Backpage press - 3d book promo

INTRO

I was approached by Neil White and Martin Greig from BackPage Press to help them create a luxury render of a bespoke memorbilia book of former Republic of Ireland footballer Aiden McGeady. They wanted the promo to feel top of the line to help promote the book so attention to detail, soft focuses, and elegant movement were the focuses here. I also wanted to dial into a level of excitement and intrigue to help make the trailer feel exciting and dynamic.

Moodboard

The initial mood board was excellent—Neil and Martin had a clear vision for how they wanted the book and presentation box to feel. Drawing inspiration from publications celebrating sports events and institutions like the Australian Open to Major League Baseball, they aimed for a balance of class and excitement to showcase their book.

PAGE FLIP ANIMATION

Using Cinema4D and Redshift, I textured the pages with assets provided by Neil and Martin. These featured dynamic shots of Aiden during his time at Sunderland and Celtic, capturing everything from winning slide tackles to lifting trophies.

I wanted to dedicate a special section to these moments, so I designed a page-flipping animation. The goal was not only to spotlight the photos but also to recreate the tactile feel of flicking through a book.

Texturing the pages was straightforward, but animating them proved more challenging. It required a careful balance of easing and timing; each page needed enough time to be appreciated, while still turning quickly enough to avoid looking as though it was suspended mid-flip. I was pleased with the final outcome, as it struck the right balance - giving enough time for the images to be appreciated without slowing down the overall animation.

TEXTURING

For the materials, Neil and Martin wanted gold to be the primary focus, giving the product a sleek, polished look. Working with reflective surfaces always brings challenges—you have to ensure the lighting enhances the material without creating harsh blowouts in the reflections.

After extensive tweaking of the material roughness and fine-tuning the light placement, I found a balance that kept the gold looking sharp and vibrant without overwhelming the scene.

Here are some of the initial material explorations we tried. Ranging from leather backings to vibrant plastics - experimenting with different finishes to find the right look.

fINAL tHOUGHTS!

I was very happy with the final outcome. This project was a real challenge, demanding a balance of lighting, texturing, and animation—a true test of my full 3D skillset. I was pleased with how it came together, and Martin and Neil shared that enthusiasm, saying they “couldn’t be happier” with the finished video.

Hearing that was a thrill or, as Alan Partridge would say: “Back of the net!” ⚽

Client: BackPage Press

Design Director: Neil White, Martin Greig

2D/3D Motion Design & Animation: Nathan Hughes