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If you’ve seen an episode of WFYI’s new short film series, “Headstrong” online or on WFYI Public Television, your eye was probably caught by a bright blue background and stylized portrait. WFYI commissioned illustrations and animations of each history-making Hoosier in the series, employing the skills of Indianapolis studio Guide & Anchor.
Co-owned by Sara Jean Potts and Joey Potts, Guide & Anchor is a creative studio specializing in illustration, animation, design, branding and environments. Sara and Joey answered a few questions about their background, process and connection to WFYI – all of which you can read below.
What’s the inspiration behind your name, Guide & Anchor?
At first we just really liked the name – it came from numerous brainstorming sessions. But we came to realize that it is very similar to us as people and as a couple. Sara is the big dreamer and is always reaching for new heights, and I tend to help figure out a way to practically make those dreams happen. We also liked its relation to how our business helps other businesses. We hope to always help visually guide our clients to new and interesting places while staying true to their brand and their vision. It’s also a very nerdy play on design as guides and anchor points are some of the core tools in most design programs.
What made you all want to take the “Headstrong” project on?
We LOVE WFYI and PBS, so being asked to work on a wonderful, insightful and empowering project such as this was a huge honor...there isn’t much more to it than that!
Besides the literal objects included to reference the history of each of the “Headstrong” women, what did you want your stylistic choices to convey about them?
We wanted them to feel period appropriate and cohesive, but not boring, so we decided to create a very clean, graphic style that allowed each “Headstrong” woman to shine.
As for animation, we wanted to give them personality through their facial expressions and head movements. The backgrounds and secondary imagery were treated the same way, with subtle animation to help the entire image flow with personality.
What was the most surprising/interesting thing you learned in your research into these women?
Through the years we’ve heard of many of these women. However, we had never heard of Lillian Thomas Fox, and we found her story fascinating. She joined Indianapolis News and became the first African-American columnist to regularly write for a white newspaper in Indiana. She was also a gifted orator and advocated for improving public health in the Black community.
Are there any favorite WFYI programs that you all love and would recommend?
So many! We love “Cultural Manifesto,” “NOVA,” Rick Steves,” “American Masters,” “It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders,” “Curious Mix,” “All Things Considered,” “Snap Judgment”...and so, so many more!
“Headstrong” was made possible with funding support from PNC Bank and “American Experience.”
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