At Tongal, we’ve never met a creative challenge that our community couldn’t tackle. Animated channel idents? Child’s play. A nimble pandemic pivot to keep kids playing with a virtual kids summer camp digital series? You know it. Get everyone together to develop and launch an original brand campaign for one of the largest grocers in the US? Heck yes, you sure did that!
And we’re not just talking about video production. Tongalers are screenwriters, animators, editors, producers, podcasters, and designers - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! It really all comes down to what our partners are looking for. They ask, and our community shows up and makes magic happen.
Which is exactly what happened this year as we saw an explosion of design projects on the platform that, in turn, saw our creators making fan art, logo designs, eye-catching imagery for social, art for grocery bags and more!
I recently caught up with four of Tongal’s rising design stars - Arne Ratermanis, Iana Leshchenko, Triact Films, and Hannah Fulton - to hear what inspires each of them to create and how Tongal is empowering them with opportunities to keep working remotely and safely.
Arne Ratermanis
San Diego, USA
As a creative with over 30 years of ad agency and design studio know-how, Arne brings a broad range of design and art direction experience in branding to his work. He’s also a major pop culture fan and passionate about illustration, which is how he found his way to SYFY’s #WeArtWynonna Wynonna Earp Fan Art Contest on Tongal, ultimately creating the key art for season 4 of the series.
Marissa: How long have you been creating on Tongal?
Arne: I only became aware of Tongal in 2020 with SYFY's Wynonna Earp project. I found Tongal to be an excellent way to promote my illustrative design skills but also discovered it has many opportunities for other types of creative work.
M: What inspired you to submit a design in that project?
A: I've been a huge fan of the TV series from its very beginning, so participating in the contest was a no-brainer. At the time, I was juggling a couple of other projects, so it helped to have a few fellow fans cheer me on and remind me of deadlines. There were over 500 entries AND a lot of extremely talented people in the show's fandom, so I feel very fortunate to have had my artwork chosen.
M: Absolutely! The #WeArtWynonna hashtag on Instagram is a testament to all the love fans of the series poured into their entries! Who or what inspires your design work?
A: I'm a big pop culture nerd. I'm inspired by movies, TV and comic books. Some of my favorite artists and designers are Drew Struzan, Shepard Fairey, Patrick Nagel, SHAG, Charles S. Anderson, and Alex Ross.
M: What tools or software do you use in your work?
A: Most of my design work involves the use of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. My illustration work is solely vector art making Adobe Illustrator my go-to software.
M: Do you have a favorite design you’ve worked on?
A: I'm very pleased with how the Wynonna Earp key art turned out. My concept was based on the storyline at the end of season three. Wynonna’s sister, Waverly is dragged from the forest stairs and through the doors to Eden by supernatural vines. Doc Holliday follows in pursuit vowing to save her. Both disappear. In the design, I intentionally separated those two characters from the others by placing the staircase between them. The silhouette of the trees in the background sets an ominous tone – but the blue skies and the face of Wynonna looking upward are to give the piece a sense of hope.
It's always a thrill to see the artwork pop up while watching TV or browsing the web.
Iana Leshchenko
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Iana joined Tongal after watching her brother’s company, Videocase Production, get the green light on a few projects back in 2015 and thinking to herself, “I could do that!” Between the light sibling rivalry and the intervening years, she’s made a name for herself all on her own with her deft-handed designs, most notably creating several artistic interpretations of the 1,001 train cars aboard Snowpiercer for TNT’s series premiere campaign.
Marissa: What’s your design background and how long have you been creating on Tongal?
Iana: Graphic design is a new direction for me, as I mainly create stop-motion and motion graphics videos. But my winning streak on Tongal started with graphic design.
M: You’ve been on quite the winning streak this year! How many projects have you been greenlit in so far?
I: I have been greenlit in the Snowpiercer Train Car Design Project, LEGO World Builder Banner Image Design Project, Scary Sh*t: Social Cover Art Design Project, and the At Home with Amy Sedaris Social Media Frame Designs Project. I think it was a streaming state, when you create with great inspiration and really enjoy the process. So, the result is one victory after another.
M: Who inspires your work?
I: There is one person who always inspires and motivates me, not only in design work, but also as an example to follow in my life. This is my brother (you know him as @videocase.tv). He is very talented and so creative, sometimes I can't even imagine how so many cool ideas are in his head!
M: Do you have a favorite design you’ve worked on? Show/tell!
I: I like making designs with my daughter. She loves to help me choose images, tells me how to do it better, and comes up with her own ideas. It's a good time together.
M: What would your ultimate design project look like?
I: I would like to create movie posters.
M: OK, we’ll work on it!
Alan Vela of Triact Films
Mexico City, Mexico
From scrappy DIY social content to joyfully colorful illustrations, Alan has delivered on a number of wide-ranging projects on Tongal under his production moniker Triact Films.
Marissa: What’s your design background and how long have you been creating on Tongal?
Alan: I'm a self-taught designer, and I've been working in the creative industry for the last 7 years. I've been creating for Tongal for a couple of years now.
M: What tools or software do you use in your work?
A: Mostly Illustrator, Photoshop and Procreate, and C4D for 3D rendering.
M: Who or what inspires your design work?
A: The people around me are always an inspiration to me, that's why I always try to bring some great, inspiring creatives to my team.
M: If you could dream up the ultimate design project, what would it look like?
A: Hmmm that's a hard question. Maybe a redesign of a big brand.
M: Do you have a favorite design you’ve worked on?
A: Yes! I really like how the Winn-Dixie bag came out! And [it was] lots of fun to make!
Here’s just a taste of Triact Films’ greenlit reusable grocery bag design
Hannah Fulton
Ruston, Louisiana, USA
Hannah discovered Tongal this spring while she, and the rest of the world, quarantined and transitioned to remote learning. At the same time, she was pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art (she aims to teach!). In addition to contributing designs across multiple projects, Hannah also has found success ideating in our concept projects.
Marissa: Which design project(s) have you been greenlit in and what inspired you to submit a design?
Hannah: I've been greenlit for the Tongal September Social Cover Art Banner and the recent LEGO World Builder Banner Projects. I was inspired by the prompts and exercising my design brain. Being away from school and going to virtual learning made me feel unproductive, and I feel in some way I am contributing to something bigger than myself [through these projects].
M: What tools or software do you use in your work?
H: I am currently using the Adobe Creative Suite. More specifically, Adobe Illustrator for clean vector graphics. All my ideas start on a sketchbook before I plug them into the digital phase, of course.
M: Who or what inspires your design work?
H: I'll give a lot of credit to the support of my peers and mentors. I do take enjoyment in helping fulfill other people's visions and bounce ideas off each other.
M: Do you have a favorite design you’ve worked on? Show/tell!
H: I will say one of the biggest milestone projects I've done is the page layout for the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program's Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan 2019. I'm mentioned at the bottom of the Acknowledgements page.
M: What would your ultimate design project look like?
H: I have yet to determine what my ultimate design project looks like, but I've been busy with a multitude of opportunities. Right now, I'm prioritizing my capstone research in graduate school, which I doubt will be my magnum opus.
M: First an MFA, then the world!
Thanks to Arne, Iana, Alan, and Hannah - and all the designers who are making our world more beautiful and exciting, one project at a time.
