NIHONTO: ENTER THE SWORDSMITH
Black Math partnered with Iron & Air Magazine and Suzuki to create an Akira-inspired animation for their newly-released Katana 2020 motorcycle. I had the privilege to work with an amazing team to create an anime-esque neo-Tokyo aesthetic for the piece. I came up with the initial style direction then worked closely with Celia Hsu and Steve Madden to develop the final style. Below are select styleframes and initial storyboards I created.
You can check out the full animation here, print magazines here, and the BTS here!
Role: Art Direction, Design, Storyboards
Year: 2020
STYLEFRAMES
Hybrid bike for End Tag
Hybrid bike for End Tag
Hybrid bike for End Tag
INITIAL STORYBOARDS/SKETCHES
CREDITS
Client: Iron & Air
Production: Black Math
Creative Direction: Louie Jannetty, Steve Madden, Jeremy Sahlman
Art Direction: Adabelle Tan, Celia Hsu, Steve Madden
Storyboards: Adabelle Tan, Kory Demers
Design: Adabelle Tan, Celia Hsu, Kory Demers
Animation: Steve Madden, Kory Demers, Celia Hsu, Jane Winters, Champ Panupong, Zeyu Ren (VR Support)
Editor: Noah Canavan
Music: Carpenter Brut
Sound: Kate Siefker
© Black Math