Based in the Filipino city of Davao, Marvin Te is an animator who specialises in creating colourful motion graphics that instantly communicate a message to viewers. It’s no surprise that leading technology, finance and educational organisations have turned to him to find simple ways of communicating what are often complex subjects.
Like many in his field, Marvin’s obsession with animation began when he was a child. Once Disney films had got him hooked, he later came to enjoy the look and feel of animé. He grew up teaching himself how to animate through reading books, following online courses and tutorials, and constantly observing the works of others. Today he could be writing the tutorials himself.
Some of his influences include Studio Ghibli, Buck and Giant Ant.
Approach
Each project begins with an exploration of the brand Marvin is working for and the audience it’s aiming to reach. Then he’ll start to gather references to create a stylescape, before beginning work on a script followed by a storyboard. Often he’ll develop three visual approaches for his client to choose from, then render the storyboard in greater detail to reflect the visual approach. His animation tools include Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, Animate CC and sometimes Photoshop.Styles
Look and feel varies broadly across Marvin’s animation portfolio, but typically his work is clear and refined, graphic and colourful. He loves simplicity, and he loves his animation to be smooth and fluid. Marvin specialises in 2D animation.