Animate! Always Obsessing Over Some Form of Animation with Jord O’Brien

Jord O’Brien was born in Manchester where he ‘lived forever’, Jord then travelled the world before setting up in Leeds where he’s enjoying being part of a growing creative community. 

Jord studied design and illustration, even dabbling in serious painting, before dedicating a decade of his life applying his craft as a graphic designer. 

During this time Jord honed a style which uses bold, simple lines and stripped back, punchy colour palettes. His love for double entendres, nature, aging tech and fun characters is infused in every project. Jord also loves to ride the streets on his BMX. 

LBB> How did you fall in love with animation? 

Jord> Animation wasn’t the first creative passion I had, it came to me much later on but I was always obsessing over some form of animation as a fan. When I was younger I’d watch all of these incredible shows that had these great characters and worlds like Catdog, Hey Arnold, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, etc. I didn’t realise it at the time but it had a massive effect on the types of things I wanted to draw. Then later on I discovered the simpler style of mid-century animation and saw how there were so many different ways to make things move. 

LBB> Tell us about the animation project that kick started your career 

Jord> I’d probably call myself more of an illustrator that does some animation so I’m still pretty new to the animation world but I’d say last year when I asked to work on some looping animations for a group of hip hop producers. It was a massive challenge and I was learning a lot on the job. Before that I’d worked as a designer so I’d done bits of more basic motion design but never anything that in depth and with as much creative freedom (or short deadlines). That project helped me build confidence that I could animate something engaging and it resulted in me landing a few other freelance jobs. I’m still really grateful for that one.

LBB> How would you describe your art style and what are your biggest inspirations that developed it? 

Jord> I always aim to make things that have some sort of humour or punchline to them. It took a long time to accept that’s what comes more naturally to me. I love independent comics, gig posters, old skate/ bike graphics but I also love a load of other types of art and design so it’s really quite hard to pin down why I’m doing this haha. I’d be lying if I didn’t say some of my friends and tutors had a massive effect on what I make too. 

LBB> From your perspective, what’s the key to animation that really lives? 

Jord> I think successful animation usually has a great story and character development, you can get past pretty much any of the stylistic choices if it has those two. 

LBB> Show us your favourite or most impactful project that you’ve worked on - tell us, what is it that makes it special and what were the memorable moments or challenges? 

Jord> I think this animation I made to announce signing with Oi! Is probably my favourite thing I’ve animated. Oli really allowed me to create whatever I wanted, which obviously resulted in complete brain paralysis. Then I got to work and used a bunch of different techniques. It was the first animation for a while where I’d used more frame by frame so that was difficult but re-ignited my love for it.

LBB> How do you approach character design? What is your creative process like? Show us some of your favourite characters and their journey from notepad to screen. 

Jord> Creating characters is my favourite part. It really depends on the project. Sometimes I already have a vision of how the character will look but need to iron out the physical details of it to make it ready for motion. 

Other times it’ll start out as a very loose sketch and I’ll think more about the character and backstory while slowly refining things until it says what I need it to say. 

LBB> We all know of some ever-green adult animations, but lately they have definitely been on the rise, from Rick and Morty to Arcane. What sort of opportunities does this open for animators, both within and outside the advertising industry? 

Jord> It’s great to see animation be recognised as a valid medium for storytelling and not just something for kids. It opens the doors to so many more voices and types of story. 

Both of those shows have really pushed forward what’s possible in animated shows, but also pull in a lot of viewers. that’ll hopefully encourage the big execs and studios to put more resources into new animation that’s different from what we’ve already seen. That can only be a good thing for animators inside or outside of the industry.

LBB> What is your favourite piece of technology or software that you use and how does it help your creative process? 

Jord> Probably surprising to a lot of people but Illustrator. I’ve had a long and strained relationship with it but have grown to love it for drawing. I still want to launch my computer at the wall a few times a week but it’s getting less often. 

LBB> What sort of briefs or projects do you find more personally satisfying to work on? 

Jord> Anything where the aim is a bit more than just selling. If there’s a deeper message and I’m allowed to get a bit weird with it, that's always the most fun. That and when I get to work with other creative people. As I mentioned I’m relatively new to animating so being amongst people that are willing to share their vision and technique is incredibly valuable. 

LBB> What recent projects have really stood out for you and why? 

Jord> More of an illustration project than animation but creating some hand drawn type for merch and single artwork for DJ Premier is still a sort of bucket list moment for me. I’ve listened to Gangstarr for years so to be approached about creating something for Preemo was a bit of a surreal experience. 

LBB> Who is your animation hero and what is it about their work that inspires you? What example of their work particularly stands out?

Jord> Might be a pretty common answer but I love Fleischer studios. The style, linework and the pure imagination in the animations they made. They just give you this eerie feeling. 

Also the same for most people but Hayao Miyazaki. I loved Howl’s Moving Castle and Porco Rosso. The backgrounds and characters are just great. 

LBB> Outside of the field of animation, what really inspires you? 

Jord> Riding bikes, lots of music, great design, stand up comedy, people who are just really passionate about specialist interests whether that’s chefs, doctors, writers, the list goes on really. 

LBB> What do you think are the misconceptions about animation throughout the industry? 

Jord> The amount of time it takes. Sometimes when working on a project you’ll get the “how are you getting on with the animation” when it’s only been a couple of hours. 

LBB> What are the biggest changes to animation and challenges facing animators at the moment and what are your thoughts on them? 

Jord> It extends further than the animation industry but the rise of AI is a huge challenge for anyone in a creative profession. It’s hard not to feel like the average person only cares about end results and not where things come from. There’s also a lot more of a demand to get things out fast which can often lead to uninteresting/ half assed design and animation being put out, not because of the artists but because of the pressures being placed on them. I’m trying to stay optimistic though, a big part of me feels there will be a bit of a renaissance in hand made animation and art.

LBB> Any advice you would like to give to aspiring artists? 

Jord> I’d say to just keep in your mind that there really are many different pathways into illustration and animation and you’ll often get lost trying to follow somebody else’s already established route. People will tell you that you need to do this or draw like that but the most important thing is to keep making the things that you want to make, no matter what. Oh and remember to have fun!

To view Jord’s portfolio, visit here.