Smyth’s Toys - Play in Motion
Client
Smyths Toys - Play in Motion
Objective
Develop a series of motion explorations for Smyths Toys using a simple shape language that could appeal across a wide age range. The shapes needed to feel tactile and playful, while remaining abstract. It was important to avoid recognisable objects so they could form a flexible visual system the brand could build on over time.
My Role
Handled the project from start to finish, working directly with the client to shape the direction and develop the work. This covered everything from strategy and early ideas to art direction through to modelling, look development, animation and final delivery.
Outcome
A series of motion explorations built from a small set of abstract shapes that feel tactile and playful without being tied to anything specific. It became a useful exercise in creating something that can stretch and evolve, rather than relying on one-off ideas.
Motion Explorations
A motion exploration for Smyths Toys, using a simple set of abstract shapes to test how movement alone can carry energy, playfulness and flexibility across different executions. Possible ideas for how the brand can show up in different media and touchpoints.
Development
The final visuals came out of a longer process of testing and refining different directions. Each iteration helped narrow things down, focusing on what felt playful and flexible within the constraints of the brief.
From these explorations, a smaller set of shapes began to emerge that felt right for the brief.
Final Direction
The final shapes came out of a longer process of testing what felt right. The goal was always to sit somewhere between familiar and abstract. Tactile enough to feel playful but open enough that they could be reused and pushed further without being tied to anything specific. This allowed the shapes to act as a foundation the brand could build on, rather than a fixed set of assets.
Pushing the Shapes Further
Alongside the final direction, I kept pushing some of the unused ideas to see how far they could go. In some cases that meant building them out into small scenes like the clover shape becoming a pool, or the ring form turning into a spacecraft window.
Other times it was more about motion, testing how the shapes could behave when treated like materials rather than objects. These explorations helped show how much range there is in a simple set of forms, depending on how they’re used.
Let’s work together
A simple brief led to a wide range of outcomes from playful objects to more expressive motion studies. It highlights how a focused set of elements can be developed into something flexible and long-lasting.
Always open to new collaborations. Feel free to reach out if you think there’s a fit.