Some projects just make you remember why motion design is pure joy — and Nike’s “House of Go” pop-up experience in Chicago was one of those.
Working with the always-inventive team at Enjoy The Weather, I had the opportunity to animate a series of characters for an interactive installation where visitors could quite literally run alongside the art. The illustrations, created by the incredible Lauren Asta, were vibrant, quirky, and full of attitude — including one very encouraging hotdog. My role was to bring them to life through animation systems that reacted to real human motion.
Each of the six characters started as flat 2D illustrations, which I meticulously deconstructed and rigged for dynamic character animation. Using inverse kinematics (IK) setups, joint hierarchies, and pose-based blending, I built modular rigs capable of swapping between multiple motion states in real time.
The characters featured a full set of run cycles and variations — arms forward, back, up, out — and a jump animation triggered by motion sensors tied to treadmill arm tracking. When participants moved, the system dynamically swapped animation cycles to reflect their body position. The result: characters that didn’t just move — they mirrored you.
From a motion theory standpoint, the key challenge was creating exaggerated yet readable physicality within the constraints of stylized, flat artwork. I relied on principles of squash and stretch, anticipation, and overlapping action to inject life into the characters while preserving the hand-drawn aesthetic of Lauren’s work.
The “House of Go” concept centered on playful immersion — a physical and emotional connection between brand, user, and motion. The animation language was designed to amplify joy and movement, using elastic timing and rhythmic pacing to mirror the spontaneity of real running.
Every bounce, stretch, and arm swing served to reinforce the energy of Nike’s message: motion is creativity in motion. By merging traditional character animation principles with real-time interactivity, the experience became something more than a display, it became a collaboration between participant and design.
A seriously fun project, and a rare chance to make art that literally runs with you. High fives all around.
Role:
Motion Design, Character Animation
