"Sea of Dragons" is a personal project creating a fake title screen for a fictional period show. I've always loved seeing animated TV titles in shows, and was particularly inspired by title credit animations such as those for Black Sails, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, Westworld, and Game of Thrones.
I aimed to create a title sequence based on the intersection of Nordic myths and iconography, and the Anglo-Saxon/Christian imagery during the Viking Age. With Nordic and Danish clans spreading and enacting incursions throughout Europe and beyond, and King Harald Fairhair attempting to unite all of Norway while King Alfred sought to unite England, the 800s were a tumultuous time. Political consolidation, the spread of Christianity, widespread economic changes, and internal turmoil were growing, slowly marking the end of the Viking Age. This clash of cultures and beliefs has been depicted in popular media before, including shows such as The Last Kingdom, Vikings, and even games such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla - but much of it is hidden beneath popular culture depictions of Vikings over unknown truths.
"Sea of Dragons" looks deeper into this period and the true lives of the Vikings and Saxons, both within Norway and abroad. As such, these titles lean into the arts of Viking and Christian life that have survived centuries - the art of woodcarving and gold working. Warm wooden tones contrast with molten gold, depicting the beauty of art and culture at the time. These are applied to strong symbols of Christianity and Viking mythology: the cross, gold coins stamped with the face of Alfred the Great, Viking longships, and carvings of the World Tree and Jormungandr. These are intercut with symbolic imagery: the Viking resistance to political consolidation, and runestones used to depict the inevitable future and fall of the Vikings.
Music Credits: Jesper Kyd, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Ubisoft.
"Sea of Dragons" was selected to be shown at Moonlighters 2024, an event celebrating a collection of curated projects by motion designers and creatives in the Chicagoland area.
Want to See the Process? ↓
Moodboard
The main focus of this moodboard was on the art and style of the Viking Age - primarily carvings, patterns, engravings, and iconography.
These carvings and symbols are what endured throughout history, given that written history was rare at the time aside from Christian texts and the Nordic poetic Eddas. As such, this strong imagery was the focus point for the title sequence, just as it was for the people that lived during this period.
Copy/Title Development
The copy for these titles needed to stand out, beyond just text on the screen. It needed to be a form of art in its own right. The final title utilizes the Helm of Awe, a Norse symbol meant to instill a feeling of power, awe, and fear. This felt appropriate for the use case in this scenario - the symbol was intended to strike fear into enemies, but the fear indicated here could also apply to the fear of the Viking way of life being lost amidst changing times.
The animation for it could then lean into the form of the Helm of Awe itself - emanating from the center and following along the spokes, in a defensive shield. The copy itself is placed with the center spoke of the icon as a strong divider, centering the text and lending to the feeling of power.