Spider-Man: Homecoming Title Design

Beyond the initial brief, the studio also noted that the titles should feel like a continuation of the story and continue the momentum from the closing moment of the film. We decided to approach the project along two paths. The first was an exploration of aesthetic directions and artistic mediums, while the second saw our team creating iconic story vignettes for Spider-Man's day to day heroics.

After the initial presentation showcasing a vast range of potential stylistic approaches, the team at Marvel Studios gave an emphatic "Yes" to nearly every artistic medium. For most projects this would mean finding a way to combine six directions into one cohesive look, but for this project it meant creating a sequence that embraced the differences and unique qualities of each medium.

This raised some interesting challenges for us - first, how to create a process that will provide the flexibility of working digitally while still maintaining the handmade quality of it all, and second, how to make sure that these six styles aren't going to clash and that the piece feels like one complete thought.

"One of our biggest concerns with doing an entirely handmade title sequence was figuring out how to to address inevitable requests from Marvel without having to throw out large chunks and start over,” explained Appleton. "We decided to rough out the entire sequence in After Effects before we touched a single piece of paper. We would then print it out and draw, sculpt, or paint over it, and then photograph it or scan it, and finally it would go through compositing. It was an intricate process of working both digitally and practically. And to ensure the most flexibility in the future, each shot was created in multiple layers. So, if we ever had to change a single element, like how quickly Spider-Man climbs up a wall, we wouldn't have to remake the whole sequence."