Antonis Zagoraios | GRC
Posted by Filip | Filed under Animation, Motion
Antonis Zagoraios aka ARTonEmotion completed his Bachelor Degree in Media & Advertising at London’s Metropolitan College. Now working as a freelance digital artist and motion designer based in Greece, he describes his style as generally dark and mystical. His visual creations, while short, present an emotion and ideology that is sincerely Zagoraios and are characterised by the use of fluid motion text.He presents the viewers with his original ideas and his use of sound underscores his belief in the importance of its role in motion design. His philosophy is that the same time and focus should be given to the music as to the actual design piece.
Zagoraios considers himself largely self-taught and says that he refined his techniques through a lot of hours of study and experimentation.
His work has been featured in many online magazines, such as Stash, and was also selected by the American Digital network, CEMUSA, to be a part of their 8 newsstands in and around Times Square (NYC) featuring large-scale, high-bright LCD screens accentuated by dynamic HD resolution and exciting content . He has also won some precious industry awards.
“I love to take [on] projects that really inspire me and don’t force me to act like a design machine,”
he says. However he is aware that this is not a luxury that most artists can afford these days.
With delight Pause Fest presents the XPRMNT Project, just a morsel of Tony’s inspiring and incredible work.
By Andrea Andric
Interview with Antonis
PF:
You use a variety of techniques in your work and quite an interesting blend of motion graphics. Where do you mostly find your inspiration?
AZ:
I have a strange theory on inspiration. People usually answer that they find inspiration through music, films, reading a book or walking out in nature. For me it doesn’t work that way, surely all the previous can be a great influence on generating ideas but I never could find a specific answer for where my inspirations comes from. The mind is an awesome crucible and it mixes images, sounds, feelings and blends them in a way that it’s truly unique to each one of us. A great idea can come from the most common place/hour/day of your life. I basically believe that my inner fears and obsessions combined with lot of great graphic design references can bring alive my motion design stories.
PF:
Sound design plays an important role in visual communication and it is something that you believe is underrated today. Can you explain what sound means to you and how it impacts on your work and work process?
AZ:
Exactly. I see a lot of people spending a lot of time building their animation or film and then just placing a piece of music at the end with no big worries. The mind cannot see/the heart cannot feel only with an image or video, what really moves the viewer is the harmony of vision and sound. Also, music is what will give your piece the right attitude and style because colours and movements are really unfinished without it. As for the motion design, music and sound effects can really boost your work by increasing the viewer’s attention. I usually say in my projects that every single element that moves on screen has to get its own sound.
PF:
Your work has prominent futuristic references and has a certain high-tech style. What do you think is the next big thing, and what could set a new trend in motion graphics?
AZ:
There are a lot of futuristic references in my work despite the fact that I’m not a big fan of technology. What really makes my pieces have a tech-style is my love for numbers and shapes, and of course my passion for abstract elements and compositions. I couldn’t say clearly what the next big thing will be because the world of motion graphics is changing rapidly and every day new trends are coming up. In the old days a great motion designer could only use After Effects and stand out but today you are not competitive if you don’t have a great 3D Application in your general workflow. The key is to keep the balance between the graphic aesthetics and modern techniques because that’s what will define your style.
PF:
On a more personal note, many artist say that sometimes ideas come to them in their dreams, or while they are daydreaming and not thinking about work. Do you remember your dreams, and do you follow them?
AZ:
For me dreams never worked cause they were always too short and abstract but what I have noticed throughout the years is a magic moment. That moment comes when you are a step before diving into your subconscious…there is a total catharsis of the mind at that time and some great images can be conveyed to your brain. To be more precise, imagine the type of feeling where you are laying down, the kind of situation where you feel like you are falling into a vacuum…that’s the moment.
PF:
With the digital age and rapid growth of information sharing we have gained access to an extremely wide number of artists all over the world and it is very hard to come up with an original idea or not to be influenced by others. Have you ever reused or borrowed an idea? Do you think stealing ideas is acceptable these days?
AZ:
Let me answer you with an example. Some months ago I had to build some ending titles for a project but my mind was stacked. So, I began looking for image references with no certain theme or graphic direction, three days later I was sitting at my desk and started to play with some 3D techniques and came up with a great result. After that I got into After Effects to apply the final touches like colours etc and then a very cool packshot ( I am not sure if this is a technical term or if he means package please clarify this with him) was finally made. A month later my wife accidentally came across my image references and said, ”Ohh…look that picture looks similar to your packshot” and she was…right!! I personally believe that the specific style and atmosphere of that picture had passed through my inner eye (subconscious) and found a clever way to be revealed on my screen. So, other people always inspire me but I try to mix different inspirations sources and blend them in a way that will represent my own graphic personality and style.
PF:
Do you have a set methodology and workflow you follow when starting a new project, or is your process more organic, experimental and revolves around trying different angles of approach?
AZ:
Both. I don’t have a certain recipe for creating. You know sometimes the project leads you to the to creative process and you follow…it speaks by it self. Although I have to admit that I’m an experimental guy and I have a motto: DO NOT FOLLOW THE RULES. THEY MAKE YOU A CLONE. I mean that it’s always a great surprise mixing techniques and effects that logically don’t match and coming up with an awesome result. Sometimes by mistake I drop the wrong effects order in a layer and I stand back watching, astonished. You never know how things are connected through computer graphics even if the rules tell you so.
PF:
What makes you laugh?
AZ:
I really like watching comedies but they really never make me truly laugh. Every surreal thing in my daily life or even everything that can allow me to laugh at myself is always a great chance to laugh. Also, people that take life too seriously are my favorite occasion for laughing.
