Creative Media · 2026 · Self-initiated concept
Nightjar
A motion identity for an open-air film season that begins at dusk.
- Format
- Live HTML · PDF, 18 pages
- Discipline
- Creative Media
- Year
- 2026
- Tools
- 6
Overview
Nightjar is a motion identity for an open-air film season that starts at dusk. The season is fictional. The identity is a set of states that only make sense in time, and the time is the evening.
Challenge
You only see a nightjar when it moves, and you hear it before you see it. A logo animated after the fact would miss that, so the identity had to be built from motion and light from the start.
Solution
The page runs from sunset to full dark as you scroll. The mark has states you can press, drag and hold, the type answers to wingspan and light sliders, there is a sonic logo, and six short films show the identity in use. Sound stays off until the visitor asks for it, and a motion toggle works in either direction.
Process
- 01
Palette
Took the palette from the evening sky, then designed it.
- 02
Mark
Designed the mark as a set of states rather than one drawing.
- 03
Engine
Built the sky and the films in WebGL2 and Canvas inside one self-contained file.
- 04
Book
Produced an identity book as a PDF.
Screenshots
Sample Material
Everything behind the project, as it was delivered.
The live build
One self-contained HTML file that runs in the browser, offline, with nothing to install.
Tools used
- HTML & CSS
- JavaScript
- WebGL2
- Canvas
- Python
- Puppeteer
Outcomes
- A mark with interactive states, six films and a sonic logo.
- A page that moves from sunset to full dark as you scroll.
- Keyboard control throughout and a reduced-motion mode.
This is a self-initiated concept. The outcomes describe what was made and measured, not results for a client.