The Inception
On 6 February 2019, Madman Entertainment sold the anime side of the business to the company "Aniplex". Following this AnimeLab was rebranded as "Funimation".
Given my experience in creating a large amount of the static, motion and video assets for AnimeLab, my role initially in the rebrand campaign was to create a suite of announcement assets. These would be used to inform and excite fans about the rebrand while selling them on the many benefits that came as a result.
Once the rebranding campaign had been executed, the second phase of the campaign was designed to reinforce the closure of the AnimeLab platform and to start regular promotion of shows.
Given my experience in creating a large amount of the static, motion and video assets for AnimeLab, my role initially in the rebrand campaign was to create a suite of announcement assets. These would be used to inform and excite fans about the rebrand while selling them on the many benefits that came as a result.
Once the rebranding campaign had been executed, the second phase of the campaign was designed to reinforce the closure of the AnimeLab platform and to start regular promotion of shows.
AnimeLab becomes Funimation
Programs: After Effects, Photoshop
Given my experience in creating a large amount of static, motion and video assets for AnimeLab, my role initially in this campaign was to create a suite of announcement assets. These would be used to inform and excite fans about the rebrand while selling them the many benefits that came as a result.
The biggest challenge was going to be exciting fans even in the face of the platform that they had revered being closed down, while also getting them to visit the Funimation platform to migrate their accounts. Knowing that there would be many reservations about this, we wanted to really put an emphasis on the benefits customers would gain from the arrangement and ensure them that the process would be as easy as possible.
The biggest challenge was going to be exciting fans even in the face of the platform that they had revered being closed down, while also getting them to visit the Funimation platform to migrate their accounts. Knowing that there would be many reservations about this, we wanted to really put an emphasis on the benefits customers would gain from the arrangement and ensure them that the process would be as easy as possible.
Method:
Being a pre-existing brand - Fuinimation already had a style guide that could be leveraged for these videos. With this in mind, I made use of a general easing plugin and minor expression editing to achieve a smooth transition between the AnimeLab and Funimation logos. I focused heavily on manipulating the graphics and motifs to achieve a vibrant, fluid and contemporary yet retro 90's appeal.
Character driven awareness
Fortunately, permission was given by the licensors for the shows to use their characters to bolster these assets. This went a long way to putting customers mind at ease about the focus of the platform and our commitment to providing the same service - but improved.
Push notifications
Phase 2 of the campaign
Once the "awareness" part of the campaign had been completed, work began on phase 2. This consisted of creating graphic and video content informing customers of the closure date of the AnimeLab platform, as well as beginning to produce assets for our new simulcast season to drive fans to the new platform.
Shutdown campaign
These assets were created as the final notification to customers that the platform will be closing and they needed to migrate over to the Funimation platform if they wanted to continue watching.
Getting into a rhythm
Putting the migration of the platform behind me - I set my sights on achieving a regular rhythm and output of content, designed to hype fans up about upcoming shows and activities for them to engage with. These included sizzle reels, rotation assets, push notifications and much more, produced in a variety of different sizes.
Prize campaigns
App icons
Show spotlights
Yashahime
My Hero Academia
Cowboy Beebop
Experimenting with the style
Over my time working with the Funimation style guide, I grew a fascination with the visual side of the brand and with the potential of its elements, colours and motifs. In my spare time, I experimented with the creative, bending it's intended boundaries and growing as a designer.
