We pull away the knitted blanket of snow to reveal a handcrafted spring landscape
I've been working with ZDF for a while on their seasonal branding, creating bespoke animations for their spring and summer slots.
#
For this project we pulled apart the knitted blanket of snow and revealed different, lighter materials — embroidered grass instead of snow, linen-textured figures and intricate crafted flowers.
#
I curated a team of artists to bring this vision to life and together we created something with enough going on that a viewer catching it for the twentieth time between programs might still notice something they hadn't before. That kind of density takes a while to build, and it only works when the client is willing to be in the weeds with you. The ZDF team was.
#
The spring campaign ended up feeling like a breath of fresh air with it's handmade quality. ZDF's visual identity got a little more layered, and viewers who'd grown up with the channel had something that acknowledged that history without being sentimental about it.
#
For this project we pulled apart the knitted blanket of snow and revealed different, lighter materials — embroidered grass instead of snow, linen-textured figures and intricate crafted flowers.
#
I curated a team of artists to bring this vision to life and together we created something with enough going on that a viewer catching it for the twentieth time between programs might still notice something they hadn't before. That kind of density takes a while to build, and it only works when the client is willing to be in the weeds with you. The ZDF team was.
#
The spring campaign ended up feeling like a breath of fresh air with it's handmade quality. ZDF's visual identity got a little more layered, and viewers who'd grown up with the channel had something that acknowledged that history without being sentimental about it.
Comissioned Work | ZDF | 2025/26 | Creative Direction & Artist
Client
ZDF
Year
2025/26
Creative Direction
Saskia Kretzschmann, #Christian Zschunke
Producer
Stephanie Baumgarte
Artists
Philipp Brates, #Ignas Blažys, #Quinten Delahaye, #Tania Shapovalova, #Anastasiia Vorobeva, #Guilherme Todorov, #Saskia Kretzschmann, #Christian Zschunke
In the middle of winter, right before christmas
we sought refuge in creating a digital spring
that we did not want to feel digital at all.
we sought refuge in creating a digital spring
that we did not want to feel digital at all.
Half the fun was in reintroducing analog imperfections to the 'perfect' digital images.
The first seasonal animation was beloved by the audience, so we extended it for a second.
By keeping the structure that the audience loved the first time, we made it easy for them to reconnect.
There is a certain kind of magic in seeing our vision come to life.
* or check out more