press release
Animal Planet 'Image'
A New Face for Animal Planet
Photographer Jill Greenberg and Eyeball Bring Animal Portraits to Life.
NEW YORK January, 2008 - Animal Planet has given itself a makeover. With the launch of a new logo and overall tone, the channel is heading towards an overhaul of its on-air graphics and network promotions. Eyeball teamed up with creative agency Mono and Photographer Jill Greenberg to add a little flare to the channel's rebrand.
"We've always been great fans of Jill's photography. It was an honor to work with her." says Eyeball creative director Limore Shur. "In a medium that constantly tries to pack in as much moving content as possible, it was nice to take a step back and allow the still photography to lead."
Animal Planet and Mono wanted to personify each animal by assigning them with a one word description. The Meerkat became 'THE LONER' while the Chimp became 'THE COMIC'. While these terms may seem naturally fitting, eyeball took on the task of putting together an edit that strengthened these personifications to the point where the viewer would immediately make the connection.
Shur states,"The selection of the photographs, the sequence in which they appear, the scale in relation to the viewer, the placement of the animal on the screen, and finally the subtle facial animations all come in to play when attempting to create a persona for these animals. They were all essential to pulling as much character out of the photographs as we could."
Eyeball took on the task of splitting the photographs into features and animating subtle movements. By placing these features in 3d they were able to create a greater sense of space and time, expanding on the 'frozen moment' to deliver a performance as if for a brief moment each animal actually struck an intentional pose. Posing or not, it's clear that these characters will make an impact as the new face of Animal Planet.
