Motion Design Archives - ��Ƶ

��Ƶ wins big at the Suncoast ADDYs

awalters — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

��Ƶ students took home a whopping 80 Gold ADDY Awards at the AAF Suncoast gala on Feb. 21, with more recognized with Silver, Judge’s Choice awards, and a Best in Show for Bella Race ’26, Graphic Design. The annual awards honor the best creative projects produced by local students and professionals. This year’s gala once again took place at the ��Ƶ Studio Labs.

Race, who also received a total of four Gold ADDYs, earned her Best in Show recognition for Between Us, an infographic iPad application that visualizes data on loneliness with interconnected personal stories. She also received a Judge’s Choice award for Two Wheels @Houston, a campaign to promote bicycling as a lower-stress alternative to traffic-heavy commutes.

The other two Judge’s Choice awards went to Nathan Kipka ’27, Motion Design and Brallan Ramirez ’27, Graphic Design.

In total, ��Ƶ Graphic Design students took home 20 Gold Awards, one Best in Show, and two Judge’s Choice. Motion Design students won 55 Gold Awards, 12 Silver, and one Judge’s Choice. Film Students won five Gold Awards and one Silver Award.

The local ADDYs are the first step in a three-tier national competition presented by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). These winners can go on to compete in the district round, and district winners can then compete for a national ADDY Award.

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Motion Design grad builds creative career in the NFL through connection and craft

awalters — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:49:25 +0000

Shortly after graduating from ��Ƶ, Jordan McBarnett ’23, Motion Design, secured a role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through a professional connection. While working as a motion designer on the team, he connected with the Seattle Seahawks' Creative Director on TikTok and Instagram, an experience that shaped his approach to the industry.

“The opportunity started from a relationship I built organically on social media,” McBarnett said. “That experience really shaped how I approach relationship building in the industry. In my experience, it is the only thing that takes you to the next level.”

That mindset soon paid off. In March 2025, the Seahawks hired McBarnett to create 3D assets for new visual designs connected to the NFL Draft. The fast-paced assignment required a full asset package in just five days, delivering high-quality elements for the team’s internal design department to use across branding and presentation materials.

The success of that project led to another opportunity. Before Super Bowl LX, which Seattle went on to win, the organization again asked McBarnett to develop additional 3D components that aligned with its visual direction for the championship game.

McBarnett says his journey from online interaction to major league creative work shows the value of persistence and authenticity. After first reaching out to the Seahawks’ creative lead to support her projects, he kept sharing his own motion and 3D work online. As his portfolio and audience grew, the professional relationship developed naturally through continued conversations.

His work now includes motion graphics for broadcast, dimensional branding elements, and digital content designed for high-visibility sports environments. These projects require both technical skill and quick turnaround.

For current students and emerging designers, McBarnett stresses that talent alone is not enough.

“Consistently posting your work, supporting others, and building real relationships can open doors you will not find through job boards,” he said.

With a portfolio that includes work with two NFL teams and championship-level creative campaigns, McBarnett’s path shows how strong skills, initiative, and meaningful connections can turn classroom learning into real industry success.

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Speakers announced for FutureProof ’26—The Motion Design Conference

awalters — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

FutureProof ’26—The Motion Design Conference at ��Ƶ will be held on our beautiful Sarasota campus from March 2nd-6th, 2026. Hosted by the Department of Motion Design, the event features industry presentations, workshops, technical demos, and activities designed to help ��Ƶ students transition seamlessly from the classroom to their careers while preparing the next generation of visual communicators through education, inspiration, and connection.

We’re thrilled to announce this year’s keynote speakers—motion design royalty, including Karin Fong, Director at Imaginary Forces; Joyce Ho, Creative Director at Buck; Chris Dooley, Executive Creative Director at Brand New School; and Joey Korenman, Founder of School of Motion.

“There is no better way to inspire students than to help them recognize that they are already in the fold. Even while they are in college, they are members of the greater Motion Design community alongside the professionals and creative leaders of our industry,” said Department Head of Motion Design Ed Cheetham.

“Because of Ringling’s world-class education and our students’ professional preparedness, leading studios are eager to connect with this next generation of emerging talent,” he shared.

