AI as a Toolmaker, Not Just a Generator
What if we stopped asking AI to make our art, and instead asked it to build the custom tools we need to create it ourselves? This project explores a new paradigm for motion designers by turning AI into a personal toolmaker. By feeding the After Effects SDK into a custom Antigravity skill, I was able to code, compile, and deploy fully functional, shareable After Effects plugins using nothing but natural language. It’s about shortening the distance between thinking, “I wish I had a tool for this,” and actually owning it.
001. Solco
The Solco plugin is a high-performance C++ effect for Adobe After Effects that simulates the look of architectural reeded glass. It features realistic refraction, physically-based shading, specular highlights, and dynamic turbulence.
002. Poro
The Poro is a custom After Effects effect designed to simulate the organic spread of liquid ink. It moves beyond a simple blur by incorporating noise-driven displacement and precise density control.
003. Punto
risoPrint is a professional-grade After Effects plugin designed to simulate the unique aesthetic of Risograph printing. It combines multi-channel halftone screening, custom ink palettes, misregistration controls, and organic edge roughness to produce a tactile, printed look.
Working at Google Creative Lab I have the privilege of extensively trying some AI tools to unlock new ideas. These are conversations I have developed together with Gemini.
I have been using AI studio, Antigravity, Gemini Pro, Flow.
Rotate Anything
The core synthesis is powered by Gemini 3 Pro. To create a 45° view, the model combines the original photo with the floor count and a hyper-realistic style prompt. For the deeper 135° rotation, we use a “chaining” technique: the AI references the previously generated 45° image rather than the original front-facing one. This helps the model better understand the building’s 3D volume and maintain consistency across every angle.
The technical stack is built for speed and reliability, featuring a React and Tailwind CSS frontend for a sleek dark-mode interface. An Express/Node.js backend handles API requests and proxies Street View data, while the Google GenAI SDK manages direct communication with the Gemini models.
Rotate Anything is an architectural visualization tool that uses generative AI to turn 2D building photos into consistent 3D-like rotations.
The process begins with an image upload or a high-quality capture via our Google Street View integration. Before generating any new views, Gemini 3 Flash analyzes the image to count floors and identify structural elements, providing a “scale anchor” that ensures the building’s proportions remain accurate during rotation.
Synesthesia Sequencer
The app is an interactive music sequencer that turns your photos into sound. When you upload an image, Gemini 2.5 Flash acts as a “synesthesia expert,” analyzing the vibe, colors, and complexity of your photo to map them directly to a musical composition. It generates a unique melody and a matching drum rhythm—like a steady house beat for a bright, energetic photo or a sparse, glitchy rhythm for something more moody.
You aren’t just a listener, though. You can use the Complexity Knob to strip the melody down to its core or dial it up for a denser sound, and the Dual-Grid Sequencer lets you manually tweak the AI’s pattern or swap synth sounds on the fly. Under the hood, the app is built with React and Tailwind for a smooth interface, while Tone.js handles the heavy lifting for the audio engine and real-time effects.
The app’s audio engine is built on 100% real-time synthesis using Tone.js, which means it doesn’t just play back static MP3 samples—it mathematically generates every sound in your browser the moment you hear it. The lead is a lush, evolving FM synthesizer, and the drum kit is modeled after classic analog hardware like the TR-808.
To get that authentic feel, we synthesized each drum from scratch: the kick is a deep, dropping sine wave, the snare and clap use tailored bursts of noise, and the hi-hats get their metallic sizzle from high-frequency modulation. By using synthesis instead of samples, the app has zero loading times and no “missing file” errors, resulting in a more organic sound that stays perfectly in sync as you tweak the tempo.
Berlusclock
Berlusclock is a kinetic web clock that turns timekeeping into a hypnotic visual rhythm.
Every single second, the engine acts as a live VJ, seamlessly cutting between a randomized pool of 1-second “tick” or “tock” video clips—sliced entirely from Silvio Berlusconi’s infamous first TikTok—to create a mesmerizing, relentless loop perfectly locked to the current time. You aren’t just watching a standard video player, though—you can tap anywhere on the screen to instantly freeze the visual chaos and capture a perfect snapshot of the moment.
