Aelophin is a design and motion studio founded by Wade Hardman in 2000.
Working with Directors, Brands and agencies to create branding and Motion Design that is Stunning, Beautiful, Timeless. Design that moves beyond trends. Some of their clients have included both startups and global brands like Motorola, HP, Hershey’s, Kraft and more.
Q. Thank you for joining us today Wade! Your motion graphic design work is pretty amazing! I’d love to get a background on how Aelophin got started.
WADE: Thank you, it’s been a long process! I started out as a graphic designer creating websites back in 1999 and wanted a space to post experimental motion and design work. The “lab” ended up becoming the one-person studio name. I discovered a love of motion graphics and 3D early on but as I had a deep love for design, I stayed with that for many years and didn’t fully commit to one or the other. I’m now much more focused on motion design and 3D.
I’ve always been heavily inspired by film making and movies. To finally be getting closer to that love now, as I’ve learned and acquired new skills, has been incredibly rewarding. To be at the point where I feel the confidence from previous projects has created an exciting forward momentum.
Roborace Reel
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A compilation of work done for Roborace: the leader in autonomous A.I. racing
Q. Your company’s website shows a variety of work and range of styles. I specifically am amazed and fascinated with the Roborace Reel! Can you tell us a little more about that?
Q. The motion graphics are pretty amazing and it looks like a pretty interesting project to be involved in, being it is a real autonomous A.I race pretty cool! How did your team come up with the design for the reel?
WADE: The reel is a compilation of a bunch of projects we worked on. I was asked to be the motion design/art direction lead as part of a small team in Toronto. It was definitely the kind of client many designers hope for.
Nicolas Kadima was the creative director and the goal was to create a modern, futuristic look while still pulling in some nostalgic, 80’s elements as well. Being that it was a small team, I worked on a lot of aspects including look development/art direction, colour grading, compositing, and 3D/2D animation. It was a lot of fun while also challenging and I learned a tremendous amount.
Time of Arrival
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A short experimental art film
There is the stunning Time Arrival and the very cool PYXIS.
Where do we start?
WADE: The Time of Arrival short film was a big catalyst for me moving into motion design fully. It was originally a holding page animation I made years ago and I always wanted to make it into a short film. Once I completed it, I knew I wanted to create more. It was really exciting to finally complete and realize an idea I had for so long.
Q. Do you plan to use it or show it at a festival? Do you take on clients that you find you have a similar aesthetic or mission? How do you usually find your clients or do they find you?
WADE: I would love to show it at a festival. Initially it was created as a personal art film to push myself more into motion design than I had shown in my work previously. Growing up in the 80s, I’ve always loved modular type design and digital numbers/letters and science fiction. The idea of sophisticated intelligence behind something that looks so simple at first glance really appeals to me. I prefer my work to be experienced rather than explained in words though, so I’ll leave it at that.
Finding clients that align with my own aesthetic sense is something that was definitely a major part of why I created Time of Arrival. It was the main reason I was asked to work with Roborace and I realized I should’ve made it years ago. Hindsight!
I think the best scenario for me has always been having people come to you because they appreciate your work and see that your tastes line up.
PYXIS
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Responsive Identity
Q. The PYXIS logo is super cool! I love how you did this one, it has a certain “heartbeat” that works really well visually with the typography. When you work on motion graphics for a company you take their vision into mind of course – do you meet with them throughout your process? How integral is your client to the final outcome of the design?
WADE: Working with PYXIS as a creative director was a new position for me at the time and being a geospatial startup, the roots were deeply ingrained in academia and science. The product was a browser based 3D globe (WorldView) that allowed anyone to visualize and analyze data. Kind of like Google Earth with data layers.
The strategy was to create a disruptive brand that was positioned as the future of data visualization. The logo needed to work at many different sizes/resolutions which is what drove the design of it’s variable weight and spacing. The logo is designed to be responsive to scale, in that the line weight and spacing increases as the logo is used in smaller contexts.
The client is always a deep part of what drives the work of course, and the best projects for me have always been when the client and I work collaboratively to find the best outcome for the brand. Coming together to discuss ideas and then going off to work solo with the strategy in mind is ideal.
Q. Since you mentioned clients – one more question in regards to pitching to new clients. How do you usually approach or acquire new clients? Do you look for certain kinds of projects or do clients come to you or is it a mix of both? Do you find clients at events, by networking or by advertisements?
WADE: Clients are usually word of mouth referrals, but I’m hoping to expand that as I build my social media presence. Often I find events and face to face are effective. I’ve only recently been getting more serious about the social media game, and as I’ve been learning Houdini, I decided to do 100 every day posts to build a solid posting habit on Instagram.
Craft is a really important aspect of great work in my opinion and so I’m constantly trying to improve and expand. I can see a lot of really exciting areas to apply the new tools I’m learning in Houdini, so the future is bright! I have another short film in the works that will be coming soon, so I’ll be posting more on Instagram as I complete that.
It’s important to me that work be meaningful, and move beyond short term solutions whenever possible. To be timeless, to last. The work can, of course, be light hearted and fun, but to look back in the future and still see a great solution for the client is something I always aim for. Massimo Vignelli, Dieter Rams and Stanley Kubrick are great examples of this that I aspire to.
As is probably apparent, I enjoy working with clients in the tech sector, as I love thinking about what the future looks/feels like. I’d love to work on film titles or film concepts in the near future and sporting goods/clothing/fashion is another area that I want to explore further. I’m always open to collaborating on new projects!
Thank you, Wade for your time today,
We hope you enjoyed our interview with Wade Hardman from Aelophin, check out his links above for more information on his work. I really enjoyed our interview and look forward to seeing more work in the future.
If you have any questions or feedback on this blog, we’d love to hear it in the comment section below or email me at lori@cgcircuit.com
About the Author:
Lori Hammond, CG Circuit
Author & Content Producer
Experienced multi-talented Artist/Designer/Blogger with an extensive background in the Arts & Entertainment Industry(Animation, VFX, Game & Product Design)
