette pulls from a lot of the natural colors found within the environment of the deep sea and shallows, with dark greens, blues and a red or two. The secondary palette, is not listed above in the swatches, but can be seen in the Environmental Designs (Packaging Elements). The typography is meant to reflect BioLumiLight’s modern ideals, as well as their clean branding, and as such, combines the bold Gravesend Sans, notable for its strong forms in both its thinner and bolder formats, and Segoe UI Symbol, which functions as a basic body copy text and phrase text.
Design Elements Important to any brand’s logo is its supporting elements, and for this, BioLumiLight encourages much more creativity than strict guide following, outside of keeping with the primary color palette. Their elements include everything from unique textures, customized aquatic creatures, and the environments within which these creatures dwell. They do not rely on imagery, and instead focus on design elements such as vector art.
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BioLumiLight - Packaging Package Design and Point of Purchase Display Basic Package The basic packaging is made entirely from recycled papers and plastics, and the lightbulbs themselves are composed of recycled metals and glass. The packaging is given a unique, obelisk-like shape (which would be carried over to the point-of-purchase display’s base). Featuring fun design elements of fish and sea-life which have been stylized to play off of the logo’s design. The interior of the package safely craddles the lightbulb in a patterned holder, feature each of our main symbolic creatures across the pattern. The package is made to be recycled or kept, due to its unique design.
Point of Purchase Display The point of purchase display incorporates many of the major components of the packaging, but has a few major differences, primarily the massive anglerfish head complete with fins and a working lighbulb on the end of its lure. Inside its maw, you can find various packaged lightbulbs. The jaw unhinges to make it easier for customers to access if needed.
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Project 2: Pirate Store Website Web Design, Coding, Typography
Saint Augustine Pirate Store History The Saint Augustine Pirate Store is a local business in the Saint Augustine marketplace that specializes in selling authentically replicated pirate garb and gear at marketable prices. Owned by Scott “Skar” Erkelens, whose passion keeps the store running strong, the store has been a staple in the Old City for many years and has founded a cult following of “crews” across the United States and abroad, even partaking in large events within Saint Augustine to celebrate its piratical history.
Design Challenge Choose a local business in Saint Augustine, Florida and update its website to better suit the feeling and style of the business. Create a pirate themed store that uses modern website design techniques, while staying true to the rustic nature of the time period the store is attempting to replicate and improve overall navigation (which was cluttered on the current website). Then, using HTML and CSS coding, create a working website.
Design Solution Using history and research, replication of the rustic, old-style typography of the time period allowed for the mimickery of something that once was, while operating like something out of the current century. Through color, imagery and typography, the worlds of the past and present were intertwined to create a fine mesh of the modern and historical, which complements the history of the Old City and the store alike, while managing to remain sleek enough to be a solid website design. The website is fully responsive, but is not currently online.
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Pirate Store - Web Pages Screen-Captured Web Spreads Color Palette and Typography When recreating something meant to represent a historical faction, story or people, it is important to consider just what that typography may look like. All typography used within the pages harken back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when pirates ran rampant. The typefaces used include: Amador - for navigation and clickable links/ buttons Alana - for large headings BlackBeard - for large copy/ subheadings (perfect fitting type name and style given Blackbeard’s status as the most infamous pirate) Minion Variable Concept - body copy As far as color choices go, there was a distinct focus on excluding them from the design. The original design cluttered its imagery and products with an overactive background and clashing visuals, and this one focused more so on the colors pirates would fly: better yet, the lack of them. The historical usage of flying the black flag and using white accents, truly pays homage to the age and the people, without looking out of place or contrasting too harshly with the content.
Fully Responsive Webpage The entire website was made to be responsive and currently works well across several different mediums, namely computer and phones. It has been specially coded in some areas to size, remove, or add certain elements so that it can best fit the size it is being viewed at. A demonstration is available if desired.
Images and Photography All images and photography were pulled from public domain found on both Unsplash and flickr, which were surprisingly high quality images for being within fair use categories. Unsplash provided roughly 10% of the images while flickr provided roughly the other 90%
Community Research Surprisingly, the community this store has cultivated is quite large, as there are “crews� across not only the United States, but also the world that consider themselves members of the family. As such, it was easy to track down various individuals in this community and highlight their passions within the social media page, which features some of the most prominent members in their community.
