The OFFF Main Titles 2026 Projected onto the 110-meter-long façade of the Disseny Hub in Barcelona.

Client: OFFF

Production: Laundry Studio

Director: PJ Richardson, Alex Liou, Josh Pierce
Designer/Animator: PJ Richardson, Alex Liou & Josh Pierce
Additional animation: Alejandro R. Mejia
Technical support: Alan Ng, Mike Penny, Dave Grewal

Sound by Cypher 

John Black, Joris Van Grunsven, Joseph Sims

CYPHER was commissioned to create original music and sound design for Ultramega Kaiju Klash! – an ambitious anime-style short film directed and animated entirely by Kris Brady. The film draws from the cult comic series Ultramega by James Harren, capturing the kinetic brutality of early 1990s Japanese animation: a style that demands sound design as relentless and precise as the visuals.

Director/Animator : Kris Brady

Sound by Cypher

Joris van Grunsven (Original Music)

John Black (Sound Design & Mix)

Music and sound design for the Hublot Big Bang Original Unico launch film
— directed by Alexandre Veaux for Tendril. CYPHER delivered original music and sound design that complements the
track’s precision and scale.

The Big Bang Original Unico

Client : Hublot

Produced by Tendril 

Directed by Alexandre Veaux 

Sound by Cypher 

Original music : Joris van Grunsven/Joseph Sims 

CD : John Black 

Hexagonal Prisms is a music label and monthly mix series that releases music and sound on physical media and digitally. 

The initial concept was to create a beautifully packaged trilogy of cassette releases that would be both collectable design object and analogue audio delivery device. This project has developed into an important part of our creative studio practice, fostering artistic expression and a blatant disregard for commercial concerns.

Volume 01 has each side represent a ‘soundfilm’ to be experienced for the duration of 21 mins + (UV print on clear shell and cassette type engraving)

Volume 02/Transient Dispatches leans into a more rhythmic theme : 23:23 per side (Type engraved on mirror diamond cassette, OBI over clear shell)

Volume 03 arriving in Autumn 2026. 

Nic Girard designed the UV print on clear shell and cassette type engraving, as well as the supporting graphic materials and HP logo. The tapes were then hand assembled and packaged within antistatic bags containing custom logo/wordmark stickers.

Sound design and music for the Huawei Mate 80 Series product launch film
— produced by cclab with composer Joris van Grunsven and John Black.
Part of CYPHER’s ongoing work with Huawei on major product launches.

Client : Huawei

Produced by cclab

Sound by Cypher

Composer : Joris van Grunsven

Sound Design & Mix : John Black

Sound design and original music for The Game Awards 2025 — the global
broadcast event celebrating the video game industry, watched by tens of
millions worldwide. CYPHER delivered broadcast-scale audio for gaming’s
biggest night.

Client : Game Awards

Directed by Worship 

Sound by Cypher

Joris van Grunsven : Original Music

John Black : Sound Design & Mix 

Figure is building some of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world. For the reveal of the F.03 — their latest-generation robot — they worked with Tendril and CYPHER to create a product launch film that matched the ambition of the machine itself.

The result is a launch film that positions Figure’s technology not as science fiction, but as something present and inevitable. For CYPHER, the Figure work represents an expanding practice in sound design for emerging technology — where the audio has to define something the audience has no reference for.

Client : Figure

Production : Tendril

Sound by Cypher 

Original Music : Joris van Grunsven

Sound Design & Final Mix : John Black 

Sound design and music for Scholar’s Okta brand film — identity and
access management for enterprise, directed by Chris Finn and Michael
Tavarez.

CYPHER brought clarity and forward momentum to the audio for a
brand that operates at the heart of enterprise security. 

Production Company : Scholar 

Directors : Chris Finn & Michael Tavarez

Sound by Cypher

John Black served as Audio Director for Parallel Studios from 2022 to 2025, leading the full audio pipeline across three titles — Parallel TCG, Colony, and Sanctuary.

On Parallel TCG, the scope covered sound design, generative music development, VO casting and direction, cinematics audio production, and advertising.

Composer Joris van Grunsven joined the team in 2023, creating original music for the games, cinematics, short films, and sonic identities across the studio’s slate.

Sound design and music for Tendril’s Figure F.02 teaser film series —
product launch audio for one of AI’s leading humanoid robotics companies.
CYPHER built the sonic identity for the reveal, balancing precision
engineering with cinematic scale.

