Major Studio: Final Project: Updates

I found a really great article on the New School's electronic library. In summary, the author attemps to better define digital typography by assigning it to the term "virtual typography". It also discusses some of the problems with text-based communication, and what designers and typographers are trying to do to solve those problems, but more in the fine arts format such as "expressive" typography and typography in motion/animation. It also addresses the issue of how people are reading less books, and how so much, maybe TOO much text is available to us in a variety of media, the internet being the main source. He basically thinks that this overload of text and information is causing people to have to processe information much faster. Text-based information is so instant and because there is so much, there is not enough time for the reader to digest the information, or slow down, or rest his/her eyes. He thinks that"only if people's sensuous perfecption supports the literal content of the message, is the communication process likely to succeed."

The name of the article is: "Virtual Typography: Time Perception in Relation to Digital Communication" and it was written by Matthias Hilner and it can be found here:
Virtual Typography Article

The author, Matthias Hilner, also has established the "Studio for Virtual Typography" which addresses the digital communication and shows his typography work and experimental work with type design.
The website is:
Studio for Virtual Typography

Major Studio: Final Project: Updates

Inspiration....
I realized that for my motion graphics final, the use of type is very important. I am collaborating with a classmate and creating a music video that will incorporate both animation of lyrics and images. The music video is going to be juxtaposed onto various screens in Times Square. While reading Ellen Lupton's book "Thinking with Type" I found that there is type that is very specific to television, web, screens, etc.
For some inspiration, and also further exploration of how type functions in different digital media, I went out and took some pictures of found type including signage, grafitti, and type from the signs and scrolling marquees in Times Square.

Major Studio: Final Project: Updates

Part of my research includes looking for audio to use. I originally was looking for a conversation between at least two people, but I am leaving it open to perhaps a poem, speech, song, etc. I thought it might be interesting to look for interviews with typographers and use that as the audio for my narrative. The point of the audio is to extract the speech from it, convert it to text (digitally), and then use the type to animate the speech in a way that captures the character, personality, voice of the speakers.

Here is an interview with Wim Crouwell, Dutch typeface designer.

Major Studio: Final: Project updates

I am using the book "Thinking With Type" by Ellen Lupton as one of my references & precedents. Lupton is a professor of typography at the Maryland Institute of College of Art in Baltimore, and she wrote the book to aid her own class. The book goes through the theory and history of typography, the anatomy of letter forms, and how different typefaces were invented and what purposes they serve (print or digital). It is key to my project to understanding typography so that I can apply that to the narrative that I will eventually create.

Major Studio: Design Brief for Final Project (revised)

Problem statement:
Text-based communication is often impersonal, and is difficult for users to accurately interpret and express emotions and personality traits. Text-based communication provides a different experience for the user, and lacks many elements of face to face communication.

Design questions:
How can I encourage people to think about or make typographic decisions when communicating in "text-only" situations? How can I use design and technology to come up with solutions?

Context analysis:
While current text-based communication applications offer customization options, they are very generic. For example, in instant messaging or ichat the user can change the font, size, and color. The problem with this is that customizing how the type is presented in a text-based conversation does not necessarily represent the user’s current state of emotion or personality. Broadcasting design and motion graphics are two examples of narrative media that are constantly using type to deliver a message or convey an idea.

User profile:
This project is aimed towards both a broad and specific audience.
-Advertising, graphic designers, typographers
-anyone who is an audience of a screen (movies, television, computer)
-Usability (internet and mobile)

Proposed solution:
Goal: Explore the use of typography in digital media and create a narrative that uses typography to tell a story or convey an idea. Achieve goal through: studying the way that the target audience responds to different kinds of type used in, for example signage, brands, logos, fine art, graphic design
Basic requirements:
-Digital
-Technology
-Illustrate a narrative using primarily text
-Make decisions about typography
-Convey emotions through words, and elicit some type of emotional response from audience

Sketches:
These are some screen grabs that I pulled from a spanish music video that uses primarily type that is animated to the lyrics of the song. (See the music video in a previous post under Intro to Broadcasting). I created these storyboards to show moments in the video where I thought the type worked really well.

Motion Graphics: Concept & Storyboards for Final Animation

Music video for "Sister Rosetta", The Noisettes (British rock band)
Concept: Using billboards and screens in the city and superimposing the music video/motion graphics into them.
Inspiration: times square, grafitti, typography, fine arts, experimental art
Vibe: Urban. fast-paced, modern, grungy but pretty
Media: After Effects and Video
Collaboration: Melissa Marcus & Katie Levitt

Storyboard:

Major Studio: Links to type in motion pieces...

Here are some motion graphics typography pieces that I have inspired by so far. The links go to different works done by different broadcasting firms and student works.

