Overview

• Make your client s 2D logo really pop by incorporating 3D elements that retain the logo s recognizability while emphasizing the company s message.

A treatment is an adaptation of an existing artwork to create a new work in a different style. An example is the conversion of a static 2D logo to a 3D animation for a video or web site. Logo treatments appear on television, company websites, corporate videos, even at YouTube.com.

Often, all you have to work with is a business card. The client asks for 5-10 seconds of knock- em-dead animation, and they expect you to figure out what to do. You could spend days beating your brain for an idea that may or may not work, or you can use one of the tried-and-true themes that have been delighting clients for decades.

Whenever I need to do a logo animation, I look through various existing treatments and pick a style and technique that fits the logo at hand. While I m working on it, a new twist always emerges that makes it fresh and different.

The Classics

Classic animation treatments never go out of style. You ll find these techniques used on all kinds of logos and titles on TV and on the web, usually combined with other elements, but sometimes just by themselves.

Clients are often satisfied with a clean, clear treatment that expresses their company s image, the simpler the better. Consider the logo s shape and the company s message when choosing a treatment.

Figure 1: If a 2D...