Birdsong

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Project Overview

As a creative team we tend to see the world differently, in fact Birdsong came about after one member of the team declared that the birds sitting on the nearby telegraph wires looked like musical notes on a stave. That small idea grew into something large and brought a lot of laughter and enjoyment to the Locassa offices as we set out to create bags of character from nothing but mere animated pixels.

Organisation

Locassa

Team

We craft unique mobile-focused applications for the world’s biggest brands. Having worked with companies such as Canon, Universal Music and The Times, we understand the need for enterprise level quality and process on mobile and our hallmark honest approach is reflected in the long lasting relationships we have been able to build.

Our team of creative designers and developers are passionate about their work and it is our fresh approach to mobile that creates extraordinary products that stand out from the crowd.

Project Brief

Someone once said to us that you can only create truly character-driven experiences by utilising the talents of a traditional animator, anything else will simply lack character. We always like a challenge and so set about to take the initial Birdsong idea and see if it really was possible to create funny, enjoyable characters without a single aspect of traditional animation. Our brief was simple, if it made us smile then hopefully it would make the world smile and if we can create some great (and sometimes bad) music then perhaps the world can also create some great (and sometimes bad) music too. For us Birdsong was about throwing out all elements of seriousness and having fun with an idea and seeing how much you really can squeeze out of a two-dimensional medium.

We love to be entertained and we love to entertain others, Birdsong was an extension of that, aiming to create something family-friendly in a world of 1st person shooters and aggressive racers.

Project Need

With Birdsong we created a brand new timeline framework, this allowed us to create scripted setups that were both repeatable and easily adjusted. This new framework would go on to form the basis of more of our entertainment products, but it’s in Birdsong where the technology was first created. Whilst there were other timeline-based frameworks none provided the fluidity or capability of that needed for our overly ambitious plans for our little birdies. It was only by creating a highly optimised platform that Birdsong was able to come alive.

Whilst on the face of it Birdsong is a visually appealing cartoon app, behind the scenes there is a lot of tech more akin to music sequencing. Combining a highly technical sequencer with a cartoony front-end (and ensuring performance and animation run hand-in-hand) was no mean feat but we feel the end result was worth the effort.

User Experience

From the outset, our aim was to make a product that people of any age could use, laugh at and enjoy. For this, we needed to ensure that the UX was both clear, obvious and transcended age limits, from young to old. Everything in the app is operated via simple touches and swipes, no overly complex menus, nested screens or buttons. Keeping Birdsong clear from clutter was essential in giving users the same free flowing experience we imagine our birdies to have.

Project Marketing

We are a firm believer that to market digital products you need to use digital platforms particularly Facebook and Twitter. The delay from intent to action with digital channels is so limited when compared to more traditional channels, it makes it an absolute essential for the marketing of apps. A user can see your product in their newsfeed and within seconds have that very app running on their device; no other channel offers this immediacy.

Project Privacy

The app doesn't store any personal data and other than optional Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud sharing (for those brave enough to share their creations!), the app is completely self-contained.

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