Produced by Tendril 

Sound by Cypher

CD/Sound Design: John Black

Composer: Joris van Grunsven

Sound Design/Mix: Joseph Sims

*Scroll down for additional films

A young girl’s life is forever changed when a fleeting moment of wonder— a swan taking flight —awakens her first spark of creativity. Moved to share the beauty she perceives, she begins to explore her artistic voice but soon finds herself grappling with the shadow of self-doubt. This quiet yet transformative journey captures the fragile balance between inspiration and uncertainty at the heart of every creative spirit.

Inspired by an excerpt from Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids, Swans is a poetic journey into the origins of creativity, revealing how a single moment can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
 

Studio : Wonderlust
Director : Ryan Rumbolt
Art Director : Justyna Stasik
Animation : Juan Pontaroli, Arm Sattavorn

Sound by Cypher
Composer : Joris van Grunsven
Sound Design/Mix : John Black

Sound design and music for FutureDeluxe’s Red Wing TruGuard Lite brand
film–a product launch built around the balance of heavy-duty durability
and lightweight comfort. CYPHER designed the audio to reflect the
functional toughness of the boot.

Directed and Produced by FutureDeluxe. 

Sound by Cypher

Composer: Joris van Grunsven
Sound Design & Mix: John Black

*Scroll down for additional films

Cymatics + Cymatics Explorations

In 2013 Emmy Award winning artist Susi Sie approached John Black of Cypher to create sound design for a film called Cymatics which went on to win a Vimeo staff pick and garner several editorial features. 

All scenes were filmed by using lycopodium powder, 50 Hz, a Canon 5D and a 100mm macro lens.

The finished edit was turned over to Cypher to reinterpret the movement sonically. 

In October 2024 we launched a series of 9 short films based on unused scenes from the original shoot, that illustrate the beauty of analogue chaos and organized sound.

Sound design and original music for IBM’s Z17 mainframe launch
campaign–audio designed to carry the precision and authority of
enterprise technology at scale. CYPHER built a sonic world that matches
the Z17’s position at the center of the world’s critical infrastructure.

Client: IBM

Production Studio : Tendril

Sound by Cypher

Sound design for Tendril’s Huawei P50 Pocket × Iris van Herpen launch —
a fashion-technology film guided by the designer’s principle of symbiosis
between nature and innovation. CYPHER built audio that lives in that same
boundary space.

Produced by Tendril 

Sound By Cypher 

Sound design and original music for Massimo Dutti’s year-end 2023 brand
film–a JoyCGI production for the luxury fashion house. CYPHER built
audio that reflects the brand’s understated elegance and precision
craftsmanship.

Direction & Animation : JoyCGI

Sound by Cypher 

Directors cut and exploration for the AJ11 ’23 campaign

Creative Direction : Vitaly Grossmann
Animation & Design : Vitaly Grossmann
Simulation : Philipp Pavlov

Sound by Cypher

Sound Design : Joseph Sims & John Black 

Original music and sound design for Tendril’s Mercedes GLC relaunch film — directed by Shane Griffin for Merkley+Partners NYC. CYPHER brought a sense of forward motion and restraint to the audio, matching the vehicle’s character.

Production Company : Tendril
Director : Shane Griffin

Sound by Cypher
Music Composition by Joris van Grunsven
Creative Direction, Sound Design & Mix by John Black

Opening Titles for Design Conference FITC Toronto 2023.
Directed by Nicolas Girard/Worship Studio

Sound by Cypher
Composer : Joris van Grunsven
Sound Design & Mix : John Black

A product film showcasing Hublot’s latest Masterpiece series watch in partnership with Takashi Murakami.

Production Company : Tendril

Sound by Cypher

An award-winning sport drama. A gifted athlete struggles to reconcile her natural talent with the reckless decision making that comes from adolescence.

Selected for the New York Shorts and Toronto Shorts International Film Festivals. 

Production : Revolver Films

Director : Duane Crichton

Writer : Kimberley Gillis

Original Score : John Black

»GHOSTS« the mesmerizing animated short film by Kristoffer Brady, delves into a haunting realm of memories, visions, and fragments, embodying the spector of Zach Hughes. With a compelling nod to the original animated short »Hashiru Otoko« by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, this film pays homage to the influential works that shaped Brady’s artistic journey. Inspired by classics like Vampire Hunter D and Ninja Scroll, this project is a heartfelt tribute to Kawajiri-san’s impactful contributions to the world of animation.

