Tortoiseshell Logo

Tortoiseshell Logo Animation 2020

Software: After Effects CC / DUIK Bassel / Illustrator CC / Photoshop CC

I launched Tortoiseshell in February of 2020. Accompanying the launch, it was important to me to develop a strong brand identity that could also be animated. My cat Zelda serves as the muse of this logo.

The important thing from the beginning was to capture the unique structure of her face - she has a strong chin and expressive eyes. Initially, my concept for her facial markings was to keep them as clean, vector lines/ shapes. But once I introduced color to the design, I was never quite able to get the elements to feel balanced, let alone natural. I began to play with different stroke weights, but ultimately had to take a step backward.

In order to animate her face in the manner it needed to operate, it became clear that the clean-cut vector aesthetic wasn’t going to cut it. This needed to be less mechanical than a standard logo, she had to be able to move organically. So I decided to move from Illustrator to Photoshop, to allow myself the tools to paint the detail of her face. It was here that everything fell into place and came to life.

The animation process was a massive learning experience. Having never rigged a character before in AfterEffects, the entire process took several weeks here and there before finally achieving what I was after. I utilized a plug-in for AfterEffects called DUIK Bassel - an insanely robust rigging tool that takes a great deal of learning to leverage. (Massive thanks to the School of Motion squad for their Rigging Academy!)