MAKE Animation Thesis Grant Announces 2026 Winners
June 23, 2026
Directors Anaissa Ruiz Tejada and Cristian Sandoval lead a team of 30 fellow students at Savannah College of Art and Design in crafting the open for the 2026 edition of the school’s annual CoMotion design conference.
Anaissa Ruiz Tejada and Cristian Sandoval: “The conference theme, Beyond the Frame, challenged us to rethink motion design beyond the boundaries of a screen. The project served as both a title sequence and a scalable design system spanning over 50 deliverables for print, merchandise, and experiential installations.
“The goal was to celebrate motion design while reminding the audience we are all one collective system in which energy flows. To do that, we explored how energy transforms between mechanics, optics, and sound, and how those forces are ultimately perceived and interpreted by the human body.
“Grounded in the idea that every pixel is composed of the elemental forces that shape our universe, the project sought to remind audiences that motion design is not confined to frames or formats.”
“One of the greatest challenges was creating a visual language that could convey a complex idea while remaining accessible and engaging to a broad audience and we drew inspiration from real life – reinterpreting scientific imaging, technology interfaces, and physical systems.
“Anaissa’s background in neuroscience heavily informed the conceptual development. Subtle details, such as references to the cochlea, a structure in the inner ear, reinforce the narrative connection between energy, sound, and human experience, always rooted in real biology.
“Working within a compressed timeline, we led student teams across design, animation, sound, and post-production. Sound played a particularly important role; it was designed to reinforce the flow of energy through the piece, helping create a fully immersive experience.
“Grounded in the idea that every pixel is composed of the elemental forces that shape our universe, the project sought to remind audiences that motion design is not confined to frames or formats. It is an ever-changing system of energy that continues moving long after the screen goes dark.”
Client: Savannah College of Art and Design
Director: Anaissa Ruiz Tejada, Cristian Sandoval
Art Director/Designer/Animator: Wildy Riftian
Producer: Bahar Rezvanifar
Color Development: Alejandra Matiz
PA/Storyboard Artist/Designer: Hanyuan Guo
Storyboard Artist/Designer: Jason Lu
Design Lead: Riley Ho
Design: Niah Kuchenbrod, Gail Li, Yichan Liu, James Fatigate, Michelle Wan
Animation Lead: Zeynep Ciger
Animator: Sagarika Debnath, 6AM, Eli Chen, Pranav Jakhar, Baye’te Chinwendu, Bhavya Tripathi, Disha Agrawal, Wenxin Yan
Designer/animator: Luna Liu, Viviane Tirone, Andrew Haskell, Calvin Zhang, Mark Otim
Post-Production Lead/Designer/Animator: Kulin Mehta
Sound Lead: Mark Otim
Sound Design: Yonatan Cohen, Petra Estrada, Lilly Fratt
Music: Thayer Vinton, Tara Magill
Special Thanks: Savannah College of Art and Design, Motion Media Design Faculty, MOMELove Student Club
