Hornet’s London-based directors animated popular Netflix characters to count down the New Year’s Day launch of the streamer’s 8-part series that explores the foundations of meditation.
To kick off the new year, Netflix and Headspace teamed up to launch Headspace Guide to Meditation, a first of its kind 8-part animated series designed to educate people about meditation so they can start off 2021 on the right (mindful) foot. Hornet’s London-based directors at Moth were tasked with creating a trailer, a bespoke broadcast spot that featured animated characters from various Netflix original series (such as Tiger King and Queen’s Gambit), and an out-of-home billboard in Times Square that began on New Year's Eve and signaled the countdown to the show’s January 1 launch.
Having previously worked with the Headspace meditation app, Moth was well versed in capturing the brand's blend of fun character work and soothing message. The creative challenge in this project was adapting their approach to mesh with the show's more gestural animation style.
In each episode, Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe takes viewers through a 10-minute guided meditation focused on different topics, such as stress. The animation within the series is expressive and free flowing. Moth responded with a design that felt on brand while also allowing for integrating the studio’s unique touch.
“The task was to find a sweet spot between our own designs and the already established Headspace branding,” shared Moth collaborative. “We used some iconic and distinctive features from the Headspace brand bible such as eyes and mouths and wrapped our designs with the established Headspace color palette to create a familiar yet unique set of designs.”
Moth used a harmonious combination of frame-by-frame cel animation and 2D motion graphics animation for the films. All the characters were drawn frame by frame to ensure fluid and lively performance. Background elements were animated using symbols in Animate CC or After Effects, while textures were applied and tracked on separately, to bring a hand-drawn warmth to the scenes.
Source: Hornet
