We helped South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust increase brand awareness across their video communication with this set of animated brand assets and templates. Our graphics help the team bring consistency to all their video content no matter who is creating the video.

Following a striking new rebrand, SWLSTG asked us to develop assets that the internal team can use simply and effectively in their video communications. This included a logo animation, opening and closing graphics, transitions, as well as name straps for any filmed content. The team are now using the graphics across the web, social media and event films, helping the audience buy into the new brand.

This kind of thing is great when your team has some understanding of Adobe software, but just needs that added flourish an experienced animation studio can bring to the brand. We created customisable templates that were easy to work with, and suitable for even the novice After Effects user. And we’re delighted at how they’ve been received.

Before we start talking about creative approaches or finalising budgets, it’s important we develop a strategy for your animation. This could be in the form of a simple half an hour kick-off meeting, all the way through to a workshop day to discuss the ins and outs of our process and how you can use animation across your marketing. Here’s why this important step sets us on the road to success.

Purpose

By taking a step back from the end outcome, we can focus on finding a solution to your communication challenges. It might be that animation isn’t what you need at all, or the type of animation is different to what you first imagined. We’ll find out what you want your audience to think, feel and do after watching. Then using our expertise in animation and telling stories, work together to devise the strategy to deliver this.

Budget

If you have a budget in mind, we’ll work together to decide how to get the most out of it. Is a social campaign most important or would a longer explainer be better for your audience? If you’re new to animation and you have no idea what budget to allocate, we can help you work this out based on what you need and what’s best for your business. An honest, open conversation makes sure we all have the same vision right from the start.

Brand consistency

We get to understand your bigger brand picture. Not only your tone of voice and brand personality but also the context around the film. We’ll consider where best for the film to play out as well as the other content you have surrounding this message, for example, a web page, a social campaign or an event. Through this, we make sure that what we deliver sits within your wider marketing plan. This also gives us an opportunity to see where different assets and animations could complement other parts of the campaign, for example developing a set of consistent character designs.

Delivering value

We’ll also make sure you get a greater return on investment. Planning at an early stage gives you more content that you can use for longer, across more channels. By looking at the bigger picture, we can deliver value, not just in the short term but long term too. This focus means we make sure your budget works as hard as possible for you and delivers results.

After we’ve discussed and put together the animation strategy, we can plot out the deliverables that best suit. Then we’ll develop a creative approach that will delight audiences and stakeholders alike. Ultimately we want to create something that delivers the aims and ambitions of your project, on budget – and make your life easier in the process. Whether you’ve never commissioned animation before, or you’re a seasoned pro, whatever stage you’re at in the process, get in touch to book a call and we can get started working out your strategy.

What Does your role as Creative Director entail?

My role at Little Motel is pretty varied. I may be meeting with new clients one minute, and animating an exciting project the next. I could be involved in a breakout session with the team discussing a new brief or making a round of drinks for everyone. We are a small team and everyone gets stuck in, at all levels, me included.

How did you get into this field?

I took a pretty typical route into the field. I did an art and design foundation and then got a Bachelor of Science in multimedia tech. Not long after graduating I moved to London, working my way up the ranks from Junior Editor to Director/Editor. After a few years, I went freelance. Then ten years later, I got a job as Head of Post Production back in Leeds. The next step in my career was co-founding Little Motel. We recently turned seven years old and our current team of six is looking forward to what the future holds, building the creativity of the studio and working with many exciting new clients. This is a tough industry to break into, so always show off your best work. Less is more. Be thorough with what you’re sending and make it easy for people to get in contact with you.

What do you like most about working in the creative industry?

Being around other creative people is really inspiring, especially watching the team create something from early stages through to fruition. It’s awesome here at Little Motel, watching one of the team go from sketching an initial storyboard to animating something really cool that they’re really proud of, and the client is blown away by.

What has been a highlight while working at Little Motel?

Earlier this year we had the full team in the studio for the first time. Over the last year the team has doubled from three to six, which is really exciting. But knowing where it started makes it even better. Me and Matt working all hours at our kitchen tables respectively. Our new homely studio is just by the river in central Leeds and the rapidly progressing Aire Park. It’s a great spot for the team to come in and enjoy being together to get a real feel for the professional, hard-working team efforts that go into everything here at Little Motel.

What do you do in your spare time?

