If you ever want to get to the core of group dynamics, just ask each member to describe one another. With Play Airways, a three-strong Toronto-based collective of animators/designers, the exercise yielded the image of a polite and quirky visionary superhero.

Josh Rafkin (23), describes his fellow Play boy Alex Kurina as the quietest and politest. "Sometimes we have to stab him with hot irons to make him speak his mind. But I think he has an inner anger that he channels into the visual world," says Rafkin. In turn, Kurina (23) draws a picture of quirky dreamer who's always ahead of the game when describing Play mate Kent Hugo. "But he's definitely more polite than me," says Kurina as if to shake the 'politeness' monkey that all Canadians seem to carry off his back. Finally, Hugo (24) exposes Rafkin as a "superhero" resembling a cross between Toby Maguire and Elijah Wood who may or may not wear a unitard. "We'll be working away at something and it'll be crunch time, and Josh will appear with something to add to the work - but it always saves the day."

Each individual seems to embody specific personality traits and the workload shakes down in a similar fashion - for the most part. The trio's complementary skill sets include directing and audio production (Rafkin), graphics (Kurina) and animation (Hugo). But of course nothing is engraved in stone.

As a trio of New Media students from Toronto's Ryerson University who "actually gave a shit about school", the guys from Play Airways began working together in their second year and were attracting attention before they went through the cap 'n' dance ritual that signals the end of formal education. Their bumpers for the Flash in the Can awards festival caught the eye of David Chant, exec producer of upstart Toronto motion design house Electric Company.

"We're fascinated by images that explain how things work - or don't work," says Rafkin describing the FITC bumpers, which are flat 2D motion graphic pieces. "We like the visual description of an idea and that's worked itself into the work we've done."

For Chant's part he was attracted to the clean visual palette, as well as the professionalism displayed by the group of then-students. "They have a very clean style that tends to be very exact and technical at times, but is countered with a playful quality," he says. "They're like the dream team when it comes to working with motion designers. They love what they do and would be doing it no matter what. And they're extremely professional even though they're so young." Their diversity and adroitness at motion graphics are a perfect fit for EC, which Chant describes as "agnostic when it comes to medium".

Other projects that have been Played include a broadcast project for CPAC - Canada's parliamentary channel - that attempted to "make hip what was unhip", and a sparkling branding piece for Czech telecom client Oskar.

And what of their unusual moniker? Rafkin jumps in with, "I've always been obsessed with plane crashes" while Hugo offers a more tempered explanation: "We've always had a love for the airline and transportation industry. And [during school] Alex did an exchange in Denmark and I went to London. That was our first taste of the jetsetting lifestyle." And with that, the name just took off.

YOUR FIRST...

Kent Hugo
...kiss? With the daughter of a local billionaire at age 11. I do believe my tongue may have turned to gold that day.
...inkling you wanted to work in this industry? At my first job as a gas station attendant in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to document the incredible minutia that slightly blurs when mixed with toxic gasoline fumes.
...crush? A girl named Samantha in late high school. She seemed incredibly narcissistic and the last I heard she is dating prison convicts.
...time drunk? The 7th grade. It involved an Egyptian's antique liquor collection, vomit and a vaccum socket. We never spoke of it again. This also began my enchantment with bourbon.

Alex Kurina
...Your first pet? Spunky the Cat. We had her for 13 years. Then my mom told me she took her to a farm where she would be happier. I believed her... sad if one didn't take into account I was 20 when she told me.
...drug trip? It may or may not have involved one of those ticket dispensing ray guns you can find in any deli... you know those red orb-like things that spit out the most interesting chits of recycled paper.
...first profession? Yes I hope to be professional one day.

Josh Rafkin
...Pet? Animals are for eating. And wearing.
...boss? Springsteen.
...infectious disease? Keen fashion sense.
...road trip? Far too many drugs.
...drug trip? Far too many roads.
...evil thought? Give wrong directions to the other sperms.
...carnal thought? Give wrong directions to the other sperms and then bludgeon them with a rusty fork.
...crush? The egg.
...kiss? Horrifying.

Electric Company> http://www.electriccompany.ca