I brought this project to life by “vibecoding” alongside Gemini, translating raw creative direction into a fully custom, responsive WordPress implementation. Under the hood, the app’s visual engine relies on 100% real-time pixel manipulation using the HTML5 Canvas API. Instead of using static CSS filters, it mathematically generates a live, dynamically pixelated mosaic of the active video, coated in a moody dark wash. To achieve its striking final look, the massive digital typography and a sweeping analog second hand act as a dynamic stencil, natively erasing the pixelated mask to reveal the razor-sharp, full-resolution video pulsing underneath.
A Melody of Tides and Type
A Melody of Tides and Type This piece is a vibecoding experiment built entirely in Antigravity, exploring the intersection of generative language, physics, and dynamic sound.
The core experience is driven by an interactive WebGL particle system using React Three Fiber, where simulated wind currents actively wash over shifting, algorithmically generated headlines.
Rather than just tracking visual physics, the atmosphere is deeply tied to a custom generative music engine built entirely from scratch on the native Web Audio API.
Every five seconds, the system analyzes the sentiment of the newly generated text to choose a major or minor harmonic mood, then translates the speed and direction of the wind into shifting, four-note synth drone chords. As the particle waves crash over the typography, the system triggers randomized percussive droplets and dynamically pitches the melodic arpeggiator based on both the cursor’s position and the physical height of the text on the screen.
The entire audio-visual ecosystem runs cleanly in the browser as a static export, requiring zero external audio files or backend servers.
Some days are just different. You can spend years creating massive projections that can be seen from the sky, but nothing quite prepares you for the day a small character you drew to relax becomes the face of a global Google campaign, launched with a tweet from CEO Sundar Pichai. This one feels different. Seeing a meditative, spare-time doodle reach a global stage is why I’m so emotional about it all. It’s a huge yay for the silly ideas that turn into something more
This little character was created to help announce a big idea: that Google is making Gemini Pro, its advanced AI, free for students. It’s the story of how a wobbly, hand-drawn line came to represent a technology that is shaping our future.
The Journey of a Doodle
The character didn’t start with a brief, but on an iPad with a personal goal: to learn. For years, I’ve used personal projects like my “Gastaloops” GIF series to find my own style. This was the same. It was an ongoing series I started in my spare time to teach myself simple character design and the craft of frame-by-frame animation.
The process was entirely hands-on, using Procreate to painfully draw each frame one by one. In an era defined by digital perfection, we made a conscious choice to embrace the wobbly lines and the warmth of the human touch. The character’s imperfect form is a deliberate visual metaphor, showing that Gemini is a tool built to be a helpful, accessible “learning companion,” not a cold, intimidating machine that will replace the students.
I tapped back to my memories to find inspiration in simple doodle I used to draw on my notes when I was at uni. The little dude went through numerous iterations and hair cuts too.
From a Sketch to the World Stage
A personal doodle doesn’t become a global campaign by accident. It requires an environment like Google Creative Lab, which has a unique culture of bridging the gap between Google’s technology and its users through “fiction, emotion, and surprise”. This was only possible because of the leadership at the Lab, who believed in my illustrations and let them shine.
The launch on August 6, 2025, was breathtaking. It began with Sundar Pichai’s tweet and an official Google blog post announcing that the Google AI Pro plan—with access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Deep Research tools, and more—would be free for a year to students in the U.S., Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Brazil. The character’s simple, universal design allowed it to appear on landing pages around the world, resonating especially well in places like Japan.
Of course, this was a massive team effort. My deepest thanks go to the leadership at the Lab for believing in this idea and to the sheer talent of the entire team who brought it to life. I cannot name all the people across the different teams who enabled this to happen, but their contribution was essential.
This little drawing that saw the light of day as a Google character makes me more emotional than I can say. It’s a story about how, even in the age of artificial intelligence, the most powerful way to connect with people is through something real, something human, something with a little bit of a wobble. What a day. What a feat.
And then we revealed their name!
Gigi!
