How did you get started with 3D graphics in the first place?

I began with 3D as a hobby when I was fifteen and felt it was something I’d really like to have as a job. But when the time was ripe for me to step up to higher education roughly five years later, there weren’t that many software programs to choose from.

One of the few courses in Sweden that I did find was at the School of Future Entertainment in the small town of Karlshamn on the Swedish east coast. It was a long way from the large cities where one would expect to find advanced courses on the subject, and even further from Sjömarken where I grew up 51 kilometres east of Gothenburg as the crow flies. But it was a school focused entirely on 3D graphics with the onus on computer games and commercials.

For you as an animator, what is the biggest difference in working with films compared to computer games?

Working with animated films is a lot freer than developing computer games because there is no performance budget to consider like there always is with computer game development. Otherwise the processes are not that different. Just like with computer games, you create a storyboard and script that captures the action in a number of picture frames. And the same software is often used in both. The biggest difference is in the end product and how it’s delivered.

When did you begin doing assignments for Axelent?

In 2016. The task was to create stills of their products using 3D graphics. They were then placed in photos of genuine settings that a production company had photographed. After a while everybody realised that it would be a lot simpler for me to create the background settings myself on a computer.

I now have several background settings that can be used for Axelent’s products, and animated films with Axel in the main role. Settings like a sawmill, an airport and a car factory. It makes it easier and gives me greater freedom to create good animations compared to using photos from actual settings.

What are the most important expressions for an animated character?

The eyes are always the most important. If you fail with the eyes the character will never feel good or lifelike. That’s why animated characters nearly always have big eyes. They communicate so much more.

In addition to good and expressive eyes, the character must also have an attractive silhouette and shape. So the eyes and the silhouette are what I work most on. If a character has a good silhouette it will be recognised even when not perfectly visible. Figures like Super Mario, Batman and Jack Sparrow are instantly recognisable from their silhouettes alone. I know because I’ve tested it on university students I teach.

What are the advantages of communicating through animated characters?

First and foremost the recognition factor. Creating something that will always be directly associated with the company and the products. In time people begin to associate the character with the company without seeing the company logotype.

The character becomes unique and the customer can tailor everything to suit. It’s common for similar companies to mimic each other in their marketing. But mimicking characters is difficult and time-consuming. Having an own character that’s associated with your company helps you stand out in your industry.

It’s fun as well! People get impatient quickly on the internet. A fun character in a film will keep them interested longer. You can also create products around the character; soft animals, plastic figures, costumes etc.

Also, an animated figure can present complex and technical processes in an easy way. For example, the character and product can be placed in a completely white room with nothing to distract the presentation.

You’re not dependent on actors having the time to take part and there are no limitations to what an animated character can do. You can send it to outer space if necessary.

In your opinion, what has Axelent achieved by creating Axel as part of their marketing strategy?

Axel has given them more eye-catching marketing material than what they used before and which stands out from their competitors. He’s a unique character who will always be associated with the company and the products, and who greatly improves the recognition factor.