ADAM EASTBURN
Available for freelance
ak.eastburn@gmail.com
Role: Creative Director, Art Director, Motion Designer
Teammates: Brainstorm, Zach Ferdman
Timeline: 2026
Scope: Launch kit, motion system, social rollout
Motion reel
Joanna already had a trusted voice and audience, the challenge was translating that equity into a brand she owned. New Things needed the credibility of established journalism without the distance of legacy media, it needed something human, playful, and flexible enough for newsletters, video, and social.
Design duo, Brainstorm, designed and laid out the visual world of Joanna’s book, I Am Not a Robot. Her deliberately imperfect, graphical, and human-centric book was scheduled to launch with New Things, and we were on a short timeline. I brought back in the design duo to complete their suite of illustrated elements created for the book, as well as extend the custom handdrawn typeface. The system needed to remain recognizable across formats without flattening Joanna’s personality.
Brainstorm designs:
Working with Brainstorm and motion designer Zach Ferdman, I helped translate the identity into repeatable motion behaviors and directed the rollout from early concepts through final execution. We treated the lettering and illustrated elements as a flexible toolkit (MGRTs), creating movement that preserved their handmade character while being usable and accessible for the rapid content creation of journalism.
The system supported the launch across the New Things newsletter, YouTube channel, and social presence, giving each expression a shared rhythm and voice. Rather than creating a single launch piece, we established general motion principles that could continue supporting new episodes, announcements, and promotional moments.
New Things launched in April 2026 with a visual identity that matched Joanna’s journalism: informed, skeptical, personal, and funny. Within months, its YouTube channel grew beyond 175,000 subscribers, with the launch featuring Casey Neistat and later collaborations extending its reach.
The project reinforced the value of motion as infrastructure, not simply an animated logo, but a system that helps a new brand remain coherent as it grows.
Illustration
Animation
Brand design
Available for freelance
ak.eastburn@gmail.com