Presented by Contract Magazine, the Annual Interiors Awards are the “Oscars” of commercial interior architecture and design, honoring winners in 15 project categories in the field, as well as the Designer of the Year and Design Legend awards. For the third year running, Pentagram created all of the motion graphics for the event, including a title sequence that opened the ceremony and animations introducing each category, and short film profiles of the Designer of the Year, Alessandro Munge of Studio Munge, and Design Legend, Joan Blumenfeld of Perkins+Will.

The sequences use simple design elements—line and color—to create dynamic animations that introduce each winner in their respective category. The graphics help set the tone and establish a cohesive framework for the experience of the ceremony in a way that pays tribute to the winning works. Each sequence isolates a specific structural detail of its winning design to form a graphic pattern––sometimes abstract, sometimes illustrative––that gradually reveals the winning design and segues into a photographic montage.

The approach echoes the clean, modern look of Contract’s branding and editorial design. Each year, the Pentagram team thinks about how to evolve the design of the sequences and make them different. The 2016 sequences used a visual language inspired by classic op art geometry and pop art color, while the 2017 intros went for a more contemporary, digitally focused op art effect. The 2018 sequences maintain the minimalist feel but are more expressive, with patterns that evoke mid-century modern illustration and a splashy, mod-inspired color palette. Each sequence is accompanied by original music composed by Jacob Rosati, which echoes the intricate simplicity of the animation with a propulsive, analog-synth score. Typography is set in Calibre, the magazine’s typeface. 

The event kicked off with an animated countdown to help amp up energy of the early-morning Breakfast event. The show opened with a title sequence that cuts together graphics from the various category sequences, teasing what’s to come.

The team also produced, directed and filmed short profiles of Alessandro Munge, principal of Toronto-based hospitality design firm Studio Munge, who was named Designer of the Year, and Joan Blumenfeld, principal of Perkins+Will and prominent advocate for women in design, who was selected as Design Legend. The team spent time with each of the designers and shot them speaking about their work in interviews with Contract Editor-in-Chief John Czarnecki. The portraits offer a brief but insightful look into each designer’s portfolio, influences and process. Key statements are highlighted in dynamic typography, helping to pull viewers through the story.