It’s hard to imagine how it feels for a young creative to win a Loerie Award. Some
might say it’s the industry equivalent of hitting the Jackpot or finding a golden ticket
to Willy Wonka’s factory. But that would mean that such an accolade, awarded only
to outstanding work in the field of brand communications, is based on luck, which it
is not.
Hard work, perseverance, keen insight, natural flair and years of harnessing and
nurturing one’s creative talent are just some of the basic requirements most people
need before they can compete in the same arena. So when 22-year-old multimedia
design and illustration student Frane Els took home not one but two of the golden
birds at this year’s ceremony, it certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
Her experimental typography animation Ubuzu was originally done as part of a third
year multimedia project and won a Gold Loerie and a Gold Craft Loerie in the
Student category. Now in her final year at the North West University in
Potchefstroom, Els is looking forward to soon pursuing a career in illustration
and/or animation.
“It was an honour to be a finalist, but to receive two awards for one project was a
great feeling,’ says Els.
The brief for the project entailed creating a two-minute animation about
typography. “I started drawing a lot in my third year, especially characters, in an
attempt to develop some kind of personal style. So when the project came up, I
wanted to create a font and do something with the characters that I have been
working on,’ recalls Els.
Initially Els drew the alphabet out in Futura font and created quirky characters
around each letter. She then pen-tooled them in Adobe After Affects and finished
with what she refers to as “the fun part’ – animating. The final product is playful,
perceptive and delightfully peculiar.
Inspired by the passion which South African creatives have for their craft, Els plans
to soak up as much knowledge as she can, in order to establish herself as a
respected creative in the industry.
“There are a lot of very talented creatives in South Africa, and I would love to be
one of them. The challenge is to stay fresh and interesting, to try and do your own
thing and to leave your own mark. And of course, to remind yourself to have fun
with what you’re doing and not to get too serious about life,’ she concludes.
