We love talking to creatives, finding out about how they work, what they've been up to and asking their opinions on the latest happenings in the creative industries.
Last year, we published more interviews than ever on Creative Bloq. Here, we're taking a look back at the most read interviews of 2024, ranked from 10-1. For more insight into our popular stories from last year, read our top AI art stories.
10. "If you don't use AI you can't compete", Adobe VP tells me
(Image credit: Future)
At Adobe MAX 2024 our digital arts and 3D editor, Ian Dean, had the chance to sit down with Adobe's Vice President of Generative AI, Alexandru Costin. Alexadru set out the company's approach to AI and how it's been influenced by a track record of introducing disruptive technology.
The headline was clear: use AI or fall behind. He told us at a briefing from MAX 2024, "we're embracing the technology, we're putting it in our tools, and we're asking you and hoping you use it, because you can be very successful in this new world [if you] use the tech. If you don't use the tech, you won't compete with other creatives that use the tech."
09. Inside the impressionistic realism of DreamWorks' The Wild Robot
(Image credit: Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation)
Undoubtedly it’s easier for animation studios to have an in-house style, but this isn’t the path DreamWorks Animation decided to take when adapting the illustrated children’s novel The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, where a ROZZUM unit 7134 robot gets stranded on an isolated island teeming with wildlife.
“The magic is in how every aspect of this movie, we altered the animation process to fit the style and story that we’re trying to tell,” stated Chris Sanders, the film’s writer and director when we spoke to him last year.
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08. "Help us clean up... that was the assignment": How we made Reddit's new identity
(Image credit: Reddit/Pentagram)
Reddit has been described as the heart of the internet, so when design firm Pentagram was tasked with rebranding the site, it was no mean feat. As a frontrunner in the design sphere, Pentagram naturally approached the rebrand with methodical precision, intending to capture the playfulness of Reddit while refining the core of its identity.
With a new 3D logo, refined typography and fresh brand motifs, Pentagram's rebrand extracts the essence of Reddit's internet legacy. As part of our How We Made series, we caught up with Pentagram partner Natasha Jen who led the project, to discuss the meticulous efforts to dissect and rebuild Reddit's visual identity.
Artist Shan Jiang has worked with many of the world's leading brands, from Apple to Nike. His latest project included creating the illustration and box design for the XPPen Artist Pro 19 (Gen 2).
In September 2024, Ian chatted to the artist about his approach, inspirations and influences. Shan reveals more of his workflow and how he creates the clean, intricate line art of his best illustrations.
LeiaPix, which quickly turns 2D illustrations into 3D animation is ideal for bringing a sketch, painting or scene to life. LeiaPix is akin to turning your 2D art into short stereoscopic animations that feel like old lenticular images. We caught up with the developer behind the tool, David Sitbon, to find out more.
05. Digital artist Guillermo Flores Pacheco is "very proud" to be the first Mexican artist to design a Adobe Photoshop splash screen
(Image credit: Guillermo Flores Pacheco)
"It's like a dream come true!" declares Mexican artist Guillermo Flores Pacheco when we asked how it felt to be the first artist from his country to be asked to design a Photoshop splash screen back in November.
"Adobe invited artists from all over the world and I am the only Mexican, which makes me feel very proud for this great achievement. I would like to share my story with hundreds of Latin creatives in the world. I think that many young people could be inspired and continue dreaming," says Guillermo.
04. "I can defend every single step of my work", Jessica Hische on how she avoids logo controversy
(Image credit: Jessica Hische)
Jessica Hische is an American lettering artist who also teaches, owns physical stores, writes and illustrates picture books, and many more things besides. Our deputy editor, Rosie Hilder, met her on her 40th birthday, just before her talk at OFFF Barcelona, where she talked the audience through what she's learned each decade of her career. It was an uplifting and inspiring talk, and our chat was no different, spanning why people get mad about logos changing, how she always tracks every step of her creative process and which social media platform she'd join if she was starting out today.
03. Disney artist says ZBrush for iPad opens up a "a new world" for all artists
(Image credit: Leticia Gillett)
Leticia Gillett is an experienced 3D artist, her CV lists Disney Consumer Products, Blizzard Entertainment where she worked as a 3D character artist on Overwatch, she was a 3D modeller at Dreamworks and joined Netflix Animation as a character development artist. Between shifts making everything you love, Leticia finds time to teach.
While using Zbrush for iPad in beta Leticia has found her workflow changing. The artist tells us she’s never been one for sketching on paper or drafting ideas in books, and prefers to design directly into 3D, which has always meant a day’s work begins and ends at her desk.
With AI making inroads into every area of the creative industry, and many believe AI is the future of filmmaking, we were excited to hear that AI was heavily involved in Jordan Rudess’ music video, Shadow of the Moon. The project involved blending live-action sequences with AI-generated visuals to achieve the final production.
Guy Bolandi was heavily involved in the project. He has a deep knowledge and huge experience with post-production, which has led him to direct dozens of commercials for high-end brands and clients. We caught up with Guy and asked him to share five areas from the Shadow of the Moon project that he utilised LTX Studio on, and why.
01. This new AI creates 3D worlds from simple sketches, making game development accessible to all
(Image credit: Cybever)
Another area that AI is springing up in is 3D model creation, and one of the best tools at the moment is called Cybever. This AI-powered 3D world creation platform automates asset retrieval, placement and environment generation. Artists can use the platform to quickly generate environments from sketches. In just about 10 minutes, you can view, edit and control a 3D environment in real-time using just a web browser and download it to continue development - whether for a video game, archvis or film prototyping.
We spoke to Cybever’s CEO Cecilia Shen to discuss how game development can be improved for all, the challenge of trust and why AI can aid creativity not replace it.
Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Deputy Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where she worked as Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on magazines including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw and Mac|Life. In 2018, she joined Creative Bloq, where she now assists with the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves the reader as best it can.