Brady’s vision takes audiences on a journey steeped in abstraction and artistry, capturing the enigmatic tale of Racer 37, Zach Hughes, and the downfall of the Death Circus. What emerges is a story layered with intricate nuances, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in their interpretations of Zach’s power and ultimate demise. Through stunning animation and an ethereal narrative, »GHOSTS« navigates the psyche of a character torn between the tranquility of death and an unyielding yearning for victory, creating an atmospheric and visually striking continuum to a tale left open-ended by its predecessor.

Created & Directed by – Kristoffer Brady

Sound by Cypher
Sound Design & Mix by John Black
Music by Joris van Grunsven

Production Company: Tendril

Sound Design + Music : Cypher

Tendril & Cypher joined forces with the Hublot team and brand ambassador Samuel Ross in a fashion-forward collaboration to craft a launch film for the release of the new limited-edition

Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross. 

Production Company : Tendril

Creative Director : Chris Bahry

Director : Pablo Alfieri

Sound by Cypher

Sound Design, Original Music & Mix : John Black

Tendril collaborated with design agency Oker to establish a logo reveal and brand film for Jidu – to be unveiled at ROBODAY 2022. Jidu is a new automotive company, co-founded by Chinese internet giant Baidu and automaker Geely– launching an L4 autonomous car. Jidu employs AI to drive the future of mobility and reimagine the human-machine relationship through immersive experiences.

We crafted the sonic experience.

Client: Jidu

Production Company: Tendril

Creative Director: Chris Bahry

Sound by Cypher

Original music and sound design for Tendril’s brand identity refresh — a
long-running creative partnership between two studios at the top of their
respective fields. CYPHER built the sonic side of Tendril’s new identity from
the ground up.

Client : Tendril

Sound by CYPHER
Music Composition/Sound Design/Direction : John Black
Music Composition/Joris van Grunsven

*Scroll down for additional films

A hero brand film for the Hublot FIFA World Cup 2022.

Production Company: Tendril
Sound by Cypher

Original music and sound design for the Hublot Big Bang Integral Time
Only launch film and its supporting visual asset library, produced by Tendril.
CYPHER delivered a complete audio package covering the full scope of
the campaign.

Sound by Cypher Original Music & Sound Design : John Black

Creative Studio : Massive Assembly

Sound by Cypher
Sound Design/Mix Engineer : John Black
Music by Joris van Grunsven

Sound design and music for Tendril’s AOI Gallery — a real-time Unreal
Engine digital art space for collectors, streamed via browser on any device.
CYPHER created an ambient sonic environment that adapts to the
meditative quality of the space.

*Scroll down for additional info & films 

A short film by Six N. Five

Ordinary, everyday objects are the ones who rebel in a high-class house. Hidden, invisible, concealed, they disrupt the harmony of the calculated interior design. A true class revolution takes place, where the underdogs rise up against a so-called perfection.

Sound by Cypher featuring the music of Georgia.
Creative direction, production, arrangement, sound design & mix : John Black
Music Composition : Brian Close & Justin Tripp/Georgia

Created by Worship for Riot Games

Sound by Cypher 

A favourite from the Hublot series, a case study in synchronized motion and sound. 

Production Company : Tendril

Creative Director : Chris Bahry

Director : Vitaly Grossmann 

more 

Sound by Cypher
Original music/sound design/mix : John Black

Sound design and music for Tendril’s life#1 — an exploration of algorithms,
natural growth, and the forms that living systems take. CYPHER composed
audio that mirrors the generative logic of the visuals: structured but organic.

Produced by Tendril

Sound by Cypher

Sound Design, Original Music & Mix : John Black

Sound design and music for the League of Legends Esports brand film by
Riot Games, produced by Massive Assembly. Audio for one of esports’
biggest and most enduring franchises, built to carry competitive energy at
broadcast scale. 

Client : Riot Games

Sound by Cypher

Sound design and music for Six N. Five’s Kintsu campaign for Brizo Bath
— three meditative films drawn from Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy.
CYPHER composed minimal, contemplative music that holds the series’
sense of stillness.

Sound by Cypher

Sound Design Original Music & Mix : John Black

Sound design for three animated shorts by Alex Grigg, produced for Super
Deluxe–Instagram-native motion fragments built for compressed short-
form storytelling. CYPHER treated each short as its own distinct sonic
world.

Written and Animated by Alex Grigg

Sound by Cypher

Sound Design by John Black 

»Rutger Bregman on Taxes« is personal project made in collaboration with Yaniv Friedman. The quote is an excerpt from Dutch journalist and historian Rutger Bregman’s conference given at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, where he talks about wealth inequality, philanthropy and taxes. Rutger is also the author of »Utopia for Realists«. A book where he explores three core concepts; a universal basic income, a 15-hour workweek and open borders across the globe.