Content and Research Updated and Informed Creation of Content Content used for the website was actually primarily generated by the designer, as the original website had very dated, or even non-existent information outside of location. As such, there was much research conducted into the store’s history, piratical history in general, and the kinds of communities that this sort of content lands with. Everything from start to finish, mar a few exceptions, were completely fabricated from scratch using the research found on the internet. Such information could be freely updated if more research were provided.
Research At first glance, many assume that this would be a small community or a business that targets children more so than adults, but such a conclusion is in fact false in nature. The Saint Augustine Pirate Store as a large community of various “crews” across not only the United States, but also the globe. This is likely due to their location in a historical and widely travelled to city which allows for many unique connections. The store was founded by Scott “Skar” Erkelens, who’s passion for the trade has kept the business thriving in the heart of Saint Augustine’s many markets. Having spoken to the above mentioned individual on an occasion, it is clear that his passion is what drives the store and helps bring in new consumers. The webpage above was devoted to members of his community, spreading the information to the user of just who they might run into when they come aboard. Some of these individuals, such as The Ancient City Sirens and The Old City Pirate Fest, hold events within Saint Augustine often, and are worth a look, as the Store often involves themselves with these performances.
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Project 3: Unchained Title Sequence Motion Graphics, Illustration, Typography
Unchained Summary Unchained is an original story loosely written by Tyler Grant which takes place in the Industrial Revolution in a post-Civil War America that has experienced the Biblical event known as the Rapture. A group of criminals left behind band together and go across the Southern states attempting to save who they can from the abominations from Hell which have invaded the Earth for the end times. One demon constantly plagues the group, with deals and offerings for small favors. The story is outlined, but not finalized.
Design Challenge Create a unique title sequence for a book, outdated film or original story that helps to promote it, in whichever capacity you desire. Originally meant to be a movie promotion, but could be adapted into a series. Capture the feel of the late 1800s with the artwork, typography and sound design as well as the underlying plot and visuals that might be portrayed with the story Unchained.
Design Solution Using a pencil and some creativity, creation of hand-drawn pages, like out of an old tomb or field guide, gave birth to the horrors and heroes of this universe, capturing the feel of an old book that may have been written in the 1800s. Music use intially (in the first version) and afterwards the voice-over with new audio (in the second version) both immerse the audience into a world that is much darker, and entices them to seek further information upon the series and the original novel. Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9WR5c2Metw Updated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E84K3jFfsBU
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Characters and Monsters Character Designs and Summaries
William “Trapper” Afton William “Trapper” Afton was an infamous bank robber and renowned cheat who was arrested multiple times, but rarely for long. After the Rapture, he helped to free his old friend “Huckleberry” and “The Stranger” in hopes of saving those left behind.
John “Huckleberry” Stuart An old Civil War soldier who was imprisoned for the accidental killing of his commanding officer, and close friend to “Trapper.” He is a great shot and wiser than most, prefering to think through things, rather than blasting through them.
“The Shadow”
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A strange demon that can seemingly appear and disappear with light itself. It is most deadly at night, when all that can be seen of it are its blood red eyes.
Amelia Brodeur “The Stranger” A former slave and expert of espionage and stealth who met up with “Trapper” while imprisoned. She suggested a masterful escape plan, but was illprepared for the post-Rapture world that they would soon enter.
“The Collector” This demon has crafted itself a body out of old farm equipment and is known to haul of its victims in bags, adding them to an ever-growing stash of rancid corpses.
“The Skull Sister” A demonic worshipper granted great power in the demon-overrun world. Being the only human antagonist, she is not as difficult to predict as her demonic cohorts, but is significantly more deadly.
“The Ravenmocker” A demon that can supposedly see through the eyes of ravens, giving it an omniscient power that other demons lack. They are incredibly quick and can kill a man with a single swipe.
“The Butcher” A massive demon who enjoys chopping up his victims like they would any game animal, and he is particularly fond of their intestines, which he is known to stuff down his face, even as his ever growing mass rips his flesh open.
