Archives: Work

The Art of Welcome - Akwaaba at the African Cup of Nations

Yay Abe and Maxime Manga faced a mammoth task: to create an installation capturing Côte d'Ivoire's essence during the opening ceremony of the African Cup of Nations. Commissioned by Bakuza, the project was a celebration of unity through the beautiful game. The challenge was to weave the rich traditions of the tournament with a forward-looking vision, making the nation's cultural heartbeat tangible and immersive.

In January 2024, the work of two TDF artists took centre stage at the opening ceremony of The African Cup of Nations – the continent’s biggest football festival – infusing the biennial sporting event with a sprinkling of cultural storytelling.

Bringing the essence of AFCON to life in front of a global audience in Ivory Coast, Yay Abe and Maxime Manga honoured the host country’s customs in the creation of a ceremonial carpet. TDF’s largest canvas to date, it was characterised by deep colours, strong lines and cultural motifs.

The biggest scale project TDF has seen, the artists’ vast installation spanned 46x91 metres, drawing the eyes of thousands of fans to soak in every detail. From the outlines of architecture to the wind turbines, the design contained cultural Easter eggs, giving spectators more than just a game to enjoy.

Yay Abe

"Looking back, the sheer beauty of this project was the scale of it all. We designed it on our tiny laptop screens, extensively crafting and defining each corner of both artworks. Then, seeing our work blown up to the size of a football field with millions of eyes watching it at the same time, was a wild experience.”

Procreate Dreams & The Power of 3.

Bernardo Henning, Maxime Manga and Troy Browne showcased the app’s animation power with punchy vignettes, live at Playgrounds Festival.

Three TDF artists brought the heat to the launch of Procreate’s all-new animation app, Procreate Dreams.

Bernardo Henning, Maxime Manga and Troy Browne created a series of high-octane vignettes that lit up the screens at the Playgrounds Festival in London, showcasing the technology to an audience of animation heavyweights.

Among them for the announcement was the TDF team, who joined the throng on Tottenham Court Road to see the animations trigger instant engagement from the public.

Bernardo played with pace and perspective, Maxime provided colour pops and Troy pushed the power of motion, all expertly demonstrating the depth of the technology.

Troy Browne

“I wanted to create something with high energy, while keeping it simple”

Bernardo Henning

"I tried to find a small story to tell in both cases. One influenced by sports, motion and explosion, guided by body movement; the other, more stylish and fashion-based.”

The song Final Hour took on a whole new meaning for Maxime Manga

Maxime Manga brought his bold visual language to the stage, transforming the legendary artist’s archive into a vibrant, motion-led celebration.

Given creative freedom to reimagine the promotional video for ‘Miseducation 25 Tour: Ms Lauryn Hill & The Fugees,’ Maxime overlaid the iconic footage with a series of animations, ensuring a particularly distinct aesthetic.

Reviewing the existing teaser, Maxime looped his favourite Lauryn Hill track and followed his artistic instinct, expertly revitalising it ahead of the Grammy Award-winning act’s long-awaited return.

Maxime Manga

“The challenge was releasing so many animations in such a short time. When you have Lauryn Hill on the phone, you put a certain pressure on yourself, in addition to the work itself – and this cocktail is just too beautiful.”

Andrew Hudson brings World Cup energy to ITV Sport

With bold type, colour bursts, and zero downtime, Andrew’s fast-turnaround animations captured rugby’s biggest moments as they happened.

As rugby mania hit fever pitch in recent weeks, Andrew Hudson stoked the flames even further with a series of high-energy sequences for ITV Sport, capturing the essence of the World Cup in real time. As part of the channel’s coverage, he created fast-paced animations to promote upcoming fixtures; powerful vignettes enhanced by pops of colour and trademark typography.

By using his signature style to frame match footage, Andrew put the inimitable Hudson stamp on the sport while expertly building on a truly unique atmosphere.

Andrew Hudson

“It’s a fast-paced job, as there’s not long between games, but there is plenty of creative freedom and excellent sporting action to choose from”

Exploring dual identities.

For South Asian Heritage Month, Murugiah discusses his first 3D installation, connecting with his Sri Lankan roots, blending cultural references, and improving representation in the industry

Murugiah

“I use a lot of reference points in the same way that someone would look at Sri Lankan culture from a far away place. My work at the moment is very observational, it's very reference-heavy, pulling from various points of my culture. Maybe down the line, it might be more informed with my relationship to Sri Lanka.”

Born in England and raised in Wales, Murugiah describes the connection between his art and his Sri Lankan heritage as one that’s always evolving.

"Rangoli Mirrored Cosmos", his first first-ever installation, is a modern celebration of Diwali. The piece invites people to explore the cosmic significance of the festival and its cultural symbols, including mandalas, used as both a marker of the physical universe and a way to envision the spiritual self.

Murugiah psychedelic, surrealist work features colourful characters, high-contrast patterns and every shape imaginable – all fixed in dream-like compositions that feel both chaotic yet incredibly purposeful.

