Oliver Sin on his playful animations
Our New Talent series highlights visual creatives who are sharing great work on Facebook and Instagram. Here we talk to Cheltenham-based animator and former designer Oliver Sin about his work
Oliver Sin has created animated worlds and characters for IBM, Airbnb, WWF and WordPress. While his style varies with each project, his work is consistently playful and engaging and demonstrates a skill for bringing stories to life with humour and imagination.
Sin started making animations when he was 17 after being inspired by Disney, Anime and Studio Ghibli films. While he had hopes of becoming an illustrator or animator, he enrolled on a graphic design course at the University of West England after his art teacher advised him that this was a safer option.
Idents for digital payment app DASH
He graduated in 2010 and got a job as a creative designer but after three years, he gave up his job to go freelance and focus on his passion.
“The transition was a slow one. I dabbled a bit in animation while I was at university but I never really thought I’d be hired full-time as an illustrator or animator,” says Sin. “It must have been around the second year in my full-time job [as a Creative Designer] where I felt I wasn’t being pushed creatively enough, and I wasn’t as motivated or driven with graphic design compared to the passion and joy I had for animation and illustration.”
Animations created for a client to illustrate its workplace ‘anti-retaliation’ policies
“Come the third year in that role, I set up my ‘great escape’ plan to leave the company and join the animation industry as a freelancer. I spent my spare time producing a short film and a showreel. It took the majority of the year for me to feel comfortable enough to make the leap,” he adds.
Sin now works from his studio in Cheltenham – a town on the edge of the Cotswolds in South West England – where he works under the moniker Good Sin. “[Cheltenham] has developed a lot over the years,” he says. “The creative community has been growing over the years too, and a lot more studios and agencies are popping up, plus it’s fairly close to other awesome cities like Bristol.”
Most of Sin’s clients are international and range from magazines to tech companies, startups and charities. As well as working on projects about workplace retaliation and gatecrashing sports, he recently collaborated with community group Yes Tribe as part of our On Brief initiative, creating a charming set of films which highlight the benefits of sleeping under the stars to promote the group’s wild camping events.
Alongside client projects, Sin hopes to create a cartoon series and has been developing ideas for games in his spare time. Earlier this year, he completed Helping Hands, a short film which offers a literal and delightfully wacky take on its title.
Oliver Sin’s short film, Helping Hands
Sin says he looks for projects that allow him to flex his imagination: “I always felt my skill set was better utilised when I’m able to craft the visuals for a story and create a whole new world. Projects where the client has the confidence in you and gives you full creative reign feel so rewarding – ones where you can draw fun characters, create new environments and go crazy with colours or bold out-there ideas.”
“When I create personal projects, I think I’m drawn towards the more humorous and whimsical side of things. There’s something satisfying about bringing smiles to people’s faces with charming characters and well-timed gags!”
oliversin.com; read more about Oliver Sin’s work for Yes Tribe here.