“The Chupacabra” This depiction of the Chupacabra is given an unsettling human-like appearance, making it appear more demonic. Though it would prefer to hunt livestock, none are safe from its bloodlust.
“The Dealer” Perhaps the most curious demon, which seems to have no interest in devouring souls, but rather making deals in exchange for information and aid. His true motives are entirely unknown.
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Unchained in Action Animation Storyboard
Scene 1: After a very brief Netflix introduction, we are shown this delapidated church that seems to be hand-drawn as the narrator (seemingly an old man) begins providing exposition on the situation, setting preface for the series.
Scene 2: The first awful monster seen is revealed on the third sketch, known only as “The Taken.” In the original version, he growled at the viewers, but not in the current.
Scene 5: “The Chupacabra” and “The Ravenmocker” are the next ones we are introduced to, being based off of real cryptids, but made more demonic to make them all the more disturbing.
Scene 6: The narrator proceeds to introduce us to the main cast, Amelia Brodeur (Zoe Saladana), “Huckleberry” (Morgan Freeman), and “Trapper” Afton (Jeff Bridges).
Scene 3: Next we meet “The Shadow” and “The Collector” (pictured above), both of which have human victims visible within their artwork as the narration continues.
Scene 4: We then meet “The Skull Sister” one of the few human antagonists in this Hell-ravished landscape.
Scene 7: It is revealed that the narrator is “The Dealer,” a mysterious demon that follows the group around with some unknown motivations or purposes.
Scene 8: As the narrator ends off on the smokey background which names the book and where you can purchase it (fictional), “The Dealer’s” toothy grin fades in from the shadows before returning to the darkness.
Project 4: Useless Animal Farm Advertising Design (Non-Profit), Illustration, Branding
Useless Animal Farm History The Useless Animal Farm is an animal sanctuary in Palatka, Florida which takes in old, non-productive animals from farms so that they can live out the remainder of their lives in peace and luxury. These unproductive, or “useless� animals, are usually killed for meat once they no longer produce, and this organization saves them from such a fate. They are known to help many different kinds of animals, most notably: cows, pigs, emus, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and others.
Design Challenge To create a new branded logo for a non-profit organization focused on the animal aesthetic with very rural design elements. Then, to promote the non-profit’s work and goals through a series of printed posters that catch the eye and drift away from the oversaturated world of advertising through unique design and subject material. The final work must include certain deliverables, namely location and contact information in some degree, as well as highlight the animals as stars of the show.
Design Solution Several of the animals the sanctuary is known for taking in (cow, emu and pig) are comically dressed up as retired Florida tourists who are seeking retirement homes in the Sunshine state. The typography used is very rustic, serif type which harkens back to the old west as well as rural farming today. The illustrations are based on top of a wooden background to give some home-made feelings, as well as add texture to the original illustration which look engraved into the wood.
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Posters and Branding Process, Typography and Design Branding It’s not exactly hard to notice that the individuals running the sanctuary are “good, ol’ county folk” and as such, the branding should reflect their homey nature and harken to history rather than being sleek and modern. This also keeps things in touch with the target audience, who are people who would either be donating funds or more elderly animals (so likely farmers). So it needs to be very rustic in its nature, but also give away exactly what the organization represents. After researching a bit, there was a break-through with a memorable, typographic logo idea that could help make this animal retirement home instantly identifiable. The sanctuary may rescue all kinds of animals, but they seem especially heavy on bovines and composing the very name of the sanctuary into a particular shape, one begins to get the shape of a steer’s head. Using this inspiration, a few quick additions to the typographic layout, ears and horns, and we had a strong logo that almost looked like an old-fashioned farm crest. The font used, Minion Variable Concept, has that very oldstyle feel, but is easily readable and complements the line-work very fondly.
Poster Advertisements Playing off of the idea of the Useless Animal Farm being a retirement home for “useless” animals and also being located in Florida, known retirement home of the Northern populous and beyond, it wasn’t long before an idea was established. The animals (emu, cow, and pig), each of which are taken in by the sanctuary, are dressed in tropical human attire with the taglines “He Worked Hard. Help Him Make His Retirement.” The works speak for themselves in better ways than one can properly explain, but the abstract concept makes for not only a memorable ad, but one that informs.
