Hue&Cry has brought Matt Darnall on board as creative director.

Having spent nearly seven years at The Mill, Darnall relocates from Chicago to join the Richmond-based animation and design studio. where he will drive creative development and steer its growing group of designers and animators.

With 10-plus years of a diverse, rich background in the animation and design field, Darnall has climbed the industry ranks, holding posts from illustrator, animator, and designer to creative director and animation director.  Working and shepherding both large and small teams, Darnall has had a hand in projects that have spanned from broadcast television to film and entertainment and run the gamut of traditional animation and film title sequences to CG character pieces, VFX driven creative, and motion graphics. 

Darnall cut his teeth freelancing in studios such as Digital Kitchen, Filmograph, Vitamin, Daily Planet, Sarofsky, and Radar for several years before taking a full-time design post at the expanding Mill office in Chicago in 2014.  He was the first hire for the design department, and quickly emerged as a key player where he began to lead jobs and art direct as the studio exploded from 15 staffers to more than 65, becoming a go-to animation director for The Mill Group.

Known for his animation prowess, appealing character work, whimsical storytelling, and attractive visuals, Darnall has designed and developed identity for an array of leading clients and entities including Sony PlayStation, Jack Daniels, Coors Light, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, McDonald’s, Extra Gum, Nike, State Farm, VISA, Tag Heuer, Chicago Bulls, HBO, and The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.  Notable TV and film properties he has had a hand in creating visuals for include HBO’s “True Blood,” Warner Bros.’ “The Conjuring,” Sony Pictures Screen Gems’ “Deliver Us From Evil,” and Summit Entertainment’s “Snitch” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Of late, Darnall has also been a leading creative voice for the Wholly Guacamole and Dairy Queen accounts with BBDO San Francisco and Barkley, respectively, where he’s been directing fully CG character driven spots.  His Wholly Guacamole and Visa spots were recently shortlisted at the AICP Show.