Who the hell is Matthias Hoegg?

Get to know some of the brilliant minds behind our work. We’re chatting with members of the DixonBaxi studio about what makes them who they are. From the professional to the personal, nothing is off limits here. Introducing Matthias, motion design director and resident German with a knack for traditional woodworking.

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Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Matthias Hoegg – Munich-born, London-based motion design director at DixonBaxi. Together with my brilliant team of motion designers we create all animated or filmed parts of our identities, from a micro-interaction in a UI to cinematic logo openers. You might think of the motion department as the geek squad in the corner, but the process is generally very meshed into all the design and storytelling and relies on a mix of disciplines to really work. It’s very collaborative. If all goes well, motion can be a bit of a catalyst that distils the brand idea into something more visceral and immediate – those are the moments we’re always chasing.

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What’s your story?
My first love was animated short films. The UK has an amazing tradition of independent and experimental filmmaking – I loved the freedom that animation gives you to invent your own graphic worlds and stories, where you’re only limited by the amount of time you’re prepared to lean over a light box or Wacom in your bedroom. In the noughties I was really inspired by the first generation of filmmakers who hacked digital tools to create their own unique worlds and stories, like Shynola, Grant Orchard and festivals like Onedotzero. I directed my own short films and commercials for a few years, which even earned me a BAFTA nomination and an ADC Young Gun. But I eventually realised I enjoyed working within a team of different disciplines more than as a standalone creative. I still have that character-driven, experimental streak in my work. DixonBaxi is the perfect platform for that and they keep me on my toes with a steady stream of creative challenges.

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What are you working on right now?
I can’t wait to share our ITV rebrand with the world – obviously a huge entertainment brand in the UK, but with lots of quirky personalities within it. It’s been an amazing challenge to bring together all those different voices in a slick, UI-inspired motion system without filing off the edges. Everything else must stay within the walls of DB towers (for now).

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“The longer I work in design, the fuzzier the edges of what constitutes design become – planning any kind of space, experience or story is part of design. It’s a really broad field. But designers are privileged in that they are typically brought on to challenge the paradigm.  It’s as if design is just giving yourself the licence to imagine a different way of doing something.”

Describe your working style in 3 words.
Collaborative, conceptual, characterful.

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Tell us about some of your interests. What are you into?
I don’t normally draw attention to this at DixonBaxi, so this might be the end of me, but I’m a sports dyslexic. If it’s anything more strategic than clocking up a good step count across London I’m out. I do have some other hobbies to throw into the mix though – making stuff away from the screen is always a nice antidote and good for rewiring the brain, like learning traditional woodworking techniques, or flexing my green thumb. When I’m not chasing a little person around South London Parks and Playgrounds I love catching some art around London, especially anything by Artangel, the White Cube or the Welcome Collection is always unexpected and inspiring.

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Do you think design can change the world? How?
The longer I work in design, the fuzzier the edges of what constitutes design become – planning any kind of space, experience or story is part of design. It’s a really broad field. But designers are privileged in that they are typically brought on to challenge the paradigm.  It’s as if design is just, giving yourself the licence to imagine a different way of doing something. Not sure if this really answers the question, but thinking of your work as something you “design” in the first place definitely gives you more agency.

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If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Not sure how powerful the interview gods are, but if we could replace wars with matches of robot football that would be a big step forward.

What’s the last song you listened to?
Technically it might have been the Rap Game UK final. Before that, the Durutti Column. I keep coming back to the Vini Reilly Album, beautiful stuff.

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Why do you do what you do? What motivates you?
Even though I do and see a lot of it every day I just love the craft of animation and good motion design. It’s all about those small moments where you win over the viewer and get them to empathise with something that, at the face of it, is just moving shapes on a screen. The process of bringing something to life and creating a character from nothing still feels a bit magical.

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What’s your definition of good design?
Something that makes you reassess how you look at the world, and ideally makes you go “awww”.