EXP animation featured at major Barcelona design festival

Lancaster-based brand and digital consultancy EXP has been featured at OFFF – a major design festival in Barcelona.

Taking place over three days at Disseny Hub, the festival invited submissions to form part of The Screen, a giant projection-mapped art installation on the side of the design museum, curated by Frameboy in collaboration with Barco.

EXP responded with ‘Mindsweeper’ – an animation based on the retro game of a similar name, reflecting the creative process full of unknowns.

The concept was formed between Conner Griffin and Thomas Foster, designers at EXP, and consisted of over 5000 layers in Adobe After Effects.

This year, OFFF attracted 5500 daily attendees from 76 countries, and The Screen attracted over 10,000 people over three nights.

Conner Griffin, senior designer, said, “In a world of AI and complex 3D/4D design, Mindsweeper focuses on nostalgia and early gaming that we all grew up with. There’s a charm to the simplicity of the game and how it resonates with people across the world.” 

Thomas Foster, designer, said, “I don’t think I’ve put so many layers into After Effects before. It was incredible to see the animation projected at such a huge scale with La Sagrada Família in the background.”

The animation has demonstrated EXP’s ability in motion graphics and gained a following online from other attendees of the festival.

Tom Grattan, managing director, said, “This was our fifth time attending OFFF. It’s such an incredible design festival with huge names and thousands of freelancers. We were thrilled to be part of The Screen and can’t wait to return in 2027”.

EXP has filmed a behind-the-scenes which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/L6xPItHcv9s?si=7cEoEGChnvts9v-b