NICKELODEON | TURTLES ID

BRIEFING

Nickelodeon asked for a fast, character-driven ident that ties directly to the channel’s CI. The brief: make the turtles feel handcrafted and playful, and make the Nickelodeon splat the hero. The piece needed to read instantly between shows, carry a street-art vibe, and stay unmistakably Nick.

APPROACH

We built a clay-motion look in 3D, then animated “on twos” to land a stop-motion cadence. Every beat starts inside the Nickelodeon splat; characters and props expand outward so the CI is baked into the action. Old-school hip-hop sets the groove—boom-bap drums, vinyl textures, and call-and-response hits that sync to key poses. Hand-drawn graffiti marks, sticker tags, and sketched FX ride on top to push the street-art flavor without losing kid-friendly charm.

MAKING OF

Clay shaders with subtle fingerprints, dents, and soft SSS sell the handmade surface. Stepped keys, micro jitter, and frame holds add the stop-motion wobble; we embraced tiny imperfections for warmth. The splat served as our transition engine—morphs, booleans, and soft-body blends let characters “grow” from Nick orange into turtle greens. Depth-of-field “breathing,” grain, and a limited palette kept the piece cohesive for short on-air bursts. Final passes layered hand-drawn graffiti, marker FX, and chalk textures to lock in the street look.