Animation
I work in animation styles ranging from classical “flipbook” techniques to digital motion graphics and custom hybrid approaches, such as animation over live action footage. Motion adds life, humour, gravity, emphasis and entertainment to a message. Animation can level up your story.
Illustration & DESIGN
Two distinct but powerfully connected ways of approaching the still image. My tool kit includes traditional hand-drawn styles, digital painting, mixed media and the clean lines of vector artwork. I have created illustrations and designs for shows, commercials, games, textiles, packaging and brands.
Character design
Characters are powerful communicators. If the story needs a face (or arms, or legs, or tentacles) I can develop unique visual personalities that are right for the job. I can also capture resemblance, having cartoonified personalities like Tegan and Sara, Metric, Lights, Burt Reynolds and Elwy Yost. Characters can bring everyday things to life; animals, devices, foods, geometric shapes and abstract concepts can all become agents of communication.
Branding
Strong logos and brand elements are packed with meaning. That’s what makes them so much fun to design. I have delivered everything from straightforward logos and palettes to full visual identity development, including animated logos and broadcast packages.
Art Direction
Whether the project calls for someone to generate and maintain the vision, or just keep it on track, I can be that person. I have led teams with a wide range of talents, personalities, experiences and skills. With decades of experience taking a broad variety of projects from concept to delivery, I can identify optimal pathways, maintain appropriate focus and help see around corners, presenting solutions before problems develop.
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is the first concrete visualization of what a project will look like when it all comes together. They can be loose and sketchy or clean and polished, but a strong storyboard acts like a blueprint, a recipe and a preview all at once.
Music
I am not professionally trained, but a few years back I started collecting interesting and unusual electronic music gear. After a period of self-directed learning, I decided to start offering custom jingles, stings, background music and sound effects to my animation clients. My sounds can be heard in the background of my GM Certified Service and City of Toronto ‘Pollinate TO’ videos, as well as several of my personal animations. If you’re interested in hearing more, check out my YouTube channel mathewdb.
Game Design
I like engaging with the technical imagination that goes into crafting the worlds and experiences offered by interactive products. I have had several opportunities to develop and produce visual language, characters, environments and branding for online, console and mobile games. I have also consulted on story, gameplay mechanics and UX flows for mobile, online, and VR interactive experiences.