What is Typography? Student Work
Type in Motion
Trollback.com
Excuse Moi
Serial Cut Reel 2007
Carnegie Mellon Student Work
Renascent.nl/motion.htm
You Tube Video
You Tube Video

also...this is th best motion graphics website ever:
Motionographer.com

Also...here is some processing that I did during bootcamp using the typing function. I would like to incorporate this somehow in my project, although the main direction of my project is to present everything in a narrative format.
Processing Type

And finally...here is the official processing website which is going to be my bible for the next few weeks..
Processing.org

To move forward with the project, I am thinking of either recording a conversation between friends or using an existing recording of a famous speech or interview and try to work on animating the type in after effects.

That's all for now, check back later for more updates.

Intro to Broadcasting: Type In Motion

After hours and hours researching motion graphics pieces I finally found something that I would like to present for my Type in Motion research project for Intro to Broadcasting. The assignment was to select any broadcast design work (show opens, experimental, promos, TV commercials, PSA's, etc) which uses typography as the primary device for executing its message. I found this music video which incorporates use of camera techniques, 3D and 2D animation, and most importantly animation of type.

The band is called Cuarteto de Nos and the name of the song is "Yo no que hacer conmigo" (translation: I Don't Know What To Do With Myself). The song is in spanish but it is basically about this guy trying to find himself. He sings about where he's been, who he's been, and all of his experiences, and a voice inside his head is telling him not to change anymore and just be himself. Although the music video looks similar to many other type in motion pieces, I think this one stands out in that is uses the type to create a sense of space, and the designers were very successful at that. The video was produced by Milagrito Films in July 2007, located in Montevideo Uruguay (which I visited last spring!), and it was directed by Charly Guiterrez. I have contacted him (which forced my to revisit my spanish skills) and I got a response saying that I could go ahead and ask my questions so I'm waiting for him to answer. I will update when I hear from him to fill you in on how the pieces was created, the type treatment, the font, etc.

Check out more of their work at: http://www.milagritofilms.tv/web/
But caution, it is all in spanish so have your spanish dictionary with you or one of your spanish-speaking friends.

Motion Graphics: Playing with effects...

The assignment was to just play around with effects in after effects. So I took the opportunity to animate one of my storyboards from my broadcasting class. I also took the opportunity to use really cheesy effects in After Effects and just get them out of my system....a.k.a lens flares and glows. I'm sorry but I love that stuff, but apparently high-end designers do not get paid anything for using lo-fi animation presets! P.S. ignore the about the last 5 seconds it is terrible!

Anyways...I really enjoy jazz music and I have always wanted to do a motion graphics piece using music by John Coltraine. This is just a quick little exercise I did using the write-on effect. I really would like to continue to develop this piece one day when I have free time (what's free time these days?). The song is 13 minutes long so maybe I will finish it by the time I get out of this program.

Enjoy..

Major Studio: Final Project Schedule & Design Proposal

Major Studio Final Project Proposal:
I would like to explore the use of digital and kinetic typography in response to the issue of online text-based communication. This idea is inspired by my interest in expressing oneself through type, and also how it is used in print design, motion graphics and broadcasting.

Design Problem:
Text-based communication is often impersonal, and is difficult for one to accurately interpret and express their emotions and personality traits. How can I encourage people to think about or make typographic decisions when communicating in "text-only" situations? How can I use design to make this possible?

Design Goal/Criteria
I want to promote the expression of oneself through type by creating a narrative piece using animated typography. I also want to develop a simple typing program using processing to show user scenarios.

Audience:
This project is aimed towards both a broad and specific audience. In general, typography and text-based communication appeals to anyone who relies on the computer/internet for communication/social reasons. On a smaller level, this project targets designers and creative people who would like to incorporate self-expression through type while communicating online.

Week of Nov 9th:
1. Research digital & kinetic typography
-precedents/examples: look at how it is used in motion graphics, broadcasting, programming, usability
2. Research code/processing and come up with a very simple typing program

Week of Nov 16th:
1. Part 1 of user testing:
Ideas for initial user testing:
-Create a survey asking users to respond to different typographic treatments (i.e. bold font, color red, does this make you feel a. angry b. sad. c. excited... etc.)
-present font/typeface/color choices and ask in what kinds of situations or emotional states the person would use them in if conversing online
2. Collect results

Weekend before Thanksgiving:
1. Record a conversation between at least 4 people
2. Type up the conversation in word format
3. Place words in digital format (photoshop/after effects) and manipulate the type in order to illustrate the meaning of the word, and also think about how to begin animating the type to ultimately illustrate the conversation

Schedule:
Week of Nov. 30th (during thanksgiving)

1. work on animation

Week of Dec. 7th
1. User testing
2. Revisions

Week of of Dec. 14th
1. Final Revisions based on last weeks

Colaboration Studio: Final Project Ideas

These are the beginning developments of our final group project for Aqueous Medium Colab. The project is to develop a campaign addressing an environmental issue. We will do this through a website and also create a video project. Squad B has chosen to focus on the caribbean island of St. Lucia. One of the members of our design team, recently visited and worked there, and brought back lots of information and also has some good connections there. One of the major issues we are going to focus on is tourism and its impacts on the environment/marine environment.
Here are some mood boards that show the visual direction that we want to aim towards for our video project and website.