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For purposes of promoting the organization further, here is a link to their website: https://www.uselessanimalfarm.org/index.htm
Natural Environment Mock-Ups and Usage Classical Advertising Being that these posters are the classic embodiments of advertising, they would be implemented as such. Given their dimensions, they could also work well for magazines and smaller print as well as posters. This hits the major audience of oldfashioned American farmers and rural areas, where word of mouth and printed advertisements still see a lot of usage. These posters could also easily be adapted to fit a mobile or online format, which is planned to occur on FaceBook due to its accumulation of an older audience over the years -- if there are farmers on social media, this is the most likely place to find them. This set of mock-ups show a potential look for the posters in a natural environment, and one definitely cannot deny their eye-catching potential.
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Project 5: Cryptid Postcards Illustration, Graphic Design
Cryptid History Cryptids are the mysterious creatures of unknown scientistic validity that are spotted thousands of times across the globe by average people, who claim to see something not belonging to reality or science. Such creatures can be either infamous, like Bigfoot/ Yeti, Mothman and the Jersey Devil or lesser known, like the Fouke monster or lizardmen. Sometimes, these creatures, regardless of their origins or validity, attract hunters and scientists desperate for some form of closure surrounding them.
Design Challenge The original project was to create an elaborate city poster (preferably for a lesser known city) using the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator which captured the city for its best known traits. Representing the towns in the later project, adapted the same ideas from the original, using a cryptid creature to attract a very select audience and use mystery and intrigue as a selling point, rather than the location or landmarks themselves, though they would not be completely absent.
Design Solution Similiarly to Unchained, using pencil and some paper, elaborate sketches were produced to create the same eerie vibe that Unchained’s images produced, and were seemingly peaceful scenes and landmarks, but with a dark twist of shadowy figures, complete with blood red eyes, representing some of the more terrifying cryptids that people search after even today (most of them having appeared in the mid-1900s for the first time and being seen very rarely in current times). This replicated the feelings of history and mystery.
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Cryptid Cards - Backgrounds Where are we? What is it? Summary Each piece focuses on a different location and a different “monster� or cryptid creature, and so here is a little bit of information on each area, as well as its corresponding monster.
Point Pleasant, WV Point Pleasant, West Virginia is a small riverside town known for the terrifying Mothman, which was originally spotted by teenagers near an abandoned Cold War bunker. This monster is seen as a harbinger of misfortune or tragedy, and is seen as a warning to any who see it. Allegedly, it was infamously spotted on the Silver Bridge before it collapsed, which killed 46 people. The Mothman was supposedly warning of this event.
Fouke, AK Fouke, Arkansas is known for one of the most violent Bigfoot-like creatures in the United States: The Fouke Monster. This massive creature supposedly went on a rampage in the mid-1900s, allegedly even killing people. A film about the monster was later produced under the name: The Legend of Boggy Creek which earned it infamy.
Clinton, NJ Clinton, New Jersey is home to historical sites, such as the Red Mill pictured in the sketch. New Jersey, however, is constantly plagued by a rumored devil creature known as the Jersey Devil. This winged beast is much more violent than the Mothman, having reportedly attacked and supposedly even killed some people. Its appearance always seems to vary, but a constant is wings and a horse-like head with horns.
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Photoshop Mock-Up Fouke Monster Card Design Choices In keeping with the rustic vibes brought on by the card designs themselves, the font choices here reflect those used on the cards and help preserve that historical, weathered look that was desirable for the project. The typical elements of the postcard were given a simple, charcoal effect to help them also feel a bit rustic, removing the need for clean lines which would sharply contrast the elements used thus far.
Custom Body Copy “Greetings from Fouke, Arkansas This card is a commemorative memory of our time in the infamous swamps of Arkansas, namely “Boggy Creek” - home of the Fouke Monster. As we quest for the beast, we wished to let you know we were passing through and thinking of you. We’ll be seeing you soon, hopefully before the monster sees us.” The idea is that each city would sport its own unique little narrative, something like this one, but would obviouslt correspond to the appropriate monster and location. The user, as with all postcards, has the option to add their own customized story as well.
