DAX NORMAN
DAX NORMAN is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explodes across animation, filmmaking, and 3D animation, weaving surreal narratives through layered, kinetic visuals. A passionate educator, he guides the next wave of creators while mastering hand-drawn painting and stop-motion street art posters—photographed in situ to capture exponential multimedia energy.
Norman’s 1/1 upcycled fashion turns discarded materials into singular wearable statements, fusing sustainability with radical invention. His work defies containment, constantly remixing form, medium, and message.
Commissioned by cultural heavyweights including MTV, Adult Swim, Apple, the NFL, and Pepsi,Norman’s signature vision has powered iconic campaigns and broadcast identities, translating his raw, irreverent energy into mainstream moments that still feel unmistakably underground.
PORTFOLIO
DICKIES TEST
STAGE 01 - Sketch
STAGE 02 - Colour Blocking
As you requested DAX has undertaken a very quick test for us with regards to this pitch to show a very preliminary creative exploration but more so to give an insight to the creative process that he undertakes in the execution of his artwork.
We provide this with some caveats. Animation is a lengthy process. With just 2 days made available to us I am always cautious in presenting something that is not always representative of the scale we would apply to your project. The examples opposite show the very beginning of DAX’s animation process.
Starting with rough sketches we begin first with a storyboarding and character design to lay out each scene and give a sense of the overall story. Once we all feel in a good place we will the lay out the storyboards as a board-o-matic to get a sense of timing in our :30 story. This ensures that we are all on the same page creatively before beginning a work-intensive animation process.
Once we enter animation DAX will begin his sketches which you can see in our first example opposite. It is here that you will be involved in animation movement and style.
The next phase will be colour blocking and final animation, both of which go hand in hand. Major changes at this stage are time consuming and may result in overall which is why we are a little more militant in the storyboarding stages.
DAX’s personal style is very expressive. We absolutely anticipate dialing this back a little, creating harder lined artwork with the less “hand-sketched” texture if this is what you prefer. DAX is very adaptable and well versed in working to suit the branding needs of each client, to which you have full control. Our first two weeks are dedicated to design R&D to which is where these explorations will be made in close collaboration with your team to define the precise style that best suits our film.
RELEVANT EXAMPLES
ANIMAL ALPHABET
In collaboration wth his daughter, DAX created this Alphabet animatiom as a fun educational tool for parents to enjoy with their kids
MTV // branding
In collaboration with MTV DAX elevated the brands design aesthetic with dozens of animations highlighting the brand logo with a new aesthetic relatable to an entirely new generational audience.
PEPSI // TOUCHDOWN
DAX created two hand drawn/live action integrated ad spots in collaboration with Pepsi + The NFL, celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the league. The commercials were built around one of DAX's innovative music video transition concepts for motion graphics.
RAFTER JUICY
An early example of what has now become DAX’s signature hand-drawn style, Dax created in this piece in 2008 as a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design for Computer Animation. Here we see the artist experiment with looping and rhythmic movements in a series of filmic transitions and rotoscoping mixed with hand drawn animation as an example of the early influence that would pave the way for DAX’s explosion as a leading animator of his genre.
HEART ATTRACTS
A personal project that has lead itself to many a collaboration “Heart Attracts” is a great example of the energy and style DAX woudl bring to our piece for Dickies.
LOST BIRTHDAY
The Cactus still life is a representation of DAX's proprietary perpetual motion algorithm. DAX’s approach allows any image, or sequence of images, to be broken down in terms of shapes and forms into a series of moving pictures. Whether working with his own designs or client provided images, no matter how seemingly complex, Dax can bring images to life with this animation technique.