The event will also feature studio presentations from leading motion design studios, including Oddfellows (Jarratt Moody, Eli Ayres), Ravie.co (Austin Bauwens, Sam Essanoussi, Jackson Redford, Will Taylor), Digital Kitchen (Mason Nicoll, Andrew “AJ” Julien), Hornet (Itay Tevel, Kyuri Kim), BlackMath (Louie Jannetty), The Heist (Taylor McDade), Meister (CJ Cook), Calling All Talent (Cat Gulacsy), and Disney Live Entertainment (Jen Schuh, Dan Tomeu).

Our always-popular Alumni Panel will highlight the theme of Entrepreneurial Motion Designers, featuring the founder of Noodle, Doug Alberts ’20, Motion Design; cofounder of SailFuture, Hunter Thompson ’14, Motion Design; and the founders of MakSchu Productions, Christina and Karim Maksoud ’16, Motion Design.

This year, FutureProof will present a host of hands-on technical workshops by Jerry Liu and Lance Snider from RIVE, Luis Cataldi from Unreal Engine, Roy Yang from Foundry, the maker of Nuke, and Michael Goldfarb from SideFX, makers of Houdini. All of these software packages are used extensively throughout the Motion Design curriculum.

The event is created for Motion Design students and alumni—but all ��Ƶ students are welcome to attend. Representatives from Career Services will also be available throughout the event to provide students with workshops on resume building, networking, and interviewing skills.

“These workshops are just one of the many ways we help prepare them for their careers,” said Alejandra Lance-Henterly, the director of Career Services at ��Ƶ. “We provide a multitude of opportunities for students to perfect their professionalism skills, whether it’s through the classroom, our career counseling, or events like this.”

Meet and greet with Noah Wilde and Austin Bauwens, co-founders at Ravie.co, during FutureProof ‘25.

The week-long conference culminates with the Senior DEMO DUEL—a March Madness-style bracketed competition showcasing Motion Design senior demo reels. The audience votes in real time to advance their favorites through each round, creating an exciting showcase of student work for recruiters and industry professionals. New this year: the DEMO DUEL will be live-streamed, enabling viewers nationwide to participate in the real-time voting!

We would like to give a big shout-out to our FutureProof ’25 sponsors for their generous support of our students: Gold Sponsors: Brand New School and Rive; Silver Sponsors: Foundry, UnrealEngine, and SideFX; and our media sponsor, Stash.

2025 Motion Design DEMO DUEL finalists, and winner Diane Lee.

For more information, visit RinglingFutureProof.com. If you would like to know how to participate in future events, please email motiondesign@c.ringling.edu.

��Ƶ’s Department of Motion Design has been ranked #1 in the U.S. and #2 in the World for Best Motion Graphics Schools by The Rookies. The Department has received numerous national and international awards, including National Gold ADDY Awards, D&AD Pencil Awards, Art Directors Club Awards, Motionographer’s Motion Awards, and Communication Arts Awards, and our alumni have won numerous EMMY Awards.

Contact:
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Winners announced for Motion DesignxEasyEase contest

awalters — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The winners of the second annual ��Ƶ Motion Design x EasyEase high school contest have been announced. The top five entrants will get a combination of cash prizes, scholarships, and faculty portfolio consultations.

This year’s contest challenged entrants to create a band name or logo, an album name, and a looping animated album cover that could be featured on music streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music. It was judged by two representatives from the ��Ƶ Motion Design department, including Department Head Ed Cheetham, and two representatives from EasyEase design site.

Hailey Uhrinak from Cary Christian School in North Carolina received first-place honors, which include a $10,000 scholarship to ��Ƶ and a $500 cash prize.

Cheetham praised Uhrinak’s submission, New Beginnings – Brightest Hour, for “great animation, good design, good composition, and creative use of color.” (See the complete list of winners below.)

This year’s contest attracted enormous interest from high schoolers from around the country. While administrators initially capped the submission limit at 100 entrants, they quickly raised it to 200. (Those who were turned down could opt to be added to a mailing list for next year’s contest and sent a Ringling t-shirt.)

EasyEase.co, a project from Raleigh-based design firm Ravie, hosts online challenges for designers and animators of all experience levels. This year’s Motion Design contest was the largest challenge EasyEase has hosted to date. The company’s team will also be presenting at the Ringling FutureProof ’26 Motion Design Conference.

Watch the on YouTube.