Design & Animation : Yaniv Friedman

Sound by Cypher

Sound design and original music for Tendril’s Huawei Wisdom brand film —
one of a series of projects CYPHER has delivered for Huawei, one of the
world’s leading consumer technology companies.
 

Produced by Tendril
Sound by Cypher

Client : Haibike
Direction, Design & Animation :
ManvsMachine

Sound by Cypher

Sound Design Mix

Design/Animation/Direction : Tendril

Original Music & Sound Design : CYPHER

A cinematic that pays tribute to classic anime movies, while honing Tendril’s unique in-house art style.
Created by Tendril

Sound by Cypher Original Music, Sound Design & Mix by John Black

»The Second Coming« is a 1919 poem by W. B. Yeats, written under the shadow of WW1, and tells of the coming apocalypse. The film’s visuals are directly inspired by the early pioneers of moveable type, an artistic movement of the time. Artists such as Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Theo van Doesburg, Piet Zwart and Jan Tschichold. Their new untethered approach to moveable type injected a keen sense of emotion into an otherwise rigid medium. The film also mimics animation of the time with a stifled frame rate of 6fps. 

Voiced by English actor Jack Cutmore-Scott.

Created as part of TED Ed’s poetry/animation series.

By Eoin Duffy

Sound by Cypher

Music and Sound Design : John Black 

Music and sound design for the Oak Island show opener — a broadcast
title sequence for A&E Networks, directed by Danny Yount. CYPHER
scored the piece to carry the show’s atmosphere of suspense and historical
mystery. 

For A&E Networks by PRODIGAL PICTURES

Director : Danny Yount

Executive Producer : Grant Julian
Production Design : Southside Allstars
Director Of Photography : Andrew Shenkweiler
Editor : Shawn Fedorchuk

Sound by Cypher

Music & Sound Design : John Black

Cinema 4D/Octane Render/AfterEffectsTitle Designer/3D Artist: zaoeyo (Xiaolin Zeng)

Score & Sound Design : Cypher

Based on a poem and inspired by the work of Italian designer, Ettore Sottsass, Some is a short film that explores the spectrum of emotions of everyday life.

Produced by: Wonderlust
Directed by: Ryan Rumbolt
Art Direction//Illustration: Justyna Stasik
Animation: Juan Pontaroli & Arm Sattavorn

Sound by Cypher

The TEDx Sydney 2018 animation explore this year’s topic of Humankind by taking us through museum galleries, where our present and potential future collide with the past.

Modern subjects are mixed with classical forms, and the suspended animation of these sculptures kindles poignant evaluation of our current place within humanity’s short timeline.

Client: TEDx Sydney
Direction: Scott Geersen

Original Music & Sound Design : Cypher

Battle Force is a celebration of sport and culture, a global event where hoops, art, music and dance all come together. Nike approached us to develop a living, modular motion system that could accommodate a multitude of expressions — from web films to environmental animation to social content. 

Directed by: Oddfellows

Sound by Cypher 

Original Music/Sound Design/Mix : John Black 

Original music and sound design for Samsung’s Perfect Reality — a Six N.
Five and R/GA project blending technology, visual art, and product
demonstration. CYPHER scored the piece to hold the balance between the
aspirational and the functional.

Agency: R/GA
Art Direction & Development by Six N. Five 

Sound by Cypher

Original Music & Sound Design : John Black

Sound design and music for GMUNK’s Infiniti QX50 film for 72andSunny,
exploring the relationship between human intelligence and machine
capability. CYPHER scored the piece with the same measured authority the
campaign was built on.

Sound by Cypher

Original Music/Sound Design/Mix

Client : SPACE10

Creative direction: Six N. Five + Sebastián Baptista 

Sound by Cypher//John Black

ItsNiceThat 

This collection of motion clips came from the Worship rebrand of Cypher, and were also utilized in John Black’s Blend presentation in May 2017.
Most audio is from previous projects, recontextualized to these minimal motion visualizations, creating a unique take on an audio reel.

»Hugo in Garden« is a multi-collaborative project where we explored how artificial common materials work into an organic atmosphere.

Directed by Six N. Five + Twistedpoly
Design & Art Direction by Six N. Five
2D sketches by Eze Matteo
Animation & edit by Twistedpoly

Music & Sound Design by John Black/Cypher

Event opening title card for CIINEMA, a monthly film screening series in Toronto.