Murugiah

“We've mirrored the inside of the petals to create a cosmos where each mandala is a universe within itself. It's a really fun way to talk about the multiverse and the universes within a person. It’s hopefully something people will experience as they walk through the installation – mirroring themselves into an infinite universe.”

Lion King is one of the most beloved films of all time. That’s why Balich Wonder Studio turned to Yay Abe ahead of its highly-anticipated production of the 1994 classic.

Bringing the Disney masterpiece to the global stage, the Milan-based entertainment group needed a versatile artist who could replicate the film’s aesthetic without compromising its legacy. The Lion King remains the highest-grossing, traditionally-animated movie of all time. So, no pressure.

Yay Abe
“We needed to create something fresh that the audience would enjoy – all while making sure it was still recognisable. I tried to really deep dive during the sketch phase and just throw ideas into the air.”

Those ideas landed. Reimagining the savannah that introduced characters as distinct as Simba and Scar, Yay expertly played with patterns: introducing shapes and shades that both reflected and renewed the film’s setting.

Having relished the chance to “redraw the actual Simba from The Lion King”, Russell now has a place in Disney history.

Yay Abe

“The challenge was pulling references from all over Africa, so that the illustration work was inclusive of a wide range of African countries"

Josephine Rais makes her on-screen debut in vibrant global campaign for Essie

The TDF artist brings her signature joyful palette to life, on camera and on the streets of Berlin, in a collaboration that celebrates colour as self-expression.

Josephine Rais

“Being in the spotlight, especially on par with my art, is outside of my comfort zone, but the experience was amazing, it pushed me to grow and see my work from a new perspective.”

Working closely with renowned nail care brand Essie, Josephine Rais starred in a global campaign all about how colour expresses individuality.

Familiar with Josephine’s work and her dopamine-boosting palette, the Essie team reached out to to kickstart the collaboration: “We love the way you use vivid, feel-good colours in your creations and the joy and dynamism that comes through in every single thing you create.” Josephine flew out to Cape Town to shoot the campaign – her first time in-front of the camera.

Following the global commercial, the TDF artist was selected for the roll-out in her native Germany. Crafting an enormous mural in bustling Berlin has been a life-long dream for Josephine, “This has been on my bucket list forever, and now it’s finally happening,” she says.

Josephine’s full involvement resulted in a heightened sense of authenticity. “Essie gave us the freedom to stay true to our vision and creativity,” she says. “This level of trust and collaboration made the experience truly rewarding and inspiring, allowing us to create something that felt like us.”

Josephine Rais

“In my memory, Essie was one of the first brands to introduce an incredible variety of nail polish colours. So, when the request came in I immediately thought, this is such a great fit! I love the palette that Essie offers.”

Rediscovering fun: Bernardo Henning reinvents one of Britain’s iconic department store windows.

In a fun-filled collaboration with John Lewis, Bernardo helped relaunch its Kidswear identity with Funwear – a campaign built around the idea that play should be at the heart of everything.

Bernardo Henning

"I love character design so it was good to work with my studio to create different crazy characters. They were designed for kids to interact with them, whether physically in-store or to have them featured on bags, pins or other elements – until they become new friends."

Together with his design studio Hola Bosque, Bernardo crafted playful elements ranging from planets and typography to quirky characters that kids could “adopt” as new friends. These designs carried through the entire campaign, appearing on bags, pins, window displays, and even floor vinyls.

TfL Safety Campaign – An Iconic London Identity with an Andrew Hudson Spin

Andrew Hudson brought his bold, textural style to Transport for London’s Safety Campaign, designing a striking series of 18 posters that reimagined TfL’s visual heritage while delivering important safety messages to London commuters.

TFL wanted energy and creativity but with absolute clarity, so every decision balanced bold visuals with functional legibility – crucial for a safety campaign.

Your biggest challenge?

“Balancing creative energy with legibility – these are safety posters, so the message has to read in seconds”

This project also inspired Andrew’s personal series, Eyes Down. While travelling on the Tube, he began sketching commuters absorbed in their phones – modern moments of stillness that contrast the city’s energy. These sketches are now evolving into a series of paintings on canvas, capturing what Andrew calls “a snapshot of our times” – much like his TfL posters document the city’s present-day visual identity.

Andrew Hudson

"The greatest reward of this project is knowing the designs will become part of TfL’s poster archive and will be seen across London for years to come"

Main Character Energy

To celebrate International Women's day, Vivienne Shao crafted their own otherworldly animation, gracing screens everywhere with the theme of female empowerment for MTV ident.

Vivienne’s kick-ass character uppercuts a boulder, throws it to the sky and chisels away at it with powerful comic-style punches to reveal the MTV logo. Street Fighter fans might clock Vivienne’s inspiration as Chun Li: one of the most iconic female video game characters of all time. “I would say she’s feminine, but her physical appearance is still very strong and powerful,” says Vivienne.