Project 5 – Kinetic Typography

Animated typography combines the principles of design and typography with the time/space concerns of animation. Letter forms can exist and communicate both in the static and the kinetic realms. When the elements to typography and the principles and elements of design become dynamic, typography can express another degree of intonation, voice, personification, and emotional character.

You will design and present a kinetic typographic message—a short quotation. The goal is to effectively communicate the message along time. The audience is your peer group—someone in her or his early twenties.

You will start by selecting a quotation that is between 10 and 25 (or so) words long. Do not select a quote about religion or faith.

Parameters:
Use only 1 typeface. Use a standard classic serif or sans serif face such as Helvetica, Myriad, Garamond, Minion, etc. Keep your color palette minimal. Use between 1 and 3 hues. You may change tint or transparency, however. Pictorial elements such as photos or drawings are not allowed.

Phase 1:
Introduction to animation through Design Journal Entry #9 (see post).

Phase 2:
Create a flip book communicating the quotation. The flip book should be 4 inches wide by 2 inches tall. It should be a minimum of 50 pages and a maximum of 100 pages. Sketch your flip book; do not use any digital means for producing it.

Phase 3:
Convert the flip book into storyboards for your animation. Again, do this by hand via sketching. You can use this template or create your own.

Phase 4:
Flash animation. Using your storyboards and flip book convert your idea to a Flash animation. 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames/second. It should be about 30 seconds long when complete.

Schedule
Wednesday, April 8 – Design Journal Entry #9 due; flip book due; learning Flash via lynda.com has begun
Monday, April 13 – storyboard due
Wednesday, April 15 – in-class workday // Designing for People DUE – photo shoot in the lighting studio
Monday, April 20 – critique of preliminary Flash animations
Wednesday, April 22 – in-class workday
Monday, April 27 – last critique of animations before they are due
Monday May 4; 8–10:30 AM / Section 1 – Final animations DUE
Monday May 4; 11–1:30 / Section 2 – Final animations DUE

Project Grading: 30 points possible
Process Work (12 pts)
flip book: 4 pts possible
story boards: 4 pts possible
preliminary animations: 4 pts possible

Final Design (18 pts)
18–16 Excellent; the solution responds to the design brief with a creative, innovative solution; craft is impeccable
15.5–13 pts. Good; the solution mostly responds to and meets the design brief with a satisfactory solution to the problems; craft is good
12.5–11 pts. Average; the solution solves the design problem with predicable elements or ideas; craft has some problems
10.5–9 pts. Below average; the solution is weak and does not address the design brief; craft is poor
8.5 pts and below Work not deserving of credit that fails to respond to the design brief; poor craft

Quotations (choose one of the following)

Project 2 : Design Intervention

For this project you will be designing an item that will be professionally printed. CGP (Carolina Graphic Press) in Clayton, NC, will be printing your designs. You will be experimenting with inks and varnishes and will design something that (hopefully) has a longer design life cycle that the project.

Specifications for size, the type of paper, ink, as well as a discussion of printing methods and techniques will be provided in our class on Monday (February 2nd). I can, however tell you that both flexography and offset lithography will be possible. What this means to you now is that you will have the opportunity to design a sticker or regular printed item. More on this on Monday. For the meantime, however, I want you to keep the idea of possibly creating a sticker in your noggin.

Homework for Monday, February 2nd.
Do some brainstorming and research. Look through the links provided on this site. Read through the sites and write down interesting facts, problems, concerns, or ideas you have that relate in any way to sustainability. You might be intrigued by walkable communities or the fact that your carbon footprint is 4.5 Earths (ouch!) or the plight of the polar bears. Whatever interests you, write it down! Record Web sites that have useful info, and dig through the Web to find more Web sites related to your interest (which is now the topic of your project!). This research will be Design Journal Entry #2: Design Intervention Research.

Then, start thinking about how you could create something (a physical artifact) that would publicize the cause you found, generate interest in your topic,  be an intervention to solve the problem, or… You might design a sticker to be placed on trash cans to promote recycling of plastics to save the polar bears, or a flag for car antennaes that suggests people walk or ride bikes to cut down on carbon emissions. The sky is the limit. Generate LOTS of ideas. I would like to see at least 30 different ideas of the ’something’ you would create. You can sketch, create a list, or do whatever is necessary to document your thinking. Speculate WILDLY and come to class prepared to talk about your ideas and topic.

Make a little bird house in your soul…

I have had They Might Be Giants’ song “Bird house in your Soul” stuck in my head for almost three days now. It’s a catchy little tune, and I think you should hear it since we’re working on the Byrd House Farmer’s Market poster design. Check out the video on YouTube and make a little bird house in your soul.