I Spy You Spy
Client
Tiny House Productions
Credits
Greg Norton, James Clarke, Winston Tsang, Beth Tibbles
Year
2025
Services
Graphics Packages
And Title Sequences
We were approached by Emma Hyman at Tiny House Productions to create the title sequence and supporting graphics for I Spy You Spy, a new preschool series for CBeebies inspired by the classic family game. The challenge was to develop a playful visual identity that felt simple, contemporary, and child-like – one that would immediately connect with young audiences.
A key requirement was to bring the show’s main puppet character, Elsee, into the heart of the design. This meant finding a way to seamlessly integrate her live-action performance with bold, illustrated environments that captured the whimsical tone of the series. The titles and graphics also needed to be adaptable, working not just on broadcast but across social platforms and as thumbnails.
The Challenge
One of the great benefits to clients of working with Tracks and Layers is easy access to our strong network of trusted freelancers, each bringing their own skill sets and specialities to the mix. Part of the briefing process for any project involves understanding the key creative points it needs to hit, and for this project, the client came prepared with references and style requirements that we knew would be best served by specific talent.
The collaboration resulted in a vibrant title sequence that combined animation & live-action puppetry, full of beautifully illustrated elements that developed into key on-screen graphics during each episode’s game segment.
The Solution
Visual Inspiration
Tiny House Productions had a clear style in mind when it came to the background illustrations, and thanks to our pool of fantastic freelancers, we knew exactly who to reach out to for that vibrant, child-friendly design flair.
Having worked with Beth Tibbles on previous projects and knowing her great portfolio of work, we knew that she would be able to portray the bright, friendly feeling of Elsee’s world – balancing simplicity & clarity with a playful style that would appeal to the young audience.
Illustration Collaboration
Working closely with the client team and Beth, we put forward some suggestions for how the opening titles might work, focusing on bringing out the I Spy game elements and having the puppet Elsee interacting with the illustrations as they come to life throughout the sequence. Beth did a wonderful job visualising this and creating the illustrative styling of Elsee’s world, which would then be carried through all the graphic elements for the show.
Beth then worked up a variety of logo designs, exploring different layouts and motifs to represent Elsee in the visuals. Working within a distinctive colour palette and including illustrations seen within the title sequence ensured continuity, and the final design balanced clarity for young viewers with those lovely eye-catching details.
Designing The Title Sequence
Our team worked on mapping out the title sequence in a series of simple storyboards, helping to visualise where each element would appear and interact with Elsee. This was essential for both the puppet performer and Beth, as it helped everyone involved understand the timings and eye-lines for the performance, as well as the available space for the illustrated background elements.
Here you can see how the initial storyboards informed the later style frames, in which Beth’s illustrations are carefully mapped and animated to follow the story of the sequence, and stills of the puppet’s performance are used to more accurately explore how well everything is working together on screen.
Live-Action Puppet Integration
When working on any project involving green screen elements or visual effects, we provide on-set supervision as part of the process to ensure everything is captured as it should be. With complex details like fluffy textures or puppet control wires, it’s important to get the lighting & camera angles set up in a way that keeps the creative as efficient as possible.
Once the performance films were sent to us, our team then edited the footage together with the final artwork, keying & grading the puppet elements and animating the surrounding illustrations to Elsee’s movements, incorporating her fully into the I Spy You Spy world.
“What’s Missing?” Game Design
An important part of the I Spy You Spy series is of course, the game itself! In each episode, Elsee leads the audience in spotting several themed objects in different locations, and then plays the “What’s Missing?” game, in which three items are shown on screen before one disappears, prompting the viewers to guess which one is missing.
The client team were fantastic at being very clear with what they needed for each set, and we worked closely with Beth to deliver over 100 individual game graphics as well as a bespoke alphabet. In designing the game, we needed to ensure each icon was instantly recognisable and clear to young viewers – the vibrant images were enhanced by white borders, and the soft blue background ensured they stood out on screen.
We completed the graphics package with some punchy animated in and out stings, broadcast title stills, and an illustrated credits background, ensuring that the series has a cohesive brand identity from start to finish, setting it up well for any hopeful future series!
The Results
Our show is looking beautiful, thanks T&L!
We received great feedback from the Tiny House Productions team, and Emma praised the teamwork & visuals.
Enhanced GFX package delivered
From the initial ask of just the title sequence and logo, to creating the full library of game assets and icons, we brought added value to the production as creative partners.
Future collaboration
Working so well together with Beth and the Tiny House team meant that, in the hopeful event of a second series, the groundwork has been laid for an even more creative and efficient experience next time.
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We’re ready to tackle your next big challenge – whether it’s dynamic on-screen graphics, immersive CGI event visuals, or something in-between. Let’s chat about how we can help you bring your vision to life.