If the sense of joy from your work has ebbed lately, this new personal motion project from Paris-based animator and graphic designer Kimathi Flavien should help you remember the fun that designing for design sake can bring.

Kimathi Flavien: “To me, animation is like solving a puzzle. Trying different options and approaches, connecting dots until you get the spark that gives life to the whole project. You have rules and a limited set of tools but have different ways of using them. And just like in a game, you get the fun when you utilize and master what you learned.
 

“Animation is like solving a puzzle. Trying different options and approaches, connecting dots until you get the spark that gives life to the whole project.”

 
“I needed to have a subject to practice and experiment with Cinema 4D and tackle the 3D world. Since this was something new to me, I wanted to go back to what feeling motivated me when I discovered graphic design: It was the fun.

“As we grow, visual noise begins to surround us, filtering out valuable visual content becomes difficult. Imagination is limited by all the visual chaos, so we are attracted to basic forms. But, unlike children, we have forgotten how to use basic shapes to create anything we want.

“This is why I chose the Japanese wooden toy from the Daruma game as a subject for its cylindrical and colorful aspect with a touch of surprise with its facial expression. It’s a film about a toy that plays with the line between 3D and 2D, resulting in a multitude of ways to play with shapes.”
 
 

 
Direction, design and animation: Kimathi Flavien

Music/Sound Design: Pierre-Alain Lécroart