A set of seven animated films exploring the history of the Business Design Centre from 1862 to the present day, beautifully displayed in the grand entrance for visitors to view whilst entering the building.
The Brief
Inspired by the screens adorning the escalators of the London Underground the Business Design Center (BDC) in Islington decided to look within their own walls for a way to convey their distinguished history. The brief was to deliver a cohesive, eye-catching animation that would sit on seven screens evenly spaced along the length of the escalator found within the grand entrance. Along the seven screens in chronological order the aim was to eloquently tell the story of the BDC, from its humble origins as the Royal Agricultural Hall, through to the highly successful London exhibition space it is today.
Here at The Animation Guys, we were honoured to be able to give back to the building that we call home. Additionally, it became a chance for us to learn more about the building’s origins and history. Our initial step was research, research, research. Then more research. As such, we used every available resource at our fingertips to learn more about the Business Design Centre and we could portray it within an animated video. This meant getting together a timeline as well as dusting off the archive imagery. This took the form of looking through old books as well as black & white photographs. The more we dug, the more interesting history we discovered!
We thrive on challenging ourselves in the animation studio. This project set itself apart from much of our previous work. This was due to its unique final setting of seven separate screens, spaced up the length of an escalator. Their information leading you through the building and also through time and the history of the BDC. As such, creating linked animations across multiple screens was a challenge that required creative solutions. We worked diligently to design and create consecutive animations that lead into one another as you ride up the escalator.
Finally, using skilful animation techniques, we combined all the historical information into seven cuts. The resources we had collected helped us to meld the old and new into something unique. Thus, showing the passage of time in an eye-catching way. This would help to educate visitors, whilst also entertaining them along their journey up the escalator and into the building!
In addition to the content created specifically to be spread across the multiple screens, we have also gone in at a later date and reformatted the full animation into one landscape video to be used on LinkedIn. By repurposing the content, the BDC can get multiple uses out of the video across a variety of their channels and engage their audience both in person, remotely and digitally on the go.
The Result
The Business Design Centre is now able to showcase its rich history to all visitors to the building. Both in an interesting and eye catching manner that is unique to them. Much like their history. Each time we walk to our studio we are reminded of the wonderful collaboration we were part of. Next time you visit the BDC, we hope you enjoy viewing the animation and learn as much as we did throughout this project!
To see the full extent of the installation visit the BDC and pop by and say hello!
What our client Said
“The Animation Guys helped us bring the story of our historical building to life in a series of looping videos that play over seven screens in our venue.
They have managed to capture some of the key points over the almost 160 year history and animate images and artwork that have remained unseen for decades.
The finished project is an escalator journey that begins in the Victorian times and brings visitors up to the present day by the time they reach the top floor.”
– Kate Simpson, Marketing Director
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