Apple – Luther Himes IV

Fathom

Feature Cinematic Package

I had the opportunity to design and animate the cinematic motion and design package for Apple TV+’s Emmy-winning nature documentary Fathom. From logotype and opening animation to the end credit roll, I devised an aesthetic identity for the film that stretched from screen to print.

Theatrical trailer

Role: Title and Motion Graphic Designer
Client: Apple

Final film opening sequence

Final film title treatment

Key points in the motion treatment evolution (After Effects)

Working with director Drew Xanthopoulos, we mined inspiration from the minimalism and awe of some of our favorite science fiction films like Arrival and Alien, echoing their quest for understanding and alien communication. The result is a subtle, sophisticated treatment that tells a nuanced and complex story.

Parallel to design, I iterated motion treatments. Explorations grew more and more subtle, eventually desaturating completely and focusing on understated movement and fine-tuned timing. This conceptually translated to all the film's assets:

⇢ Opening Title Card
↳ Opening Title Sequence
↳ Lower Thirds
↳ Quote / Text Blocks
↳ Location Cards
⇢ End Credit Roll

Subtle design details characterize the logotype

Designing a motion-forward film title— something that foremost represented the story filmically but could also be used as a design asset by Apple across the movie’s site, promo material, posters, letterhead, merch, etc.— was a rewarding challenge

Following exploration, I decided on a logotype treatment and, after fine adjustments, shaping, and softening the letterforms, I translated the animated ‘fading arms’ and spectrogram from the animations to the final design, connecting the motion to the static asset.

Layered, animated blur maps, individual to each credit, evoke watery refractions of light.

Eventually, development of the logotype shifted my workflow from being siloed with the director and producers to working directly with the Apple TV+ marketing team in order to provide them with the assets and formats they would need in undertaking the releasing and promotion of a feature film.

Usability and clarity were forefront as I re-created bitmap image elements from the motion design, generated by layering and manipulating footage of spectrograms, into clean vector assets.