Design by Worship. Nicolas Girard, Rafael Ruiz, Shalinder Matharu
Music & Sound Design by John Black/Cypher

Music and sound design for the Zeiss Visionaries pilot — a documentary
series following the artists and athletes who rely on Zeiss optics to see the
world in the way they do. CYPHER scored the pilot to match the series’
contemplative, character-driven tone.

FAMOUS FANS | CHI PO LIN

Director/DOP : Harrison Schaaf

Sound by Cypher : Original Music, Sound Design & Mix

Music, sound design, and mix for four Condé Nast Continental Stories short
films directed by Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins. CYPHER handled the full audio
post on a series that sits at the intersection of travel, journalism, and
prestige filmmaking.

Produced by Common Good

Sound by Cypher Original Music, Sound Design & Mix

Original music and sound design for Tendril’s Nike LunarEpic Flyknit Shield
launch–performance footwear audio for a global Nike campaign. A
continuation of the LunarEpic series, CYPHER built on the sonic world
established in the original launch. 

Production Studio: Tendril

Sound by Cypher

Original Music, Sound Design & Mix : John Black

Sound design for I Am Here–an NFB animated short by Eoin Duffy,
following a lone traveller on a pilgrimage across an aging, quiet cosmos.
CYPHER built a minimal, expansive soundscape to match the film’s sense
of scale and solitude.

Produced by the NFB

Sound Design by John Black

I had the honour of speaking at Blend in May of 2017 in Vancouver. Blend is a unique event in the design world, with no sponsors and a positive community atmosphere, it really is all about design, motion and sound. 

As the first sound designer to present at Blend, I had an especially fortunate opportunity to speak about my background and career designing audio for motion and other mediums. The visuals for the talk were created by Worship, and really helped set the tone for my segment ‘Constructing Imaginary Worlds’.

In addition to presenting, CypherAudio also created the sound for the opening title sequence The Blend Is Near.

Sound design and original music for REACTION — a Vimeo Staff Pick experimental short by
DFMN. Abstract visuals, bespoke sound design, and no dialogue —
everything communicates through audio and motion. A purely sensory
piece.

VISUALS: DFMN
AUDIO: CYPHER 

*Scroll down for additional films

Rising from the surreal landscape of an incredible alien world, Nike’s reinvented running shoe, the LunarEpic Flyknit, was a product launch of galactic proportions. 

Client : Nike 

Production Company : Tendril

Sound by Cypher

Sound design and music for Nike’s LunarEpic Flyknit Summer campaign —
the phase-two film produced with Blacklist, in which the shoe appears to
defy gravity. CYPHER carried the audio world of the campaign into its
seasonal chapter

Produced by Tendril

Sound by Cypher Original Music, Sound Design & Mix : John Black

Sound design and music for Eddie Alcazar’s Versace Bright Crystal film —
an experimental fragrance film that blurs the line between fantasy,
sensuality, and reality. CYPHER’s audio occupies the same dreamlike
register as the visuals.

Sound by Cypher 

Original Music/Sound Design/Mix

Sound design and music for the Elevation Pictures logo animation —
produced by Tendril for one of Canada’s leading independent film
distribution companies. A short, precise audio identity designed to open
every theatrical release.

Produced by Tendril

Sound Design and Music by John Black/Cypher

Sound Design Edit

Winner : 2016 The Art Directors Club Awards Designism (Motion)
Winner : 2016 The Art Directors Club Awards GOLD Winner : 2016

One Show, Silver Pencil Winner : 2016

D&AD Wood Pencil

Directed by Buck 
Sound by Cypher

Opening Titles The Opening Titles for Style Frames NYC.
A Tendril Design + Animation Production
Directed by Anthony Scott Burns and Chris Bahry.

Sound by Cypher : Original Music/Sound Design/Mix : John Black

Sound design for the Mongrel Media logo animation–Canada’s leading
independent film distributor, with the animation produced by Helios Design
Labs. CYPHER designed a short, memorable audio sting that carries the
brand’s independent spirit.

Created by Helios Design Labs

Sound Design by John Black

Music and sound design for Buck’s Nike World Basketball Festival — a TV
spot and Times Square animation celebrating basketball culture in New
York City. CYPHER scored the piece to carry the city’s energy and the
sport’s momentum.

Sound by Cypher

Original Music, Sound Design & Mix : John Black

PAUSE, an exploration of concept and design within Broadcast and Film. From :30 commercial spots to feature film projects, PAUSE will examine the creative and technical approaches of industry leading studios and agencies. We assembled some of the best in the business and they presented two days of non-stop kinetic information and inspiration.

Directed by IAMSTATC (BTRY)

Sound By Cypher