The 2024 Best of Ringling
Department of Motion Design
The Best of Ringling is an annual juried exhibition that showcases the finest work produced by students in the Department of Motion Design at Ringling College .
Erin Sarofsky
President & ECD, Sarofsky and Sarofsky TBD; Creator, “Meet the Skrimps," Chicago
Erin Sarofsky is the internationally heralded creative visionary regularly chosen by brand and entertainment titans to lead their most artful storytelling projects.
In 2009, Erin Sarofsky launched Sarofsky Corp. in Chicago’s booming West Loop, and the rest, as they say, is history. Recognized internationally for brilliant creative that is limited only by the imagination, the firm has forged long standing relationships with leaders of the advertising and entertainment industries.
They have been recognized internationally for the brilliant design forward work they produce across the media landscape, but are of course, most well known for creating gorgeous, innovative main title sequences for blockbuster movies and television series, including “Peacemaker,” “The Staircase”, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “We Were the Lucky Ones,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy (... including, volume 2, the recent xmas special and coming may 5th, Volume 3)” and, of course, “Community.”
Erin's recent career highlights also include being interviewed by Lee Cowan for CBS Sunday Morning; breaking new ground with Hulu, Warner Brothers and AppleTV+ to create main titles for their popular new original series; winning Animation Effects Award Festival Gold and ArtoftheTitle.com "Top 10" honors; an in-depth feature story in the illustrious international Communication Arts Magazine, and a Cannes Lion.
The Awards
JUROR'S GOLD AWARD • FutureProof 24 Branding
Hei Kuok & Hannah Nguyen (MD '24)
This piece had it all and it was all well done.
Why I really love this FutureProof Branding is because in addition to the playful 3D characters it has strong ol’ fashioned graphic design chops! I love the type, compositions, color, scale. The seamless mix of 2D and 3D is also really well done. Within the final frames, there is a very clear attention to detail, which is very professional and premium. The depth of work completed for this assignment is very impressive. Not only did you brand the conference, you did style frames, narrative board, social and additional elements. I love how the branding is utilized across the different formats, they are consistent, but they are different for each application. Tonally you struck a nice chord… Being both playful and professional
JUROR'S SILVER AWARD • Olympics Branding - Milano Cortina 2026
Ava Meller (MD '24)
This design system is stunning and versatile.
There was a lot of exploration around how it would be deployed across the different deliverables and it held up really well. Often design systems can be so rigid that it lacks interest after the first few applications, but in this case there was surprise and delight in each comp, while also being consistent and well branded.
While there were no animated pieces in the set, the type and compositions were presented in such a way that I could just understand how it would move. As a motion designer, it's really important that even our static comps have that sense of movement and fluidity.
JUROR'S BRONZE AWARD • Shape Playground
Fiona Greenleaf (MD '26)
This particular execution of what appears to be an assignment everyone in the major explores really excited me. First, it’s really hard to do something inherently different when there are so many people working within the constraints of the same assignment. Second, these kinds of assignments are often looked at literally, so when I came across this execution, I was gob smacked at the creativity to use simple graphic shapes and give them distinct personalities. Third, overall, it's a really strong design that's really well animated. Fourth, the sound design and music in general supports the movement and personality. It’s an example on how sound can elevate a visual experience. And lastly, this piece shows that there can be greatness in simplicity.
THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD • FutureProof Title Sequence
Alex Cho & Sehee Kim (MD '24)
MOTION DESIGN DEPT. HEAD AWARD • Love Letter
Anastassia Kovach, Hannah Nguyen, Hei Kuok, Sehee Kim, Alex Cho (MD '24)
MOTION DESIGN FACULTY AWARD • Procopia
Kiu Cheung (MD '26)
VFX AWARD • Holiday Shopping at Target
Tricia Joganich (MD '24)
Show Selections
Seniors:
Matthew Pearson & Hanna Kazeka - NFL Teaser
Nicolas Bonilla Garcia &Hei Kuok - The Tyranny of Ultra Processed Foods
Ocêane Fairbanks - Moving Poster
Olive Mei - How To Identify AI Art?
Olive Mei & Yuki Li - The Adventure
Ava Meller & Sophia Azzolina
Juniors:
Sam Budish - Organic Vases
Chae Won Kang - Visual Essay
Jas Gunarto - Einstein's Dreams Title Style Frames
Emiliah Perez - Clayful
Pearl Raina - Beauty of a Flower
Kendall Gathas - Just Five More Minutes
Sophomores:
Brianna Haggerty - The Brink: Tension in Abstraction
Lucia Eugenia Alonso Eiras - QUACK! Modular Typeface
Giovanni Weissman - Roadkill
Kiu Cheung - Tea in the Woods
Lucia Eugenia Alonso Eiras - Adult Swim Title Sequence
Morae Kim - Obstacle Course
Lucia Eugenia Alonso Eiras - 3 Options
Freshmen:
Karla Robledo - A Town Called Panic Title Sequence
Bri Dillmuth - SyFy ID
Jacob Lemos - Rhythmic Grid