National Football League’s championship season kicks into high gear with a signature animated NFL logocreated by Picture Mill.
The iconic copyright logo began airing regularly at the start of the year and will be featured in all broadcast games and otherLeague events for seasons to come. Picture Mill also created a large-scale version of the final image as a permanent installation for the National Football League's New York headquarters.
In collaboration with NFL's brand team, Picture Mill developed a concept and execution that evokes how football brings people together across the nation, from fans to players, in appreciation for the all-American sport. The resulting motion signature, a dramatic sweep over a twilight landscape of illuminated small towns and bustling cities, ends with a massive NFL logo glowing, literally and metaphorically, across the landscape of the United States. The matte paintings were created using Adobe's Photoshop. The project's 3D modeling and animation were designed and executed using Autodesk's Maya and The Foundry's Nuke with final compositing and finishing in AfterEffects.
"We are honored to have collaborated with the NFL on this centerpiece image," says Picture Mill Creative Director William Lebeda. "It was the opportunity to create something that would resonate with everyone from the viewers at home to the players to the Commissioner. Given that the last motion signature aired for over a decade, we understood the importance and the responsibility of creating a lasting iconic image for the League."
Following the delivery of the animated signature package, the NFL commissioned Picture Mill to produce a 8 x 20 foot version of the logo for the New York lobby installation. It is the largest high-resolution image Picture Mill has created to date, and now welcomes all visitors to the NFL headquarters.