Pez Outlaw Title Treatment

The Challenge:

Capturing the whimsical and adventurous spirit of Steve Glew's journey, reflecting the tension between Steve and his arch-nemesis, and ensuring the title treatment aligns with the documentary's tone and narrative style.

The Solution:

Create a playful design that reflects the magical and nostalgic aspect of Pez dispensers while incorporating the adventures of Steve's smuggling endeavors. Intentionally crafting a design that works for motion but is utilized for print and digital collateral alike.

Development

The Kickoff

The brief described the film as "a unique combo of Spy / Cat & Mouse / Mystery vibe and candy." Naturally, I imagined James Bond stumbling into a technicolor Monty Python sketch about candy.

Evan Vetter, the editor with SideStilt Films, reached out for help to overhaul the existing title card and typography of the film. They were sprinting toward the finish line to finalize before the SXSW Film Festival. We had eleven days to turn around the design and hand off for motion design to be locked in and placed in the final edit, and exported. Talk about a nail-biter!

We think there's an opportunity there to make something much cooler than what we have currently.
- Evan Vetter

Before & After

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Partnering with the motion designer Ali Clark, the letterforms were built to be taken apart and animated independently. The art direction leaned heavily toward Saul Bass’s visualization, and animation seemed like the perfect playground to let the film's playfulness shine. The letters mirror an epic game of tag and mimic Steve’s efforts to evade the big bad Pezident.