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Project 6: The Blend Branding, Web Design, Mock-Ups, Photoshop
Brand Concept The Blend is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of everyone’s favorite caffeinated beverage: coffee. It also aims to offer a calm, soothing environment with its third floor cafe which allows busy citygoers to escape the hassle for a while and try some custom coffee brews, made in house. The Blend wants to appeal primarily to those within their 20s and 30s but is not opposed to appealing to other audiences, as stated by the original client.
Design Challenge To create a branded company created by a mock-client (another set of graphic designers grouped into a single team) and create several mockups for the brand. Create a logo that appeals to the specified target audience in a way that is modern and sleek, while also maintaining some form of historical references within it and being warm and welcoming. A website design, paper hand out, and interior/ exterior mock-ups must also be produced, to give visuals to what would otherwise be just a logo and some print.
Design Solution Using warm brown colors, and the intial shape of a bean, the logo was created mimicking a steaming cup of coffee creating exquisite typography. Its modern designs are further excentuated by the soft curves and usage of white space, which can be seen throughout its applications in mock-ups. Through the creation of this logo, elements were inspired which can be seen across each piece within the branded collection, most notably the hand-out and website.
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The Blend - Brand Board Brand Board, Branding Process Client Desires The Blend, a historical experience crafted for the most passionate of coffee lovers, requested a visual identity which was intended to purvey their brand’s modern, yet warm, ideals. The brand identity needed to be both very “clean-cut” and modern, whilst also appearing somewhat amiable and inviting to its intended audience. They specifically stated that they wanted to target a younger audience, and specifically exclude the youngest audience of children and teens as well as the older generation. So the idea of a modern coffee shop’s market, hipsters and college students seemed a similar market to try and appeal to.
Appeal, Color and Typography The final design for this brand ultimately conveys an idea of modern, and warm design, through the harsh curves and usage of warm browns and white, which helps it appear much cleaner. The colors were selected based on the natural appearance of the coffee bean, which would be the main focus of any coffee museum, and was intended to play off of the client’s tagline “For all Human Beans.” The colors, overall, help to also convey that idea of warmness and modernism meeting, as the warm brown (Pantone P 43-16 C) is much friendlier, whilst the white (Pantone P 1-1 C) can feel a bit more historical/ modern, and the two together combine to form something of an inviting mix of hand-crafted and history. The main typeface has been switched to Pristina, to capture more historical feel, which the Century Gothic failed to deliver on in the past. The Century Gothic is still present, replacing the Yellow Tail Regular to create a modern aesthetic.
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Brand Application: Web Page Website Mock-Up, Photoshop Museum Website The first application of the brand was used to create a mock-up of a website for the museum and we developed a more polished color scheme with it, which features warm golds, browns and whites which all compliment each other fairly well. It was created using other museum websites as a references and is completely filled with information about the brand, mock-reviews, and so forth.
Photography Photography and images were gathered from fair usage sources, namely on flickr and Unsplash and appear in their natural state for the most part. The only acceptions being the mock-up building exterior, which was slightly edited to look like a large coffee cup.
Mock-Up It is worth noting that unlike the Saint Augustine Pirate Store, this is purely a mock-up and does not have functional capabilities. It is also only the home page for the website, though the other pages would share many elements found here.
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Brand Applications: Print Paper Handout Print Information The printed booklet was meant to reflect many of the qualities and design choices found within the website, whilst having its own distinct twist. The golden color provides a welcoming feeling and the imagery plays off of the design of the logo. All of the information was fabricated by myself and some of it was pulled directly from the website, so that it becomes familiar to a guest. The variant logo is used here, specifically due to the size of the print -- using the non-Pantone swatch found in the base logo may cause smudging and clarity issues within a small print piece, so the alternate, simpler logo was used instead.