1st Prize: $10,000 ��Ƶ scholarship, $500 cash prize, and more
Hailey Uhrinak, Cary Christian School, Cary, North Carolina
Entry: New Beginnings – Brightest Hour

2nd Prize: $4,400 Ringling PreCollege Scholarship, $400 cash prize, and more
Nathan Jasso
Entry: Aneurysm – Crash

3rd Prize: $300 cash prize and more
Violet Navarro, Mandeville High School, Mandeville, Louisiana
Entry: Shredding Ribbon – Tearing Down the Street

4th Prize: $200 cash prize and more
Gianna Peters, Goshen High School, Goshen, New York
Entry: Seeing Stars – Battle Sue

5th Prize: $100 cash prize and more
Kinsleigh Ringus, Lexington High School, Lexington, South Carolina
Entry: Moth – To a Flame

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Ringling Department of Motion Design honored with City of Sarasota Proclamation

awalters — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The City of Sarasota has officially designated December 1 as Public Art in Motion Day, celebrating the exceptional work of ��Ƶ’s Department of Motion Design students. The honor comes after 12 Ringling students debuted animations projected onto downtown Sarasota’s Palm Avenue parking garage exterior at the November 7 Fresh Fridays event.

“Not only was this a spectacular event, it was also an excellent educational experience for these Motion Design students,” said Ed Cheetham, head of the Department of Motion Design. “Designing animated content for such a large scale requires them to think differently about how to present their work to an audience that is looking up at a five-story screen.”

The students from Dante Rinaldi’s projection mapping class first designed their work using a 3D model of the building’s architecture, including the distinctive “sails” that served as a canvas for the projections. They also had to figure out the best projector location, choose the right lens, and even locate an appropriate power supply. Barco, Inc., Nexmark Media, and LightMural assisted on the project.

“Projection mapping is such a complex and collaborative art form,” added Cheetham, “and the City of Sarasota was the perfect partner, and the Palm Avenue parking garage provided a perfect canvas.”

The proclamation, signed by Mayor Debbie Trice, reads, in part, “…this project stands as a shining example of partnership between the City, educational institutions, private industry, and community organizations, advancing Sarasota’s identity as a city that celebrates creativity, technology, and public art.”

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Attention high school students: The ��Ƶ X EasyEase design challenge is underway

awalters — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000

All high school-age students are invited to enter the 2025 ��Ƶ X EasyEase Design Challenge for a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship, among other prizes.

This year’s challenge is to create a band name or logo, an album name, and a looping animated album cover that could be featured on music streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music. The goal of the project is to creatively reflect the mood and attitude of the music. The band name (logo) and the name of the album should be important elements in the design. For additional info, and to submit a design, visit.

The first-place winner will receive a $10,000 ��Ƶ scholarship, $500 cash, a Motion Design t-shirt, and a one-hour faculty portfolio review and consultation. Second place will receive a scholarship to the Ringling PreCollege Summer Program, $400 cash, as well as merch and a portfolio review. The top five entrants will all receive cash prizes and merch.

The deadline for submissions is January 11, 2026. Winners will be announced on January 25.

Designs should be in a square format (2000 px X 2000 px) with an animated loop no longer than five seconds. The band name and/or logo and album name should feature prominently, and extra credit will be allocated for all original artwork.

Contact:
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communications@ringling.edu
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Students and faculty recognized at second annual Collision Awards

awalters — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

On July 22, 2025, winners were announced for the second annual Collision Awards, which honor excellence in animation and motion design. Honorees included ��Ƶ Motion Design faculty Kelly Warner, who was recognized in several categories, alongside six current and former Ringling students.

Warner won Professional Gold in the Craft: Sound Design category for the opening titles of the 2025 FutureProof Motion Design Conference. (Warner previously won Silver in the same category at the inaugural Collision Awards, for the 2024 FutureProof titles.) Warner also contributed sound design to many of the award-winning Ringling student projects.

Other ��Ƶ honorees included recent ’24 Motion Design grads Hana Kazeka and Devon Pertarb, as well as ’25 Motion Design students Jasmine Gunarto, Rin Yokoi, and Diane Lee. See the complete list of ��Ƶ honorees below.