Together with the Creative Lab, I helped the team shaping the global campaign for the 2024 Google Pixel 9.
With a completely new design, our objective was to show it in its full beauty, showing its wonderful edges, materials using clever reflections, infusing them with the magic of Gemini, here represented with a shimmer of color that ran through each line.
From November 13th to 18th, the world witnessed a dazzling collaboration between Chrome and McLaren on the Sphere, the largest spherical screen in existence. I was fortunate to be part of the creative and motion design team at Google Creative Lab that brought this project to life.
My role wasn’t just about finding the optimal workflow for wrapping a video onto the Sphere’s unique surface. I also had the opportunity to create a full 360-degree animation in Houdini, utilizing an impressive 2 million particles and rendered flawlessly in Redshift – a personal achievement for me!
Furthermore, I spearheaded the development of a simplified version of the animation specifically tailored for the F1 race day. This ensured maximum impact for a wider audience.
The advert captivated millions watching the F1 race live in Las Vegas and garnered an impressive 3 million online shares. It was a truly rewarding experience to be a part of such an innovative and impactful project.
New plants to identify. New care tips to learn. New ways to search in the new Google app.
On this project I was lucky to work with Creative Lab NY on crafting the animations of these three ads.
It appears that my brain functions in a way that leads me to obsess over certain things and turn them into addictions. As a solution, I have decided to embark on a fresh 100-day project. This time, after experiencing several unsuccessful attempts over the past 7 years, I am challenging myself to produce a brief animation utilizing Houdini and Redshift on a daily basis. I am not striving for anything elaborate or excessive, but rather aiming to improve through repeated practice.
And after 100 days, introducing “hallhoucinations”: A Journey of 100 Abstract Animations in 100 Days
Dive into a mesmerizing world of abstract imagery and animations brought to life through the dynamic combination of Houdini and the powerful Redshift render engine. “hallhoucinations” is a visionary project that pushes the boundaries of creativity and showcases the immense potential of these cutting-edge tools.
Prepare to be transported into a world where imagination knows no bounds, where abstract forms dance and morph, and where visual hallucinations become vivid reality. Welcome to “hallhoucinations.”
Below you can click on the static images to reveal the corresponding video.
The work of Google’s security teams mostly happens behind closed doors — whether that be intercepting government backed cyber attacks, or taking on the job of hacking Google to strengthen our defenses. But today, we’re taking you behind the scenes with HACKING GOOGLE, a new six-part docuseries featuring the elite security teams that keep more people safe online than anyone else in the world.
Watch the full series on youtube.
As a member of the in-house team at Creative Lab NYC, I was thrilled to work on episode 002 of the series, where I played a crucial role in developing and creating the cyberviz shots. Utilizing my expertise in cutting-edge software like Houdini 18.5, Cinema4D, and Redshift, I was able to voxelize the flames, creating visually stunning and impactful animations that truly bring the episode to life.
Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in the world of Google’s security teams and to witness the behind-the-scenes work that goes into keeping the internet a safer place. You can watch the full series on YouTube and see the incredible work of the security teams, including my contributions, firsthand.
Process reel. How I created the voxel flames in Houdini and Cinema4d, using pyro and fluid simulations.
Development reel. Designing means iterating and finding a style.
Shot reel. All the shots I created and have been used in this series.
EP000: Operation Aurora
EP001: Threat Analysis Group
EP002: Detection and Response
EP003: Red Team
EP004: Bug Hunters
EP005: Project Zero
starting.
In March 2020, the whole world stopped. We locked ourselves in our homes and tried to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
We had many worries and difficult moments. As parents, we also experienced a new relationship with our children. We feared for their health, not knowing that they were the ones keeping us alive and safe.
Sophie Lewis wrote a wonderful poem about this feeling.
She approached me and asked if I would be interested in making a film out of it.
Pierre Buttin was our first choice of illustrator to work with. He created a wonderful set of characters and monsters as well as a complete storyboard.
crafting.
Nicola Destefanis began developing the look of the characters and the entire film. We speculated about using a Risograph look, but struggled to make sense of it. The bold lines and simple shapes seemed stronger to us.
