In 2020, the Sunhak Peace Prize launched a motion graphics contest centered around seven themes of peace. Our team, a friend and I chose the theme of Religious Harmony, aiming to illustrate the interconnectedness of the world’s major religions through shared histories and symbolic imagery. Our final 42-second animation was awarded an Honorable Mention.

The main challenge was finding a cohesive way to visually represent multiple religions while emphasizing their connections. We wanted to include key symbols from the world’s major faiths without feeling cluttered, while maintaining a warm, organic, and illustrative aesthetic. Balancing clarity, inclusivity, and creative storytelling in under a minute was central to the project.

I led the conceptualization, visual design, and full animation of the piece. My friend, Beatriz Lima supported the project on the production side, managing deadlines, coordinating submissions, arranging payments, and providing brainstorming feedback throughout the process.

We explored religious iconography, symbolic overlaps, and interfaith motifs, focusing on ways to make those connections visually intuitive. Inspiration came from cultural patterns, organic shapes, and illustrative design principles, while Caru’s track “Nina” set the mood in the background.

I designed all elements in Illustrator, maintaining an organic flat vector style. After Effects was used for animation, applying subtle motion to shapes, symbols, and textures to give depth and life to the composition. The workflow balanced speed and flexibility, allowing quick iteration on layout and timing while keeping the project visually cohesive.

Initial sketches explored many ways to link religious symbols together. After multiple iterations, we shaped a cohesive visual flow built around overlapping forms, shared religious symbols, and soft transitional movement that carried the story forward. Feedback from Beatriz and from peer reviews helped refine timing, composition, and symbolism to ensure clarity and inclusivity.

The final animation combined textured, illustrative vectors with organic motion to communicate interconnectedness. Symbols from multiple religions were woven together, and subtle transitions guided the viewer through the visual narrative without overwhelming the senses.