Professional Gold
Craft – Sound Design
FutureProof ’25 Opening Titles
Kelly Warner

Professional Silver
Experiential – Best 3D/CG Animation
Transforming Scent
Hanna Kazeka

Professional Silver
Film – General Experimental
Programmed Emotion
Devon Pertarb

Student Gold
Film – General Student
Home in a Hot Pot
Jasmine Gunarto
Fiona Greenleaf – Narrator
Kelly Warner – Music & Sound Design

Student Silver
Film – General Student
FutureProof ’25 Opening Titles
Rin Yokoi and Diane Lee
Kelly Warner – Music & Sound Design

Student Silver
Film – General Student
Programmed Emotion
Devon Pertarb

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Faculty member’s sonic craft wins Gold at the Telly Awards

awalters — Thu, 22 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

In a field where much of the most vital creative work goes unnoticed—by design—Kelly Warner’s recent accolade is a celebration of the enduring value of sound in visual media. The Motion Design faculty member has been awarded a Professional Gold Telly Award in the Craft – Sound & Sound Design category for his work on the 2025 FutureProof Opening Title Sequence, a contribution that transformed abstract visual momentum into something more concrete, as sound became evidence of dimensionality.

The Telly Awards, now in their 45th year, are a barometer of excellence across the video landscape—from network television and branded content to the digital short forms that increasingly shape our visual culture. This year, the competition received over 13,000 entries from across all 50 states and six continents.

Film still from the FutureProof Opening Title Sequence.

Sound, for Warner, becomes something almost sculptural. It isn’t merely background or accompaniment; it carries the weight of narrative and emotional intent. When it’s done well, you don’t always notice it. But you feel it.

Before arriving in academia, Warner moved through the creative industries with percussive momentum. He was a DJ for Red Bull. He was a performer and producer in two reasonably successful indie bands. He created sonic branding for clients as varied as Nickelodeon, Ohio State University, Hewlett-Packard, and Bath and Body Works. His practice reflects that layered experience—a blend of technical mastery, musical intuition, and conceptual rigor.

The celebrations and achievements are shared by Warner’s students and collaborators. The FutureProof title sequence was a team effort, and two of Warner’s students, Rin Yokoi ’25, Motion Design, and Diane Lee ’25, Motion Design, were also recognized with Student Silver Telly Awards in both the Branded Content – Student and People’s Choice – Student categories for their contributions. The duo also brought home the Motion Design department’s first Gold Cube from the 2025 Young Ones Awards, alongside other Motion Design winners: Teja Hickenbottom ’26, Brianna Haggerty ’26, and Lucia Alonso Eiras ’26. It’s a generational echo: emerging voices being mentored by someone whose career has traversed the intersections of sound, design, and cultural production.

Watch the 2025 FutureProof Opening Title Sequence.

The Craft – Sound & Sound Design Telly Award recognizes work that often lives just beneath the surface of conscious attention, but shapes how we interpret the world through sound. It’s a well-earned acknowledgment of the value that sound design brings to storytelling and the expertise required to do it well.

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Motion Design grad headed to NYC with momentum and ambitions

awalters — Tue, 20 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Diane Lee ’25, Motion Design, defies categorization. She dreams big—and small—and everything in between. Her decision to study art came after a series of wildly different childhood career goals.

“I was always an active kid, at one point dreaming of becoming a forensic scientist, military surgeon, or even a firefighter,” she said. “I never imagined a future in art; I craved adrenaline and loved sports.”

But as she grew, she said, the realities of the world began to sink in. “Suddenly, the arts felt like a luxury.”

Even her chosen course of study represents an expansion of her goals, rather than a limited focus. “My goals kept shifting as I discovered new corners of motion design,” she said. “That adaptability helped me build a diverse portfolio and opened doors to incredible opportunities.”

For her senior thesis, Lee modelled a 3D fantasy world of idyllic landscapes, which were thrown into chaos by a foreign invader before then rising anew from the rubble. “As scary as it is, I hoped to convey the beauty that is found in destruction,” she said. “Although it may seem awful, nature has a way of finding balance.”

While the piece is meant to evoke respect for nature, Lee added, “It’s also incredibly over-dramatic—because I love blasting Hans Zimmer soundtracks while I work and needed something worthy of that energy.”

Now that she’s graduated, Lee is heading back to New York to be a Junior Motion Designer at Hornet. (She previously worked in an internship at the creative firm Adolescent.) With her first post-graduation job locked down, Lee still maintains a far-reaching collection of (mainly) energetic ambitions. Her website’s “Career Wishlist” includes “epic video game trailer,” “vfx for an action movie,” “K-drama title sequence,” and “learn how to crochet.”

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Speakers Announced for FutureProof ’25 – The Motion Design Conference at ��Ƶ

Office of Marketing and Communications — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:19:45 +0000

FutureProof ’25—The Motion Design Conference at ��Ƶ will be held on campus from March 3-7. The event, hosted by the Department of Motion Design, includes industry presentations, workshops, technical demos, and activities designed for ��Ƶ students to ensure a seamless transition from the classroom to their future careers. Our mission is to prepare the next generation of visual communicators through education, inspiration, and connection.

