Apple TV+
Stillwater Key Art Campaign
Marvel in the Moment
Logo, Teaser Art, Key Art
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THE CHALLENGE
The Path to Enlightenment
Keeping up our continued partnership with Apple TV+, the streaming service enlisted us for another round of even more key art and logo development — this time for Gaumont Animation’s latest brainchild: a children’s television show titled Stillwater. Based on the bestselling children’s book collection, The Zen Series by John J Muth, the show is spearheaded by a massive, cuddly panda bear of the show’s namesake.
The inspirational messaging at the show’s core is intended to help preschoolers forge a deeper understanding of feelings by offering the insight they might need to face day to day challenges. While Stillwater ain’t no Kung Fu Panda, he sure does share his curiosity, sense of wonder, and life lesson-embedded storyline. I mean, what good is a panda protagonist without learning a few meaningful life lessons along the way?
OUR APPROACH
Mindfulness Matters
We poured through hours of episodes, read through pages of scripts and reviewed log lines to help us visualize key themes and locales that would serve a large part in concept art and design. Following an expansive key art exploration that began with sketches and illustrations, we eventually landed on a final design that we depicted in black and white line art before collaborating with Apple’s in-house CG team to bring it to life.
The final poster depicts the four protagonists standing on an arched bridge with Stillwater at the center, he holds the youngest child, Karl, on his shoulder while Addy and Michael stand on opposite sides gazing off into the distance with excitement and curiosity. The “marvel in the moment” tagline brings the thriving green scene to life, shedding light on the harmony and perspective of the show, with the four main protagonists admiring the beauty of the world around them.
After exploring countless iterations of logo designs, we finally landed on an organic brush stroke design that’s clean and legible at any size. The logo combines Stillwater’s mindful painting approach to life with the free-spirited nature of the children, evoking an uplifting energy that breathes as it rises.
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THE PAYOFF
Livin’ in Perfect Harmony
As today’s children’s television shows are riddled with mindless entertainment, it’s a breath of fresh air to throw Stillwater’s diverse perspectives into the mix, taking an adult approach to inspire children to be more thoughtful and reflective. The journey to arrive at the final concept designs and logo was full of unexpected moments and possibilities, much like the show’s mindful approach to learning. Quite the journey, indeed.
