Kent District Library - Summer Wonder
Animated Brand Campaign
Summer Wonder is more than a reading program. It's a season of imagination, creativity, and hands-on experiences for families across Kent County. Our goal was to capture that feeling in a campaign that invited viewers to step inside each world, celebrating the curiosity and sense of discovery at the heart of the program.
Client: Kent District Library
Illustration: Anthony Carpenter
Design: Jake Page
Animation + Sound Design: Josh Reed
Voiceover: Harlesha Taylor
From Illustration to Animation
Kent District Library's Summer Wonder campaign was built around a series of illustrations by Anthony Carpenter. Our role was to take those illustrations beyond the page, building immersive worlds that could support a dynamic broadcast campaign while staying true to the original artwork. Every transition, camera move, and animated detail was designed to keep viewers engaged and eager to discover what came next.
Our Approach
Our goal wasn't simply to animate the artwork. We wanted viewers to feel like they were stepping inside it. Every creative decision was made to create a sense of exploration and discovery, inviting families to experience Summer Wonder rather than simply watch it.
Every illustration was carefully separated into layers, allowing us to place characters, foreground elements, and backgrounds into 3D space. We expanded each scene beyond the original artwork with additional scenery, lighting, and environmental details, creating worlds that felt larger and more immersive.
With each environment built, we focused on how viewers would move through them. Smooth camera moves and carefully designed transitions connected every scene into a single, continuous journey that carried the energy of Summer Wonder from beginning to end.
Behind the Scenes
Creating the Story
Everything began with the original illustrations, which established the characters and playful visuals that inspired the campaign. Before animation began, we mapped out the entire journey through a detailed storyboard. This allowed us to explore how each world would connect to the next, refining the pacing, camera movement, and transitions long before the first frame was animated. Every decision was made with one goal in mind: to create an experience that built excitement and encouraged viewers to stay engaged from beginning to end.
Building the Worlds
With the story in place, each illustration was carefully reconstructed for animation. Characters were separated into individual layers, and each scene was carefully built into a fully realized 3D world using a combination of the original illustrations and newly created artwork. This approach created the depth and flexibility needed for dynamic camera movement, seamless transitions, and an experience that felt engaging from beginning to end.
Bringing It All Together
With every world built, the focus shifted to creating the energy the client envisioned from the very beginning. Rather than treating each scene as its own moment, we carefully choreographed the camera, transitions, and animation to keep viewers moving from one experience to the next without ever slowing down.
Every creative decision was made to immerse viewers in each world while building anticipation for the next. Subtle environmental animation, lighting, sound design, and music all worked together to create a seamless journey that invited families to discover everything Summer Wonder has to offer.
The Results
The Summer Wonder campaign launched across television, streaming, and social media, giving Kent District Library a flexible set of assets that could be used throughout the promotion.
Deliverables included:
:30, :15, and :06 broadcast commercials
Vertical social versions for each runtime
Multiple aspect ratios optimized for television and social platforms
By building every scene as a layered, animated environment, we were able to adapt the campaign across formats while maintaining the same sense of energy, exploration, and visual impact.
Final Thoughts
Summer Wonder was a reminder that animation can do more than bring artwork to life. It can immerse viewers in a story and create a sense of excitement that keeps them engaged from beginning to end.
Collaborating with Kent District Library gave us the opportunity to build a campaign that celebrated imagination in a way that felt playful, immersive, and true to the spirit of Summer Wonder.