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Brand Application: Interior Interior, Exterior and Signage Interior, Exterior and Signage Mock-Ups For the rest of the applications, mock-ups were made based on preexistent interiors and exteriors to create an imaginary environment for the brand to exist in. The interior was based on an actual coffee bar found within a museum and the exterior was based on a museum in New York which largely resembles a giant “coffee cup� atop a modern building. Both were adapting to seemingly suit the brand with minor altercations and simple Photoshop edits. The sign mock-up was created in Illustrator and given basic effects in Photoshop as well and is meant to be a navigational sign that would hang on a wall on the first or second floor.
Project 7: “TED” and Videezy Motion Graphics, Character Design, Voice Acting
“TED” - Theodore Evans Dopplenthorpe XIV Theodore Evans Dopplenthorpe XIV, alias “TED,” is a chaotic entity with the soul of a 1930s radio announcer who specializes in advertising things that will cause users some form of displeasure or irritation. Feeding on these feelings of negativity, “TED” will do anything in his power to sell a product he may consider a prime candidate for irking as many people as possible. He is a comical and fiery spirit who has an ironic sense of style and flair that contradict his chaotic nature.
Design Challenge Create a character who can either be a representative of a non-profit brand or company or an unaffiliated character to promote their products or cause in an entertaining manner. In this case, the website Videezy, which offers free stock footage, some of which are very high quality, but the website itself seems somewhat “sketchy.” As such, the character must make almost a mock-advertisement, where they advertise the company, but are actually dissuading the audience from using it.
Design Solution “TED” takes the studio by storm, being completely unprepared for his advertisement, interacting with himself and clearly presenting the damage that Videezy may cause to one’s computer within the first few seconds. This charismatic perfomance gripped the concentration group of viewers and entertained them with great intrigue. He interacts in comedic ways with not only the audience, but copies of himself, which show his insanity (likely caused by using Videezy) and his chaotic nature, urging the audience that he may not be the most reliable source of information. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEDw-vEDM5M
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“TED’s” Complete History The Chaotic 1930s Radio Entity Origins “TED” was originally created by Tyler Grant in 2018, where he was a cycloptic, slime-like monster, whose eye had blue flames emitted from its center. His original purpose was to be a demonic entity that devoured negative emotions to sustain himself, which he was able to obtain through psychic manipulations. After revisiting the character in early 2019, however, he began reworking many of his older characters, and “TED” was one of these said characters. He experimented with his design a few times, before arriving at the idea of using his very, very old logo -- an octagon with an eye in the center, and making him a sort of entity based around that. With a few tweaks, he ended up with the base design of “TED” who at that point was merely an octagon with four arms and two little tentacle-like legs. He revisited “TED’s” original lore for inspiration on how to make him more dynamic, and came to an idea of keeping his manipulative habits, but through the efforts of him pitching harmful things to consumers as an old-school radio announcer. A sort of devilish character who wishes to watch the world burn, but doesn’t actually wish death upon his consumers. With the idea of making him from the 1930s, he threw on a bowler cap and a simple bowtie, and things started to fall into place. Grant developed a high-pitched voice for him and he got his first proper appearance in my 2019 character animation, where he pitched the sketchy stock footage website (which may or may not give your computer “terrible, terrible viruses”) Videezy to his audience. He is, at heart, a comical character with a lot of personality and a fiery spirit, which you had to have to keep people entertained with radio.
Present
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“TED” is currently, in-between jobs, and works for ToxicSquiid on his Twitch channel from time to time, though he’s none to excited, as there’s not too many viewers with which he may extensively mess with and/or torment.
Adobe Illustrator “TED” was originally designed as a simple graphic, but was later designed with the intentions of use CharacterAnimate to bring him to life. As such, the file was organized and edited in such a way that made the character easy to read (despite being non-humanoid) as well as giving him specific emotes and effects within Illustrator.
Functions in Animate “TED” had several unique effects added to him for CharacterAnimate which allowed him to be very expressive as a cycloptic demon thing. His eye only glows when he speaks, making it clear when he talks. His eyes have 3 emotes tied into them, though more were desirable. His arms and legs were given a dangle effect to help emphasize his motions.
“TED” in Action Animation Storyboard
Scene 1: “TED” is testing his mic before snapping at his off-screen employee, who fails to notify him that they have gone live. Before going into a burst of rage, he stops himself, and looks back into the screen, realizing he is being seen.
