Sometimes design shouldn’t be functional and instead, purely evoke emotion

The collision of art, design and technology is a growing intersection that has filtered through to almost all aspects of our daily lives. At the forefront of this multi-disciplinary crossover is the Melbourne-based creative studio Pitch, working across advertising, animation and design to bring new visual experiences to the creative world. Collaborating with the other future-minded brands within the spheres of fashion, beauty and technology, Pitch produce memorable pieces of art that are stylistically curated to suit its cutting-edge technological experiences.

The ideas-led studio “harness and manipulate technology” to achieve innovative results that “are often artistic and experiential”. The studio’s founder Christie Morgan tells It’s Nice That, “this is important as we believe the new currency that brands must trade in involves art and experience,” as well as providing a range of visual services. Come 2019, Pitch will also specialise on trend reporting, consultations and editorial insights.

Always looking for new software to up-skill and expand on their knowledge, the studio generally use Cinema 4D and After Effects as their go-to programs. Recently, the studio has also been using the game engine Unity to create real-time graphics, “which has been an exciting change of pace!” Also experimenting with the programs Unreal Engine and Marvellous Designer, Pitch are interested “in how humans connect with technology and thus use different platforms to connect further.” In this digital era where various social platforms are constantly competing for our undivided attention, the demand for captivating visuals is more key than ever. Adverts that used to be stagnant, are now animated and create optical illusions to draw the eye in wherever there is a screen, and studios like Pitch are at the forefront of this creative technology.

Despite the necessity for attractive visuals, the first thing Pitch look for is “whether a project aligns itself with the studio’s creative values.” Christie adds, “we create experiences that are progressive and future-looking, but it fundamentally needs to serve a purpose.” Due to the experimental nature of much of the studio’s output, “a lot of our design decisions are based on intuition and what feels or looks right”. Other projects are more exploratory and are designed to communicate a tone or mood. “Sometimes there doesn’t need to be a whole lot of decisiveness to the functionality of the designs” as the sole purpose of a piece can be to invoke a particular emotion.

With an experiential practice that pushes the boundaries in creative immersive visual experiences, Pitch’s creative output is a conversation starter with its abstract qualities. This is seen in their recent collaboration with Puma Suede 50 Years where the studio were invited to develop the creative branding for the retail, digital and event roll-out. Drawing on influences from the streets of Melbourne, the studio took textures and elements to create a series of dynamic 3D backgrounds that compliment the typographic elements for the campaign, Future History.

Pitch also partnered with TEDxMelbourne for an event titled The Great Unknown. The studio produced a short series of 3D animations investigating abstract forms as the project is about “discovery and inquisition”. The animations “imagine a future-focused world where the virtual space is simultaneously connected with the digital space. We imagine a world where there are no boundaries or limits, a place where anything is possible”.

Other projects include a video piece for Transient Space as part of Design Manchester which visualises an artificial mirror of the natural world, morphed into digital form. Finally, for Future Light + Space, Pitch collaborate with on-going partners Standard Vision to curate a series of 3D animations to be displayed on their large-scale LED facade in down town LA. The project examines “how artists continue to develop and extend their practice outside of traditional mediums and their natural environment” featuring a series of videos by Superficial Studio, Shane Griffin and Nate Makuch.

Pitch’s progressive, creative output continues to question the norm through challenging our expectations of what can be seen on a flat, digital screen. They create new discussions around how technology and art can behave through a visual experience, as well as encourage brands to help build the future consumer to trade in art. Christie finally tells us, “we believe that art drives taste and taste drives consumption. If we collaborate with forward-thinking brands, we can change the way they visually communicate with their customers.”