Head Gear's In Motion

Champions of the handmade aesthetic, Head Gear Animation has brought a unique look to the world of advertising.

A skeleton hitting a golf ball with his playing partner’s leg; an endless drum solo; a dancing Sphinx—these are just a few of the five-second Milk spots for which Head Gear Animation is best known. This is just the latest work of the Toronto animation studio known for its handcrafted approach for 13 years.

Calling itself "a house of independent artists," Headgear has carved a niche for itself within the fast-changing and “fickle” field of animation. The studio was founded by two friends, Steve Angel and Julian Grey, in 1997, and since day one the emotional pull of the handmade aesthetic has shaped their entire philosophy.

As Angel explains, “There’s a special charm to stuff that looks hand-wrought that I think people have an emotional connection to. We do computer graphics, but when we do it it’s not the super-polished stuff. It tends to have the look of an artist's hand visible in it.”

Head Gear's client list has blossomed over the years, with work for Coke, Nestle, Kraft, Ikea, MTV, Nickelodeon, Koodo and others. Meanwhile, their awards shelf contains accolades from Applied Arts, Cannes, the ADCC, the One Show, the ANDY Awards and the ADC. Through its history, Head Gear has maintained its fierce independent spirit, unequivocally dedicated to creating unique work in an environment that fosters creativity and experimentation.

“We don’t look for freshly minted students or people with a thousand years’ experience,” explains Angel. "We want people with a good sensibility who can learn quickly. The more schooling they have, the harder it is to unlearn the crap that was forced down their throat. We want independent artists; we don’t want people who draw Toucan Sam perfectly.”

That independent streak and unique style are two pulls for clients. “Usually people come to us for what we want to do, as opposed to shoehorning what we do into someone else’s style,” explains Angel. “We’re considered a creative house and we come up with the design and the look of the spots. So people come to us with concepts and scripts and we create the look that suits them.”

Head Gear's focus on traditional craftsmanship is backed by technological acumen. It bills itself as a one-stop production house, with in-house offerings that include a full photography studio, a workshop stocked to the rafters with craft materials, expert use of of After Effects and Final Cut to bring everything together. However, technology is simply a set of tools to help realize their vision, delivering the handcrafted artist's touch that is the Headgear hallmark.

“We’re not driven by technology,” says Angel. “We basically dream up how something should look and use whatever means it takes to make it look like that, as opposed to the other way around....We’re a bunch of artists who use whatever technology will help us bring our vision to fruition. We’re happy if all we needed was a piece of chewed up gum and some bubble wrap.”