Case Study | My Market Kitchen
W
hen Channel 10’s My Market Kitchen needed a fresh, dynamic visual identity for their ninth season, they turned to us. With a love for food, local markets, and all things Melbourne, the show wanted animations that felt uniquely theirs—something that honored the Prahran Market location while adding personality to the mix.
We delivered three animated elements: a title sequence that immerses viewers in a bustling Melbourne scene, a playful caricature animation of host Catherine Velisha, and an animated logo designed for seamless integration across the show. Here’s how we made it happen.
The Story of My Market Kitchen
My Market Kitchen has been a staple of Australian daytime television, celebrating local produce and home cooking. For Season 9, they wanted an upgraded visual identity to enhance their storytelling.
We were brought onto the project thanks to our previous work on Luke Nguyen’s India for SBS, which led us to collaborate with the same TV production studio.
The Challenges and Opportunities
Bringing a brand to life through animation is always an exciting challenge, and this project gave us plenty to sink our teeth into.
1 – Creating a 3D environment from scratch
Source: Jelena Sinik
The title sequence was inspired by the slow zoom-in effect used in the Paris 2024 Olympics teaser, a concept the client loved. They wanted a similar cinematic feel—moving gradually through a lively, detailed market scene.
We didn’t just animate a title sequence—we built an entire 3D environment, from the iconic Prahran Market facade to Melbourne’s trams, creating an immersive opening that sets the perfect tone for My Market Kitchen. While we used stock 3D models for some of the people, the entire market facade—including signage, flags, balconies, bricks, and windows—had to be built from the ground up. Modifications were made to an existing model of a tram to incorporate features that were unique to that of the trams in Melbourne.
To save time without compromising on detail, we created half of the building and used symmetry mirroring to complete it. The result? A living, breathing Melbourne streetscape that set the perfect tone for the show.
To achieve this, we reconstructed the Prahran Market in 3D, complete with bustling pedestrians and Melbourne’s iconic trams.
2 – Striking the right balance in character animation
Catherine Velisha’s animated persona was another key element. The challenge here was nailing the right level of cartoonishness. The first iterations were either too simplistic or too stylized—ranging from exaggerated caricatures to newspaper-style black-and-white sketches.
After a few rounds of refinement, we landed on a vector-based style with hand-drawn elements like smile lines and hair strands, adding just the right amount of personality. The animation itself featured Catherine interacting with a field of cauliflower, using real footage from the show that we transformed into a cohesive, cartoon-style background. The animated tractor and cauliflower rows added depth, while the dust effects (created using a particle system) gave movement to the scene. Another subtle touch? The background blur. Initially, everything was sharp, but as the camera zoomed in on Catherine, the background softened—keeping the focus on her while maintaining the immersive feel.
As a finishing touch, we created a “Write-on” animation for the title of this segment of the show, to make it feel personal and handcrafted.
3 – Crafting a flexible animated logo
The final piece of the puzzle was the animated logo. The bouncing orange and animated leaves added a fresh, organic touch. The challenge here was ensuring the animation was versatile enough to be used across different show elements.
We designed it for maximum flexibility. It worked seamlessly during commercial breaks and could be repurposed for on-screen “strap” elements—those lower-third graphics that introduce recipes, guests, or upcoming segments.
The Results
Watch the full series here:
The team at My Market Kitchen was thrilled with the final animations. The 3D intro brought Melbourne to life, the caricature sequence added a fun, branded touch, and the animated logo seamlessly fit into the show’s visual language. Best of all? The animations are now live on Channel 10’s streaming platforms. We made it to TV again!
Want a custom animation for your brand?
If you’re looking for creative, high-quality animation that brings your brand to life, let’s talk! Whether it’s a show intro, character animation, or a dynamic logo, we can make it happen. Just get in touch with us.
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