“There is no better way to inspire students than to provide them with professional engagements with the creative leaders of our industry,” said Ed Cheetham, Department Head of Motion Design. “Leveraging Ringling’s professional reputation and the exceptional quality of our students, we attract leading studios who are eager to engage with the next wave of emerging talent. The FutureProof conference underscores Ringling’s commitment to providing students with unique opportunities to connect directly with industry leaders right from our campus.”

We are excited to announce this year’s keynote speakers: Mitch Monson from Sibling Rivalry, Alexis Copeland from Microsoft, Noah Wilde and Austin Bauwens from Ravie, and Justin Harder from CLAUS. There will also be studio presentations from Disney Live Entertainment, Black Math, Hornet, Ravie, and DASH. Our always-popular Alumni Panel will feature Maddy Hodgetts ’18, Motion Design, and Creative Director of The Infatuation, and recent grad Sol Bourdeau Garcia ’23, Motion Design, who is a Freelance Designer/Animator.

This year, FutureProof will present a host of hands-on technical workshops by Luis Cataldi from Unreal Engine, Ian Robinson from Maxon, the maker of ZBrush, Roy Yang from Foundry, the maker of Nuke and other visual effects software, and Nicholas Sharma from Adobe, maker of Substance 3D. All of these software packages are used extensively throughout the Motion Design curriculum.

In 2024 Hannah Nguyen, Motion Designer senior, introduced the creative team from Disney Live Entertainment. This year, as an employee of Disney Live Entertainment, she and her team from Disney will be presenting at FutureProof ’25 – The Motion Design Conference at ��Ƶ.

The event is created for Motion Design students and alumni—but all ��Ƶ students are welcome to attend. Representatives from Career Services will also be available throughout the event to provide students with workshops on topics such as resume building, networking, and interviewing skills.

“These workshops are just one of the many ways we help prepare them for their careers,” said Alejandra Lance-Henterly, the Director of Career Services at ��Ƶ. “We provide a multitude of opportunities for students to perfect their professionalism skills, whether it’s through the classroom, our career counseling, or events like this.”

2024 Motion Design seniors at the conclusion of the DEMO DUEL.

The week-long conference wraps up with the senior DEMO DUEL. This is a March Madness type of bracketed head-to-head competition of Motion Design senior demo reels. The audience votes in real time for the winners to move on to the next rounds. It’s a fun and exciting way to highlight all the amazing student work in front of recruiters and industry professionals.

We would like to give a big shout-out to our FutureProof ’25 sponsors for their generous support of our students: Unreal Engine, Foundry, Maxon, Adobe, and our media sponsor, Stash.

For more information, visit RinglingFutureProof.com. If you would like to know how to participate in future events, please email motiondesign@c.ringling.edu.

��Ƶ’s Department of Motion Design has been ranked #1 in the World for Best Motion Graphics Schools by The Rookies for two years in a row. The Department has received numerous national and international awards, including National Gold ADDY Awards, D&AD Pencil Awards, Art Directors Club Awards, Motionographer’s Motion Awards, and Communication Arts Awards, and our alumni have won numerous EMMY Awards.

Contact:

Office of Marketing and Communications
��ǳ��ܲԾ��پ��ǲԲ��Բ��Բ�.��
941-309-4008

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Motion Design Archives - ������Ƶ

������Ƶ wins big at the Suncoast ADDYs

Motion Design grad builds creative career in the NFL through connection and craft

Speakers announced for FutureProof ’26—The Motion Design Conference

Winners announced for Motion DesignxEasyEase contest

Ringling Department of Motion Design honored with City of Sarasota Proclamation

Attention high school students: The ������Ƶ X EasyEase design challenge is underway

Students and faculty recognized at second annual Collision Awards

Faculty member’s sonic craft wins Gold at the Telly Awards

Motion Design grad headed to NYC with momentum and ambitions

Speakers Announced for FutureProof ’25 – The Motion Design Conference at ������Ƶ

Contact:

Motion Design Archives - ��Ƶ

��Ƶ wins big at the Suncoast ADDYs

Attention high school students: The ��Ƶ X EasyEase design challenge is underway

Speakers Announced for FutureProof ’25 – The Motion Design Conference at ��Ƶ