Animade

Animade was a London animation and motion-design studio founded in 2010. Before its 2026 acquisition by Duolingo, it developed character-led work that combined illustration, 2D and 3D animation, motion design, and interactive product motion. Its approach paired distilled graphic design with humour, personality, and short-form storytelling for brand campaigns and digital experiences.

The studio offered an end-to-end creative and production service, from early concept development through design, animation, sound, and delivery. Its capabilities included:

• 2D, hand-drawn and 3D/CGI animation
• Character and mascot conception, illustration, and brand design systems
• Storyboarding, animatics, motion guidelines, and scriptwriting support
• Interactive motion for products, including Lottie and Rive
• AR, games, sound design, music, voiceover, workshops, and talks

Animade worked across technology, digital products, education, consumer brands, retail, and entertainment. Its portfolio included work for Apple, Google, Meta, Dropbox, LEGO, Walmart, Nickelodeon, Duolingo, Gizmo, WeTransfer, and BBC StoryWorks. Notable projects included the animated short Tend for WeTransfer, Olympops for the Rio Olympic Games, character and motion work for Walmart’s Sparky assistant, Gizmo’s axolotl mascot and in-app motion system, and animation campaigns for LEGO.

Alongside client work, the studio developed tools from its own production practice. Its storyboarding product Boords was spun out as a separate software business, while Animade Frames was created to make animation more accessible to creators with different levels of experience.

On 13 August 2026, Duolingo acquired Animade. The team joined Duolingo’s Design Studio to contribute motion design, product storytelling, and character animation across its mobile-app portfolio. Animade concluded independent commercial agency work, with its previous body of work retained through its studio archive.