Los Angeles-based animation studio BIEN is revolutionizing the industry with its proprietary methodology called Inclusive Motion Design (InMoDe), which aims to create authentic representation of humanity rather than relying on tokenism. Founded in 2017 by co-founders Ricardo Roberts and Hung Le, the studio operates under the principle of "design with, not for" as the foundation of their holistic approach to inclusivity.
BIEN's InMoDe process begins from within the organization for each client project. The studio assembles inclusive teams with lived experiences that closely align with the target audience, ensuring that people with disabilities are always represented. "After all, 15 percent of the world has some type of disability," Ricardo points out. "To be responsible designers, we need to make sure we're inclusive of the world's largest minority group." These diverse voices participate in every step of the creative process, from initial brief development to script writing, storyboarding, and final animation.
The studio's approach extends beyond surface-level diversity considerations. "Our approach is to look at diversity beyond the typical forms and ask the right questions," says Hung. "Is diversity really just skin color? Is disability on-screen just the depiction of people in wheelchairs?" BIEN considers invisible disabilities, cultural backgrounds, gender expressions, and subtle details like clothing, accessories, props, body language, and facial expressions. This attention to nuanced representation makes their characters feel genuinely representative of real-world diversity.
One of BIEN's most impactful projects involved creating an illustration toolkit for The Paralympics, where the studio developed nearly 200 characters designed to support para-athletes. These characters provide inclusive visual references for classification across all Paralympic sports. "We believe that the true goal of inclusive character design is to normalize diverse attributes that define us beyond race to reflect the diversity that exists in real life rather than glamorizing one over others," explains Hung.
The studio has collaborated with major companies across technology, entertainment, and sports sectors, including Google, Netflix, Instagram, Dropbox, Apple, Disney, Hulu, and National Geographic. Their work demonstrates how illustrated characters possess significant power to move and influence people, a responsibility BIEN takes seriously in their mission to build more opportunities in design.
Despite their success, BIEN faces industry challenges, particularly regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. While the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 catalyzed increased DEI efforts across companies globally, recent years have brought growing criticism. This reached a peak when Donald Trump signed executive orders rolling back DEI initiatives. "When hostility toward DEI grew louder, we didn't retreat," says Ricardo. "This year, we made a conscious decision to treat that backlash as fuel. Instead of softening our position, we doubled down, because the industry needs inclusivity now more than ever."
BIEN ensures their process remains authentic by following up with audience feedback to avoid creating a spectacle of difference. Their ultimate aim is depicting diversity as ordinary rather than exceptional, because diversity is indeed ordinary in real life. The studio's characters feel representative precisely because of their meticulous attention to the complexities of lived experience.
Looking toward the future, BIEN plans to continue creating opportunities and educating audiences through workshops and scholarships. Their long-term vision encompasses multiple goals: establishing new design trends, generating fresh creative output, delivering business results for clients, while simultaneously creating meaningful social change. "There's no room for thinking that the creative and advertising industries are shallow and don't contribute to the greater good," says Ricardo. "We're working towards a future that normalizes diversity. A world where equal opportunities are created, and that respectfully include members of the global majority on-screen and behind the scenes."
