Project Overview
Tech consultancy FDM hosted the 7th Annual KnowNow Conference at their London centre. Focusing on the gambling industry, promotional material was requested in physical and digital form, to demonstrate FDM's capability to mitigate risk with their talent solutions.
Adhering to budget constraints, a digital looping animation was produced that could utilise existing hardware, projected across the FDM auditorium. A 3D block tower was crafted in Blender with compromised structure, demonstrating risk of collapse and, in turn, the stability FDM can offer. Alongside this a merchandise kit was produced for attendees, including a branded FDM mini-'Jenga' and rotating 'volvelle' leaflet, alluding to a roulette.
Held over two days, the conference welcomed over 80 attendees, granting opportunity for FDM to enter the gaming sector for the first time.
The rendered 3D sequences were composited in After Effects, with all other material produced in Illustrator.
Final Promo Animation
The final animation showcased within the London centre auditorium. Initially assuming an offset and unstable formation, the tower collapses before rebuilding, solid and complete courtesy of FDM literally filling the (skills) gaps. A variety of monochrome textures were used throughout the build: glossy, matte, metallic and glass, granting unique reactions to the surrounding light and contrast with the vibrant, glowing FDM blocks.
Moodboard
A variety of static and animated references were gathered for inspiration, with a selection of tutorials sourced to ensure feasibility of the project's scope.
Storyboard
Preliminary hand-drawn scenes for the animation, detailing the proposed order, motion and camera movement.
Behind the Scenes
A breakdown of progression in Blender, from base model to applying lighting and textures. Additionally the video demonstrates how the physics of the tumble were realised, courtesy of shifting blocks rendered invisible to the camera.
The Conference
The promo animation in situ during a networking opportunity at the event.
Final Volvelle
The final volvelle design reveals information unique to each of FDM's five Practices as the upper dial rotates. Spinning freely and securely thanks to a central grommet, the background adopts the block tower texture for consistency, whilst the reverse contains additional detail and the CTA.
Mockups
Throughout the design process, multiple iterations were printed to test legibility, accuracy and scale.
