Spotlight: Olly Robertson – Motion Graphic Designer
Who is Olly Robertson?
I’m a motion designer living in London. I’m a very creative person and while motion design is my main practice, I do all sorts of other things in my spare time such as photography, paper mechanics, illustration and more. I try to make at least something every day and feel that creativity forms a pretty big chunk of my existence.
How did your career path develop?
When I was very young I wanted to be a cartoonist. I would always be drawing something at family get-togethers and all the way through my education I excelled in creative subjects. I studied Fine Art and Graphics at college and then went on to do a foundation course in Bournemouth where I developed a love for drawing and illustration and gained a place on the Illustration course at UWE in Bristol in 2007. I experimented with lots of mediums and techniques including, drawing, painting, print, and paper mechanics as well as digital techniques such as Photoshop composting and moving image platforms like After Effects.
After graduating I got an internship with Hello Charlie in 2011, which kickstarted my passion for motion graphics and I have been doing it ever since. I moved to London in 2015, which proved to be the biggest challenge so far. I had a good network in Bristol with some projects that came around every year so moving to a new city and trying to build new connections was quite a jump but it’s had some really positive impacts on other things such as networking and self-promotion.
What do you consider your greatest achievement/s so far?
I’d say my biggest achievement is the journey I have been on as a motion designer. I started with next-to-no experience and have gotten myself to a position where I can operate independently with confidence, taking my own initiative when making decisions about the design and process for a project. I feel like I am really starting to discover what motivates me to be a designer and the things that stimulate me the most, which is helping me to offer up ideas that inspire not just my clients but me as well, making the process just as exciting for both of us.
Any projects you are most proud of and why?
There are two projects that I am particularly proud of. The first would be the work I did with BDH toward the SEGA Orbi films. Orbi is essentially a virtual zoo in Tokyo, built by SEGA. It houses a number of installations that use the latest interactive technologies to take people on an educational journey about the natural world with the help of BBC Earth. At the heart of the attraction is a cinema auditorium that houses a 40m wide cinema screen accompanied by mist and smell dispensers, shaking seats and a 32.1 surround sound system. My role in the team was to construct shots using archive footage that could be used to edit 15-20 minute natural history films for this unique canvas. Over the course of 3 years, I worked on a total of 7 films for Orbi, achieving the role of Lead Compositor. It was an educational journey and I learned a lot about constructing narratives across a totally unconventional platform.
The second project that I view as one of my best feats is the work I have been doing for the Boomtown festival over the past 4 years. Every year they approach me with a brief to produce a promotional animation about the festival, usually to promote a new stage or area at the event. Since we started doing these animations we have built up a body of work and now have a digital rendition of the festival that we can use to our hearts to produce content for the marketing team. I have directed every stage of this process as well as produced all of the content and I feel that the trust that has been built up between me and the festival directors allows me to reach some really great results.
Share your biggest lessons in life and work
I think motivation is a crucial part of a career. If you feel that it is lacking, then you probably need to set some new goals to enjoy working toward and learning from – otherwise, what’s it all for? If you can stay positive and motivated, that will be visible to others and also be reflected in your work.
View Olly’s Portfolio
