Something squishy is going on in the world of 3D and motion design. And there’s a lot of boingy happening, too. And it’s all delightful, bright, and lovely to look at. Who’s driving this 3D design trend, and why is it happening? Let’s delve in.
Where did this all start? One of the first examples in this field (and one of the more famous) was the first of the BBC Two idents, from their brand refresh 2018.
More recently, an artist who has developed a reputation for squishy work is Timea Balo (aka TimTim). Her pieces utilize all the technological advances we’ve seen since those 2018 idents (more on this later).
This piece shows how the look has evolved, from the squidgy to intricate fabric textures you can almost touch. As such, much of this work feels more like art than design. It is made purely for pleasure, although this is helped when major brands start to take notice.
Who came first (though who cares, really) is something you wonder when you see the work of Ben Fearnley. It’s lovely stuff. And despite being static, we will use the same—or at least very similar—techniques and tools.
This is an extract from an article written by Jonny Ashworth for Envato. You can read the rest of the piece here.