Evolving ideas into breakthroughs.
Annika Studio provides crucial support throughout the creative development process– from early beginnings, through inquiry, analysis and exploration, to the final vision. With an academic background in writing and cultural studies and over a decade of hands-on experience in media production, Annika Studio is able to interpret and adjust to each project’s creative and strategic objectives. Beginning with preparation in which information, source materials, and inspiration are gathered, every project is then further developed through critical insight, creative connections, aesthetic judgment, and practical planning to hone key ideas into clear and fully substantiated concepts. Committed to a highly iterative and collaborative process, Annika Studio supports creative development in a variety of ways, including: idea generation and conceptualization, visual research and creative references, art direction and style guide management, finding and recommending creative partners and coordinating outreach, sourcing and presenting casting and locations, conducting interviews and informational research, as well as fact-checking, copywriting and story development editing.
Below are examples of creative development work for commercial clients.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Worked closely with Rodrigo Corral Studio to support the development of visual concepts for cover art. “An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family” that centers around the dynamic of two grieving brothers and their complicated relationships to the people they love, Intermezzo’s cover needed to portray familial and romantic intimacies while also incorporating the key theme of chess. Responsible for critical reading of manuscript to identify leading ideas and motifs, contributed to brainstorming sessions, conducted comprehensive visual research for reference and inspiration, and unpacked and refined concepts through rounds of building out creative decks.
Design by June Park & Rodrigo Corral
Soft Core by Brittany Newell
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Invited by Rodrigo Corral Studio to lead research and support the development of visual concepts for cover art. Soft Core follows a young woman searching for her missing ex-boyfriend while working amidst San Francisco's seedy sexual underground, yet at its core it's a story of tender love and longing. Given the novel’s duality, it was integral for the cover imagery to convey both eroticism and vulnerability. After analyzing the manuscript and brainstorming with the design team, conducted initial research and deck building around photographic ideas. However as the author mentioned a preference for paintings, particularly with hues of pink and purple, sourcing artwork that perfectly fit this bill ultimately took precedence. During the research process, Annika Studio discovered and suggested Aistė Stancikaitė’s painting for the cover, which was then successfully secured.
Design by Rodrigo Corral; painting by Aistė Stancikaitė
Be More- Milk
Creative Studio: Bad Ideas
Teamed up with creative studio Bad Ideas to provide research and developmental support on a project commissioned by MilkPEP. Bad Ideas was asked to conceive, produce and execute a direct to brand commercial campaign aimed at one of milk’s biggest consumers: teens. Working off a creative brief targeting teenagers with the key directive of “authenticity” Annika Studio advanced initial ideation through extensive visual and informational research on relevant teen subcultures, and then continued to evolve the project through scouting talent and street casting, conducting pre-interviews with potential subjects, story arc development, music research and suggestions, wardrobe direction, and location research and references. The campaign included five 60 second films with the anthem going on to become a finalist for Ciclope as well as being selected for a Webby award.
Directed by Jesse Heath.
Vive Tu Estrella- Estrella Jalisco
Advertising Agency: Pereira O'Dell
Partnered with director duo tomboy to provide research and creative support during the pitching and production phases of their commercial for Estrella Jalisco’s inaugural campaign for the Mexican-American market. Working off a creative brief that aimed to showcase the multiplicity of Mexican-American culture and wanting to ensure authentic representations, tomboy enlisted Annika Studio to conduct preliminary research on potential subcultures and then deep dive into those selected. Research included scouring social media pages, conducting interviews, and sourcing articles, photos and videos, and archives to learn more. Findings were synthesized and written up into decks along with visual references. Further support was provided for scouting talent, wardrobe direction, and location research and references. In addition to the anthem film which encompassed a vibrant collection of culturally specific vignettes, the campaign also included multiple cutdown “portrait” films.
Directed by tomboy.
Passage by Khary Lazarre-White
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
Collaborated with Rodrigo Corral Studio to produce and oversee photoshoot for the creation of original cover imagery for Passage– a brave account of black survival in white America, the novel tells the story of a young black man navigating the snowy winter streets of NYC in 1993. Initial preparation included analytical reading of manuscript and compiling photographic references that corresponded to RCS’s concept while still remaining achievable within budget and timeline. Collaborated with commissioned photographer to manage budget and scheduling, sourced location, and led street casting, wardrobe styling and on-set art direction.
Design by Rodrigo Corral; photography by Jesse Heath
Ultraluminous by Katherine Faw
Publisher: MCD Books
Invited by Rodrigo Corral Studio to collaborate on the development of photographic concepts for the cover art, and then produce and execute on the strongest ideas. Described as “a scintillating story of money, sex, and power” Faw’s daring novel called for bold, suggestive imagery that alluded to the storyline without betraying it. Contributed to ideation through critical reading of the manuscript, identified central themes and visual threads, researched and pulled references, and built out creative decks that explicitly tied visual references back to the text. Spearheaded photoshoot production across all stages, leading the team from brief to final delivery, including coordinating photography talent and casting, securing location and props, providing on-set styling and art direction, and managing budget and timelines.
Design by Rodrigo Corral; lettering by June Park, photography by Jesse Heath
The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling
Publisher: MCD Books
Partnered with Rodrigo Corral Studio to develop, produce and execute several photographic concepts as options for cover art. Set against a lesser-known part of California, The Golden State follows a fraught young mother as she navigates life as a new and single parent– as such, imagery needed to encompass both a specific landscape and a nuanced emotional state while still offering a visually digestible theme. Conceptualized using the manuscript as the key reference and further shaped ideas through visual research and reference gathering, then created curated decks that tied together visuals, locations and text. Supervised the planning and execution of shoot production and art direction, including, but not limited to researching and proposing creative talent, extensive location scouting, casting, sourcing wardrobe & props, and all other shoot logistics.
Design by Rodrigo Corral; photography by Jesse Heath