Google tasked us with creating multiple illustration and animation systems for Nest Renew, a service that incentivizes users to utilize cleaner energy within their home. Our goal was to define methods and parameters that allowed us to execute on the organic and textural visual direction the client had established, in a consistent and scalable way.

We crafted dozens of illustrations for both dark and light modes of the product, and used a combination of traditional and modern animation techniques to bring them to life. Staying true to the organic qualities of the paper-cut style, we created the animations at a lower frame rate, allowing us to handcraft the variances between frames.

By mimicking the nuances and imperfections of real paint, we were able to achieve a more textural quality in the digitally crafted landscapes. We considered details such as the directions of brush strokes around forms, gaps in the paint that might reveal the canvas behind it, and darkening the tone where paint might pool.

To differentiate paintings featuring the same subject matter, we utilized a variety of different camera perspectives, palettes, and compositions. The result was a collection of paintings that accomplish the same core objective in different ways.

Direction: Dan Stack

Illustration: Jesse Kassel, Dan Stack, Evan Kempinski

Animation: Dan Stack, Jesse Kassel

Production: Ashley Carey & Tess Harris