He modeled and rigged the 3D characters and also started blocking some of the animation.
hitting a wall.
After the initial quick push, we hit a wall, when we had our first full film done, with rough animations. The film resulted ubiquitous and not clear in the delivery. Most and foremost, the whole world was changing and as much the virus was evolving during the pandemic, the relationships between us in the same drastic ways. A surge of no vax, no mask, no lockdown movement proved to be the real enemy in what we were trying to say.
We had to rethink and be clearer in our narrative and of course in the visuals as well.
a new script.
As we had less and less time to work on this project, and fewer and fewer people involved, we often thought of abandoning it altogether. Our lives had already been overtaken by a second wave and some health problems were the cherry on top of the cake we had baked ourselves.
But with a new script and a new, probably simpler visual approach using both 3D and 2D techniques to tell this complex but important story, we felt like we were back on track. We had to “just do it.”
It took us another 9 months to get to a good stage.
delivering.
With a third revision of the script, which began at the start of the pandemic crisis, we wanted this film to be set in the moment of delivery. We wanted to talk about how it’s okay to be afraid of the uncertain times and how the ones we are supposed to be protecting are the ones keeping us moving forward, keeping us sane and strong.
For the past 9 months I have been working on the 3D alone, trying to salvage as much as I can from the beautiful animations Nicola Destefanis made in April 2020. I have learned the hard way how to work in Adobe Animate and create frame by frame hand drawn animations. These are certainly not perfect, but I liked the overall rough look of them. And how they integrated with the 3D.
A faint texture added a little something extra to it.
The music is Gaia by Marcus Grimm, courtesy by La Valigetta.
credits.
- Gasta, 3d animations and 2d animations, direction
- Sophie Lewis, script, voice over
- Pierre Buttin, illustrations
- Nicola Destefanis, 3d characters model, rig and animations
- Rebecca Smith, sound design (Platform Post)
- Marcus Grimm, music composer
- La Valigetta, music label
press.
Featured on Wired Italia.
Featured on Art Tribune.
Ongoing series of hand drawn gifs done in Procreate.
You can search and find the gifs as transparent stickers on instagram and whatsapp if you search for @gasta in the gif search.
Camera Switches is a new Android accessibility feature that can help people with speech and motor impairments navigate their phones using eye movements and facial gestures, customised to their range of movement. Find out more at https://g.co/cameraswitches
On this project I created the 3d Pixel 5 phone and its animations.
Done in C4D, rendered in Redshift.
27 million satellite images from the past 37 years, 2 million hours of rendering done inside Google’s carbon neutral data centers, the new Google Earth Timelapse features time as the 4th dimension to explore our planet.
Done entirely at Creative Lab London, I was responsible of setting the correct pipeline between Google Earth Studio, enabled with experimental features and After Effects.
I then animated 3d cameras in Google Earth Studio, rendering on multiple machines, 4k imagery that has been then used for the first time in January at Davos 2020 on the main led screen, which used a 2:1 ratio and a 4k resolution.
I also delivered assets for other screens in Davos, one huge video that was looping between the three main ones and more clips used by scientists.
The project received a huge media coverage and it’s still going strong on Youtube and magazines.
A collection of experiences made with WebXR, which brings together AR and VR on the web to make them more convenient and widely accessible.
We’re featuring some of our own projects here and encourage everyone to grow the collection and push the boundaries of what’s possible with WebXR.
I worked on some of the 3d transitions, intro and endframe, where I created a 3d Pixel 5 phone with some 3d light effects.
I also did some beauty work on the footage, to replace a sky.
Look to Speak is an Android app from ‘Experiments with Google‘ which enables people who have language and motor impairments to use their eyes to select pre-written phrases and have them spoken aloud. Keyword Post.
I made the tutorial (in app and youtube), some gifs for the media comms pack and some clean ups on the main film.
I created the motion visual identity of Teach from Home, a hub of information and tools to help teachers to teach from home during the CV-19 crisis.
10 animations, starting from Starling Bank logo, with a strong narrative in each of them.
5 pattern animations using the Starling elements, constantly moving.