High Definition Creativity
Evaldas Cesnavicius studied at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Los Angeles. After his time at Gnomon he continued working at digital film making. He's spent time at design companies and freelanced across motion design and concept development leading studios such as: Trizz in Barcelona, Tendril in Toronto, ManvsMachine in London.
Under his creative moniker Black Pixels, he showcases an outstanding ability to conceptualise, as well as playing and inventing new patterns and textures. His clients include Nike, Bang & Olufsen and Microsoft among others. His designs feature clean lines, impressive details and lighting techniques that make his style instantly recognizable.
We caught up with him and here are his thoughts on art, work and future projects.
Fabrik: Hi Evaldas and thanks for your time. Would you like to share a little bit more about you?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "Thank you for having me! I am 3d designer / art director with strong creative and visual taste. I am a well rounded generalist but i bring most value in the start of the project when I have freedom to create visuals as ideas for the full project. What I need is freedom and time and I will come up with tons of style frames that can be further developed into full shots."
Fabrik: Your work has taken you into the paths of graphic design, motion design, as well as product development. Which one is your favorite ?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "Mostly I consider myself as a motion designer but I am inspired by architecture, graphic design, fashion etc. Thats why I love what i do - it's very universal."
"What I need is freedom and time and I will come up with tons of style frames that can be further developed into full shots."
Fabrik: Your portfolio features an impressive body of work. Do you have any favourites or milestone projects?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "In 2013 I worked as an art director for a first time. Project was for "Renuage" brandy done at Trizz Barcelona. Even though it was complicated project it came out great.
in 2018 I was checking London to see whether I would like to live there. I stayed at ManVsMachine for couple of months working on the "Castello" cheese project. Even though I did not find London very attractive for family life, the project again, came out great. It was a bit unusual that cheese company is asking for a CG commercial, but we end up doing some amazing work.
Fabrik: Your work involves highly conceptual work down to actual products. Would you like to tell us more about your source of inspiration?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "I started my career with Autodesk Maya and it's not a great tool for a designer. I had very minimal tool set but I learned to get something from nothing. Now I work with Cinema 4d which is great for creative design projects.
Inspiration? Well I always start with tons of references but you have to test things in 3D if the concept really works or not. People that inspire me are: M83, Joseph Kosinski, Dieter Rams, Yoann Lemoine, Space, Gmunk, Louis Kahn, Andrei Tarkovsky, Hans Vegner, Danny Yount, Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick, Philip K. Dick, Kyle Cooper and David Fincher."
Fabrik: I have also noticed that your work spans across geographies and verticals. Is this something you actively pursue and would you like to share a little bit more about transitioning from one place to another?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "I studied in Los Angeles back in 2008, and after graduating, the economy went down - I did not hesitate and came back to Europe, where I started working at Korb, a boutique design agency. A few years down the line, I decided to start freelancing at studios around the globe.
At first I was traveling a lot, mostly in Europe, but in the past 5 years I noticed that companies do more work with freelancers remotely. It's a great use of talent, as some companies do not want to over grow as it can be challenging to keep projects coming. Living in Northern Europe is tough in winter season with a lack of sun. So next year I am planning to move to Australia or somewhere similar with my family for 2-3 months.
Fabrik: Have you ever had any difficulties pushing your creative and artistic approach to clients?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "Studios that I work with, hire me for certain projects that fit my style. That's the advantage of freelancing. When brand or product matches your style you can do your best.
Yes, I know that sometimes designers are too bold about their work and they can get upset when the client wants something different. But I think that clients know their brand or product the best, so I always try to make more then one visual to choose from."
"Sometimes designers are too bold about their work and they can get upset when the client wants something different."
Fabrik: Is there any piece of work, be it a film, a song, a painting, that has left you with a lasting impression or any mentors you have encountered throughout the span of your career? Or any work you admire, but it’s not yours ?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "I haven’t had the chance to work on movie / TV show title sequences before so that's an area I want to explore some day. I am a fan of Patrick Clair that created the "West World" title sequence. Fashion is another area that really interests me. I have noticed that more fashion brands are hiring motion design studios for creative work so there’s an exciting opening there."
Fabrik: Can you tell us about what you’re working on right now and would like to share with the rest of us? Any related fields in the arts that you would like to explore or you are currently delving into?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "I am answering this question from Dubai as I am on holidays with my family. When I return there is very exciting project waiting for me with Tendril in Toronto for Hublot. Even on holidays, I find myself surfing Pinterest for references and writing down ideas that I have earlier in the day. You may think i am workaholic but this job is my passion."
Fabrik: Any advice you’d like to impart to those entering the field?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "Find what you are passionate about and working hard will come naturally. Be friendly to everyone, make contacts, and never stop learning! "
Fabrik: Final question. What do you like most about Fabrik? What's your favourite feature?
Evaldas Cesnavicius: "Fabrik is very artist-friendly platform and it looks great on phone or desktop. When I work on a commercial project, I usually start by creating a hidden portfolio project on Fabrik and when I am done with the project I already have my project ready to publish as well. Each time I get an email from a producer and I have to share my work, I just press 'publish' and it's done!"
Evaldas is using Airdura, an immersive and slick theme that couples gorgeous typography with full-width imagery and unique block styles. With over twenty layouts to play with projects are perfectly presented and each portfolio is truly individual.
