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Creating the Anhedonia Logo



This is the animated logo at the end of the new television show, Mr. Sunshine. Think "Sit, Ubu. Sit." or "Bad Robot!!" You can see it better quality at http://vimeo.com/20228001

A few months ago I got a call from my friend Matt Davis asking if I would maybe, possibly be somewhat interested in considering working on a logo like that for Matthew Perry. I jumped at the chance. The company is called Anhedonia Productions, and you're probably wondering what in the world "Anhedonia" means. It's the inability to experience pleasurable emotions from normally pleasurable life events. A pretty crappy situation, but comedy goldmine.

I worked with Andy Erekson and Marcelo Vignali (and his daughter) to come up with a list of 50 ideas of what this logo could be within the theme that Perry had already set up. I boarded out 7 of those ideas and created 3 animated beta tests. Here are some of my favorites...

For exploration:
Face on Jumbotron
Rodeo
Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center
Birth of a child
Bear Attack
Jack in the box
looking at the Mona Lisa

Storyboarded Ideas:






Animation Tests:










I took all that stuff into a meeting with Matthew Perry. It was one of the few celebrity encounters that I have ever had and it was awesome, I won't deny it. We didn't have much time so I started with the story boarded examples, then the videos, then we went over the list. My original idea was to have a new tag at the end of every episode, and Matthew liked that idea a lot. We were all set for it but when he found out that this would be coming from his own pocket and not the studio's, he reconsidered.

The work on this logo went quickly. I probably spent a total of 10 hours on it is all. I think the fact that it was only 4 seconds long was a perk. I finished everything up and sent off a version to be approved and never heard anything back. I knew that they were running out of time and didn't have the final logo so I contacted them. Ben, the guy I was working with, said that there were no notes back on it, which is good news. I delivered the final version and collected my check. It was a great experience.

You know how normally you start out all excited about a project and when you get into it you start to hate it more and more until you question your own worth not only as an artist but as a human being? That never happened on this project. I completely loved working on this thing and now I'm sitting here wondering how I can get more business like that. If you know anyone who needs an animated logo at the end of a sitcom on network television, be a pal and send 'em my way, will ya? Thanks!

Comments

Aaron Ludwig said…
This is really awesome work. I love the finished product.
If I ever bump into any "Friends" alums with their own production companies looking for animated logos, I will definitely send them your way.
Jacki said…
I loved the vanity card so much that I had to look up more info about it. Very well done!
Glennard said…
thanks guys!

Jacki, I see you're in marketing - if any of your clients need anything like this, remember me!! :)
Samantha said…
Thanks for the blog on this, I have fallen in love with the show, and I find the logo at the end to be AWESOME! it's so cool to learn the story behind something like this!
Esme A.L. said…
yes, amazing work and amazing logo. I am a Matthew Perry fan and also a psychologist, and you have captured ahedonia PERFECTLY.
Glennard said…
Esme - thanks for the comment, I had no idea what this Anhedonia thing was before all of this. I hope it's curable! Very glad you liked the logo!
I looked up your work after seeing the show! Very funny logo! Sadly, I can't throw any work your way, but I can tell you some trivia: Anhedonia was the original title for "Annie Hall."
Maxmomma said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bryan said…
This is awesome! Well done. I don't think I'll meet anyone at the Church that will be creating a sitcom, but you just never know... :)
TANYA NATAZSHA said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
NeverwinterMoon said…
Just saw Mr. Sunshine for the very first time. The animated logo at the end of the episode immediately caught my attention, so I googled the company name to find myself here. Awesome job! The logo is really catchy.
Maya Shavzin said…
@neverwintermoon
same here! i love it!

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