Hang out with my family. Me and my partner are both one of six, so inevitably there’s rarely a weekend without some extended family involved. I’m a big film fan and whenever possible we love to go to the cinema. We have two awesome independent cinemas within walking distance of our house. Having young children means I rarely miss an animated release and The Mitchells vs. the Machines film was my favourite film of 2021. It has everything: great story, incredible cast and an amazing soundtrack – Los Campesinos, yes please!. It looks fantastic and has enough laughs for the whole family, young and old alike!

Sum up working here in 3 words

Enjoyable, interesting, inspiring.

What Does your role as Creative Director entail?

My role at Little Motel is pretty varied. I may be meeting with new clients one minute, and animating an exciting project the next. I could be involved in a breakout session with the team discussing a new brief or making a round of drinks for everyone. We are a small team and everyone gets stuck in, at all levels, me included.

How did you get into this field?

I took a pretty typical route into the field. I did an art and design foundation and then got a Bachelor of Science in multimedia tech. Not long after graduating I moved to London, working my way up the ranks from Junior Editor to Director/Editor. After a few years, I went freelance. Then ten years later, I got a job as Head of Post Production back in Leeds. The next step in my career was co-founding Little Motel. We recently turned seven years old and our current team of six is looking forward to what the future holds, building the creativity of the studio and working with many exciting new clients. This is a tough industry to break into, so always show off your best work. Less is more. Be thorough with what you’re sending and make it easy for people to get in contact with you.

What do you like most about working in the creative industry?

Being around other creative people is really inspiring, especially watching the team create something from early stages through to fruition. It’s awesome here at Little Motel, watching one of the team go from sketching an initial storyboard to animating something really cool that they’re really proud of, and the client is blown away by.

What has been a highlight while working at Little Motel?

Earlier this year we had the full team in the studio for the first time. Over the last year the team has doubled from three to six, which is really exciting. But knowing where it started makes it even better. Me and Matt working all hours at our kitchen tables respectively. Our new homely studio is just by the river in central Leeds and the rapidly progressing Aire Park. It’s a great spot for the team to come in and enjoy being together to get a real feel for the professional, hard-working team efforts that go into everything here at Little Motel.

What do you do in your spare time?

Hang out with my family. Me and my partner are both one of six, so inevitably there’s rarely a weekend without some extended family involved. I’m a big film fan and whenever possible we love to go to the cinema. We have two awesome independent cinemas within walking distance of our house. Having young children means I rarely miss an animated release and The Mitchells vs. the Machines film was my favourite film of 2021. It has everything: great story, incredible cast and an amazing soundtrack – Los Campesinos, yes please!. It looks fantastic and has enough laughs for the whole family, young and old alike!

Sum up working here in 3 words

Enjoyable, interesting, inspiring.

What Does your role as Creative Director entail?

My role at Little Motel is pretty varied. I may be meeting with new clients one minute, and animating an exciting project the next. I could be involved in a breakout session with the team discussing a new brief or making a round of drinks for everyone. We are a small team and everyone gets stuck in, at all levels, me included.

How did you get into this field?

I took a pretty typical route into the field. I did an art and design foundation and then got a Bachelor of Science in multimedia tech. Not long after graduating I moved to London, working my way up the ranks from Junior Editor to Director/Editor. After a few years, I went freelance. Then ten years later, I got a job as Head of Post Production back in Leeds. The next step in my career was co-founding Little Motel. We recently turned seven years old and our current team of six is looking forward to what the future holds, building the creativity of the studio and working with many exciting new clients. This is a tough industry to break into, so always show off your best work. Less is more. Be thorough with what you’re sending and make it easy for people to get in contact with you.

What do you like most about working in the creative industry?

Being around other creative people is really inspiring, especially watching the team create something from early stages through to fruition. It’s awesome here at Little Motel, watching one of the team go from sketching an initial storyboard to animating something really cool that they’re really proud of, and the client is blown away by.

What has been a highlight while working at Little Motel?

Earlier this year we had the full team in the studio for the first time. Over the last year the team has doubled from three to six, which is really exciting. But knowing where it started makes it even better. Me and Matt working all hours at our kitchen tables respectively. Our new homely studio is just by the river in central Leeds and the rapidly progressing Aire Park. It’s a great spot for the team to come in and enjoy being together to get a real feel for the professional, hard-working team efforts that go into everything here at Little Motel.

What do you do in your spare time?