Scene 2: “TED” begins to monologue and welcome the viewers to his advertisement slot, drifting around the screen as he does so. He uses extravagent dialog, trying to make himself sound impressive.
Scene 5: “TED 3” begins reporting on a piece of cave footage before being cut-off by the main “TED.”
Scene 6: “TED” having just cut off one of his reporters, exclaims how “absolutely wonderful” the footage is before asking how “TED 4” is doing in the “inferno of suffering.” This implies his somewhat sociopathic nature, even if it is only torturing himself.
Scene 3: “TED” introduces Videezy and explains that it may give your computer “terrible, terrible viruses.” He then reassures viewers that the stock footage is well worth the risk, introducing “TED” as his reporter who is physically in one of the stock footages.
Scene 4: “TED 2” (who is just “TED” in reality) begins making glorius claims about how great this rain stock footage is, comparing it to the “tears of the gods.” We briefly cut back to our main “TED” who praises “TED 2” for his report, before introducing “TED 3.”
Scene 7: “TED 4” is having a much worse time than his fellow reporters, and his spinning across the camera in a fire-claimed stock footage screaming and bouncing off of the edges of the footage.
Scene 8: “TED’s” program is cut short by his producers because of the camera literally melting in the “inferno.” As such, we cut to this screen where music plays as “TED’s” animated head looks around.
Project 8: ToxicSquiid Animation Branding, Motion Graphics, Animation
ToxicSquiid History ToxicSquiid is Tyler Grant’s personal brand which acts as a personal logo or stamp over any work that belongs to him. Created from an old gamer tag in 2017, this brand has been representing his work for nearly four years now, and serves a marker of all that his art represents, namely the fun and creative nature that it embodies. It is both a personal identity and a signature of approval, marking his involvement in something as well as a protective mark over artwork uploaded online.
Design Challenge To create a personal brand and animate it using the basic motion graphics principals learned and create a 15 second clip (minimum) representative of the ToxicSquiid brand. It should encapsulate the funloving narrative side as well as explore some of the most common associated elements with ToxicSquiid. The piece must contain the logo, animated in some way that feels natural to the brand, and the sound must harken again to the original subject.
Design Solution Using the logo as a template, the idea was crafted of using it to drag a pirate ship (nautical elements clearly being the inspiration for the logo and closely tied to the brand itself) into the depths, where one sees the ToxicSquiid lurking in the dark waters, its tentacles writhing as it fades into the light. Music and sounds used capture the brief tension, dread, mystery and fun of the brand and animation, creating a short narrative experience that viewers will be sure to enjoy. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5tzbsGhtsY
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ToxicSquiid Complete History Personal Branding Process Origins ToxicSquiid, as previously touched upon, is the personal branding mark of Tyler Grant which was originally based off of a gamer tag. As such, it has become synonymous with gaming and social media outlets as well as his artistic endeavors. It is intended to be fun and playful, encapsulating elements which inspired his artistic career choice and stylistic preferences. Those unaware of who he is personally may not understand such inspirations and as such, they will be laid out here. The squid itself is a representation of Grant’s fascination with aquatic life and bizarre creatures. The hook on the character is a nod to his childhood fascination with nautical conquerors of the New World, the pirates, privateers, conquistadors and many others infamous across history. The word “toxic” does not refer to personally attacking someone on the internet, but rather a physical essence of poison, which originates from his childhood, yet again, as a fascination with poisonous creatures, such as the Blue-Ringed Octopus or the more well-known Cobra or Jellyfish.
2019 Exploration The first official version of ToxicSquiid was created in 2019 based off of a rough sketch created by Grant before being digitalized in Adobe Illustrator. Once the linework was done, it was time to debate palette choices and complements. The original exploration for this was long and required much feedback from peers before settling on the dark purple logo that would represent the brand for a little over a year. After that point, it would be replaced by an updated logo.
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2019 vs 2020 The goal of this visual update was to distinguish ToxicSquiid even further from just being a squid with a hook and eyepatch. It was given darker colors and detailed elements for usages where such details are permittable. By exaggerating the squid’s proportions, a more unique shape and form were given to the new logo that the old logo lacked.
