CASE STUDY: Green Squad (TVO Kids) – Building a Sustainable Visual Universe
Client: Apartment 11 / TVO Kids
Sector: Broadcast Television / Kids Media / Edutainment
Project: Series Creative Direction & Motion Identity (Seasons 1 & 2)
The Challenge
Green Squad is an eco-focused series tasked with making sustainability "cool" for a younger demographic. With a demanding delivery schedule, including 39 fully animated segments per season, and the constraints of a very tight broadcast budget, the project required a Creative Director who could act as a "one-person powerhouse." The goal was to deliver premium, broadcast-quality visuals without the overhead of a massive animation house.
The Strategy: High Impact, Lean Execution
I served as the sole Creative Director and Lead Motion Designer, responsible for the end-to-end visual pipeline. To maximize the budget, I developed a modular "Graphic Ecosystem" that allowed for rapid production without sacrificing art quality.
World Building: I engineered the series’ visual DNA, from logo architecture to a vibrant, "eco-modern" color palette. The aesthetic was designed to be modular- allowing for the recycling of assets across 13 episodes while keeping each segment feeling fresh and bespoke.
The "Green Beats" System: For the 45-second animated segments, I developed a signature "Rhythm-First" animation style. By focusing on bold kinetic typography and iconic vector assets, I ensured the educational messaging was punchy, fast-paced, and optimized for both TV and YouTube's high-retention requirements.
Evolution in Season 2: After the success of Season 1, I was retained to evolve the brand. I expanded the graphic language, introducing more complex layered environments and a refined motion library that deepened the show’s "environmentally savvy" identity.
The Results
Seamless Delivery: Successfully delivered two full seasons of broadcast-ready motion graphics as a solo creative lead.
Audience Engagement: Created a visual hook that successfully bridged the gap between TVO Kids’ broadcast standards and the fast-paced aesthetic of YouTube.
The foundation of the series was built during a rigorous look development phase, where I translated the show’s eco-conscious mission into a cohesive visual identity. As Creative Director, I led the exploration through various styleboards, typographic systems, and color hierarchies, testing how the brand would live across multiple platforms. This phase wasn't just about aesthetics; it was about engineering a visual language that felt both authoritative on environmental science and accessible to a young audience. By iterating on logo concepts and motion tests early, I established a "north star" for the series, ensuring that every asset produced remained tonally consistent and visually vibrant, regardless of production speed.
The Balance: Bridging Education with High-Energy Humor
To truly resonate with the 6-9 age demographic, I prioritized a "humor-first" approach to environmental education. I understood that for ecological lessons to stick, they couldn't feel like a lecture; they had to feel like a playground. I deliberately infused the motion design with visual gags, elastic physics, and expressive animation that maintained a sense of silliness even when tackling serious topics like carbon footprints. By balancing "smart" information with "silly" execution, I created a narrative rhythm that kept young viewers entertained and laughing, ensuring the core sustainability message was absorbed through engagement rather than just observation.
Beyond the technical execution, Green Squad remains one of my favorite projects to date because of how deeply it hit home. As a parent to a young child, I found myself viewing every frame through a dual lens: as a Creative Director as a protector of the next generation. This personal stakes-raising fueled my drive to make the content as impactful as possible; I wasn't just building a show for a client, I was building a world for the next generation. My own "kid at heart" energy allowed me to tap into that specific brand of wonder and absurdity that 6-to-9-year-olds love. Infusing the series with my own sense of play ensured the visuals felt authentic and spirited- proving that when you genuinely care about the message, the creative work reaches a whole new level of resonance.
I am so proud to be part of the team at Apartment 11 who have all come together to make this show a reality.
