“Zanesville” Animated Open

For 21Boom Creative Director, Markus Horak, writing an article on the use of tactile design and the inherent qualities of found textures and patterns led to this wonderful opportunity in the form of a title design and animation project on the short film Zanesville.

An eclectic mix of plaids, herringbones, denims and faded florals – mixed with tea stained, scribbled and age vignetted papers – combined beautifully to portray the movie’s period setting and offbeat story.  Over 100 textures were collected, scanned and photographed to create the illustrations that were later brought to life with subtle animation and a lively music track.

The housefly is both a reference to the story, from which the production company took its name, and the motivation for a whimsical joyride through a Route 66 style roadside restaurant and watering hole.

Zanesville is the sleepy mid-western town at the center of this film’s story about gossip, a talking fly and a bus ticket to somewhere.

Like the film, the compact 30-second open packs a big story with key credits into a very short format.