Stress Response

Psychiatrist and author Kelly McGonigal describes the effects of stress on the body and mind through these short animations. Gritty textures, ragged smears, high contrast, mixed frame rates, and fluid transitions enhance and exemplify the stress in the narratives. These animations were part of a larger overall course on how to manage stress.

Client Life Reimagined (AARP)

Agency The Big Know

Creative Direction Joseph Kuefler

Writing Tom Godfrey, Nate Matson

Motion Design Paul Conigliaro

Year 2016

In this first animation, Kelly describes how the body reacts to a stressful situation. We visualized this through the narrative of a car crash, focusing on small details to paint a picture without animating entire scenes. This allowed us to really dial in the look to support the vewer’s attention on Kelly’s dialogue.

This second animation tells a more direct story through Kelly's narration. Through more direct visuals, we are brought into a stressfull story about socially induced stress and how it affects our ability to think clearly.

Stress Response

The strong art direction, great team, and ability to research and develop the texturing and animation made for a fun–if stressful–project.