Hang out with my family. Me and my partner are both one of six, so inevitably there’s rarely a weekend without some extended family involved. I’m a big film fan and whenever possible we love to go to the cinema. We have two awesome independent cinemas within walking distance of our house. Having young children means I rarely miss an animated release and The Mitchells vs. the Machines film was my favourite film of 2021. It has everything: great story, incredible cast and an amazing soundtrack – Los Campesinos, yes please!. It looks fantastic and has enough laughs for the whole family, young and old alike!

Sum up working here in 3 words

Enjoyable, interesting, inspiring.

What does your role as Studio Director involve?

My role at Little Motel includes everything from keeping track of finance spreadsheets, managing HR, to creative directing projects and jumping into an illustration or messing with keyframes in After Effects. I love the variety of my role and also get a great deal of satisfaction from seeing the awesome team we’ve put together here grow and thrive.

How did you get into this field?

As goes the cliche, I’ve been into filmmaking since I was a young kid. I was obsessed with film titles growing up, like Saul Bass’ Psycho, and that led me to University to study Music Technology and Digital Media. From there, I did a placement year at a video production company in Bradford, then I went on to work for a TV shopping channel and an internal communication agency before starting Little Motel. My biggest bit of advice for anyone looking to get into this industry is to create and show as many examples of the work you want to be hired for as possible.

What do you like most about working in the creative industry?

I love problem-solving. Much of my job is creative puzzle solving, and the ability to apply my knowledge and expertise to help a whole range of clients is very rewarding. I also have to pinch myself most days that I get to do something I’ve wanted to do from an early age, every day for a job.

What has been a highlight while working at Little Motel?

Taking a holistic approach, I’m extremely proud of the team we’ve assembled here at Little Motel. Seeing each and every person thrive and grow is an ongoing highlight for me. Project-wise, I’m most proud of the jobs where we’ve learnt and grown as a team. Personally, I look back fondly on the work we’ve done with Brake, as I not only learnt a lot on these projects, but it’s a charity that’s close to my family’s heart so I’m proud to be able to help them.

What do you do in your spare time?

My spare time mostly revolves around a two-year-old rescue dog named Stevie, who it’s safe to say has me wrapped around her paw. When I’m not walking or picking up half-eaten socks, you can usually find me rock climbing, biking, playing the drums or hunting down new Gluten-free recipes to try!

Sum up working here in 3 words

Rewarding, proud, teamwork

What Does your role as Creative Director entail?

My role at Little Motel is pretty varied. I may be meeting with new clients one minute, and animating an exciting project the next. I could be involved in a breakout session with the team discussing a new brief or making a round of drinks for everyone. We are a small team and everyone gets stuck in, at all levels, me included.

How did you get into this field?

I took a pretty typical route into the field. I did an art and design foundation and then got a Bachelor of Science in multimedia tech. Not long after graduating I moved to London, working my way up the ranks from Junior Editor to Director/Editor. After a few years, I went freelance. Then ten years later, I got a job as Head of Post Production back in Leeds. The next step in my career was co-founding Little Motel. We recently turned seven years old and our current team of six is looking forward to what the future holds, building the creativity of the studio and working with many exciting new clients. This is a tough industry to break into, so always show off your best work. Less is more. Be thorough with what you’re sending and make it easy for people to get in contact with you.

What do you like most about working in the creative industry?

Being around other creative people is really inspiring, especially watching the team create something from early stages through to fruition. It’s awesome here at Little Motel, watching one of the team go from sketching an initial storyboard to animating something really cool that they’re really proud of, and the client is blown away by.

What has been a highlight while working at Little Motel?

Earlier this year we had the full team in the studio for the first time. Over the last year the team has doubled from three to six, which is really exciting. But knowing where it started makes it even better. Me and Matt working all hours at our kitchen tables respectively. Our new homely studio is just by the river in central Leeds and the rapidly progressing Aire Park. It’s a great spot for the team to come in and enjoy being together to get a real feel for the professional, hard-working team efforts that go into everything here at Little Motel.

What do you do in your spare time?

Hang out with my family. Me and my partner are both one of six, so inevitably there’s rarely a weekend without some extended family involved. I’m a big film fan and whenever possible we love to go to the cinema. We have two awesome independent cinemas within walking distance of our house. Having young children means I rarely miss an animated release and The Mitchells vs. the Machines film was my favourite film of 2021. It has everything: great story, incredible cast and an amazing soundtrack – Los Campesinos, yes please!. It looks fantastic and has enough laughs for the whole family, young and old alike!

Sum up working here in 3 words

Enjoyable, interesting, inspiring.