Water Street, Tampa
An animation celebrating the transformation of Water Street Tampa - a major redevelopment in the heart of Downtown Tampa, designed to create a more sustainable, pedestrian-friendly urban district centered around people, work, and wellbeing.
Client: SPP
Creative Direction: Riley Animation Studios
Art Direction, Design and Animation: Ginger Fox
One of the main challenges was recreating a real place while developing a distinct illustrated world around it. Google Maps, architectural references, and location photography became essential tools for understanding the buildings, streets, and character of the neighborhood. Many virtual walks around Water Street later, the architecture was simplified and reinterpreted through the illustration style while keeping the location recognizable and true to its character.
But buildings alone don’t make a city feel alive. The scenes were filled with people walking, cycling, exercising, meeting, working, and spending time outdoors. Rather than treating the characters as background elements, their movement became an important part of capturing the energy of the neighborhood and showing Water Street as a place built around people.