Visual Update in 2020 In 2020, the logo was updated to make it more visually stimulating and distinguishable, while brining in more elements to help it stand out from other logos. Along with these changes, it was given a new palette (based on the original) and thematic elements, such as the runic looking arrow symbol that would be associated with the brand.
ToxicSquiid Complete History Personal Branding Process 2020 Exploration In late 2019, Grant began the redesign process, using that initial design to fuel my new logo. Although initially conflicted, he decided that the squid itself should look more unique than just another squid, and found that by exaggerating its proportions, he could create a vastly more interesting form. Grant also began experimenting with different colors, which would be slightly darker than the original, holding on to only the original yellow. After seemingly months of experimenting with colors and forms, he arrived at the following conclusion to the design process. It encapsulates much more of the feel he initially desired the brand to carry and as such, he was much more satisfied with the piece.
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ToxicSquiid in Action Animation Storyboard
Scene 1: The viewer sees a small brigantine vessel bobbing on top of a scrolling sea and sky, the music begins to play as lapping waves can be heard softly in the background.
Scene 2: Zoom in to the ship, where two pirates can be seen clanking their beer mugs together with cliche yarrs and arghs.
Scene 5: The vessel is being attacked by a massive hooked tentacle, water dropping from it as it has only recently gone above the surface.
Scene 6: The massive tentacle swings down, hooking the ship and dragging it down as the pirates scream before disappearing underneath the surface of the waves.
Scene 3: The captain, furious at his lazy pirate deckhands, rushes out of his cabin to scold them, throwing curses and slurs, which are censored in a way such as Yoesmite Sam might be.
Scene 4: The pirates are interrupted by a monstrous scream from the depths, making their eyes go wide in shock and fear, knowing that something is among them.
Scene 7: The camera pans down, revealing the dark depths and the grim fate of our pirates is confirmed as a massive squid emerges from the shadows.
Scene 8: The squid comes fully into the light and it is revealed to be the branded ToxicSquiid logo, its tentacles writhing.
Honorable Mentions Other Work and Commissions
Summary This is a collection of works that did not particularly fall into a specific category or project, and have earned themselves at least some form of mention within this portfolio. They showcase skills and techniques that may not be present already between the major eight projects, and will receive a page a piece with a brief summary of their creation and what they represent. Instead of in-depth looks into them, each will be listed here as well as their corresponding aspects of design which they represent or incorporate.
Honor to the Lost Some things could not easily be put into this honorable mention, such as the vast universe known currently as “The Realm,� which was created in its entirety by Grant. This custom world is currently home to over 100 colorful characters who all have interactions within a massive fantasy world together. Such a summary would be an entire book by itself, but it was worth at least mentioning it here, as it is merely one of many projects that would take too long to introduce here.
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Captain Stitches Skin Concept Character Design, Illustration Summary Stitches is a character created by Blizzard for their games World of Warcraft and Heroes of the Storm which was adapted into a unique, alternate skinned appearance for the character within HotS. Everything from the palette and illustration and concept were created by ToxicSquiid Productions, the remainder was already in place by Blizzard. The captain was created using GIMP. Stitches as a character belongs to Blizzard and associated creators.
Trove Character Skins Character Design, 3D Modeling Summary Trove is a game similar to Minecraft in that the world is composed of blocks and completely customizable by the players, though it does feature more combat. At some point or other, ToxicSquiid contributed 3 skins to this community, which overwrote the default appearance of your character and replaced it with a distinct, unique appearance. One was inspired by Davy Jones (Disney), another by Stickybeard (Cartoon Network), and the third by Kunkka (DOTA 2/ Valve).
Captain Wolfbeard T-Shirt Illustration, Product Design, Typography Summary Captain Wolfbeard is the leader of heavy mahogony band, The Dread Crew of Oddwood, known for their specific genre of pirate-themed music. This t-shirt conceptual design pays homage to their leader as well as one of their most popular songs: Join the Ranks. It specifically features one of Wolfbeard’s quotes in the song, referring to himself as “I am the master, the commander, and at sea my word is law.”