Burnt Toast aims to engage people in the workplace in conversations about burnout through a series of animations. This motion series intends to engage and raise awareness about the signs of burnout. It’s mainly believed as solely involving fatigue or exhaustion, but there are many other ways of what burnout can look like. It’s important we realise these various signs if we are to act on our suffering of burnout and improve our welbeing. Through a fun, charistmatic and vibrant visual, this project aspires to empower people to recognise the dangers of burnout.
'Overworked (Animation 7/8)'
This is the seventh animation in the motion series on burnout. It involves a character who is working away at their desk, but then becomes overloaded with work and overworks until they can’t take it anymore. It aims to highlight that burnout can arise through an individual who overworks. The mug character is seen gradually becoming more worn out as they crack more and more. It eventually breaks apart into pieces, which intends to represent someone who is breaking down mentally.
This is the second animation in the motion series on burnout. In this animation, a character is working at their desk and as time passes, books and papers pile up around them. The character realises that they aren’t getting anywhere with their work as they look up to see the overwhelming amount of work still to do around them. The torn and worn out folder gives up in frustration after realising they are getting nowhere.
This is the eigth animation in the motion series on burnout. Although the other animations in the series touch on the signs of burnout, this one features ways in which we could escape from burnout and better ourselves against it. It entails a montage of characters involving themselves in activities such as playing piano, drawing or socialing. This animation intends to enourage viewers to undertake an activity that helps alleviate them from the dangers of burnout, which they have possibly realised they are going through after watching the other 7 animations.
Create Your Own Burnout Story (Interactive Website)
The animation series will be accompanied by an interactive website where participants will be able to look through snippets and segments from the animation series’ videos and arrange them to create their own sequence that represents their burnout experience. This aims to be a powerful device as participants would be building their own story of burnout rather than it being built for them. This could give them a greater sense of control against burnout.
Overworked (Storyboard 7/8)
The storyboard for the seventh animation in the series. By creating a storyboard, the initial idea for an animation is able to be planned out and altered easily. All the storyboards created for the animation series went through numerous changes via feedback and discussion.
Character Design
The final designs for the characters that featured in the animation series. I desired to create a visual that was simplistic in communication but also punchy and engaging. Engagement was generated through the playful use of office objects as the characters. The use of office objects aims to connect to the target audience of people in the workplace. Furthermore, a vibrancy of colour was used to achieve this punchiness. Burnout was visualised in these characters through their facial expressions, body language and worn out look (shown through marks, tares and cracks).
Hamish Stone, 'Overworked (Animation 7/8)'
Hamish Stone, 'Ineffectiveness (Animation 2/8)'
Hamish Stone, 'Escape (Animation 8/8)'
Hamish Stone, Create Your Own Burnout Story (Interactive Website)
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