Acura's Humunculus Journey from Beginning to End Tag.

LOS ANGELES -- Those familiar with the challenges of telling a story or communicating a powerful idea in thirty seconds can easily appreciate the challenge of conveying the spirit of an entire brand ... in under three. LA studio Humunculus (www.humunculus.com) was asked to do just that for American Honda Motor Co.'s Acura Division via RPA/LA, creating the client's first-ever fully animated end tag. "This was a very special project for us, and we respected its significance for the client," said Humunculus Creative Director and multimedia artist Saam Gabbay. "Our product becomes their branding ID for a long time." The tag features Acura's logo and the one-word sentence: "Advance." That line spreads out across the screen in a sterling flash and crystallizes.

"We wanted not only a logo sign-off, but also a design idea that conveyed exactly what Acura stands for - subtle elegance and technological achievement," said RPA CD Brandon Levin. "Humunculus hit it right between the eyes, delivering a piece that we can use for years to come." The studio took the project on in April and worked diligently over the succeeding months to design, execute, and fine tune the new tag, which debuted this month. "Unlike other jobs that might require a broad spectrum of creative muscle, it takes a focused restraint to successfully create a mnemonic that nails the message and expresses the company's culture," Gabbay explained.

Acura's culture, as it happens, is technology-oriented, and for Humunculus the journey began with "Advance." Delivered in voiceover by spokesman James Spader, the "Acura - Advance." line was originated by agency ECD Mark Erwin, and became the template for the studio's design. The rest was intuition, trial-and-error, and, above all, collaboration. "As a designer, intuition is the key. As it turned out one of our very first iterations became the foundation of the final theme." Gabbay noted that, unlike a :30, which may involve small touches with which the client is not intimately familiar, "There's a pixel-awareness - a familiarity with every nuance - attained by the client through this particular process."

To most people, the marriage of transparent metal and steel is not an "idea" per se. However, for the Humunculus team, creating the Acura tag became a matter of how that substance is perceived conceptually. "After all the texture mapping and metal tweaking, it came down to a precise, near-black-blue background color," Gabbay said. "In addition to the Acura logo itself, we painted atmosphere in the form of tiny particles speaking to the carmaker's precision." The studio used a similar approach in the creation of the "Advance." line.

For Gabbay, a passionate auto enthusiast, the Acura end tag was a natural follow-up to the Toyota "Anthem" spot he directed earlier this year. Humunculus' previous related experience also includes extensive work for Infiniti over a three-year period, introducing prototype vehicles and directing an animated spot called "Triant Concept" in 2004.

In addition to his design and animation work, Gabbay is an accomplished musician whose work at Humunculus often extends to sound design and original composition. As such, he was called upon to tweak some audio and do some equalizing on the tag. "Having this unique capability, we can speak in an audio sense and have a discussion with the creatives about that in conjunction with our design work," he said.

On Acura, the Humunculus team was comprised of Creative Director Gabbay, who did particle work in Cinema 4d and the final After Effects composite; Lead Maya Artist Max Keane; Christian Perez, who consulted on texture mapping; and producer Alessandra Pasquino. In addition to Erwin and Levin, RPA/Santa Monica credits included Agency Producer Kenia Calderon, and Agency Head of Production (for Acura) Shelly Eisner.

"The production was a great experience, all the way through," Gabbay concluded, "then there's that one day when everyone looks at this, smiles, and feels that it represents them. And that's a great day."

About Humunculus

Founded in 2002 and propelled by Saam Gabbay's wide-angle curiosity, HUMUNCULUS is a versatile design, animation, and music production studio. Embracing a deep love of technology, while keeping one eye on the plants and trees, Humunculus seeks out those projects that liberate technical artists by challenging them. Clients include: Apple Computer, Infiniti, Acura, Toyota, PlayStation, Nickelodeon, Harman Kardon, XM Satellite Radio, Nissan, Adidas, Southwest Airlines, Mattel, Mitsubishi, MCA, and Warner Music Group.