Since having the peer review have decided to start making some developments to my portfolio. I started by ensuring that the visual language was consistent throughout the portfolio. I decided to continue using the combination of Kiro Light and Thin in my body copy of type to ensure than there was consistency , as this was something that was suggested in the peer feedback. I have also started to complete photographing the work in context, below are a few of the images that I have taken for the portfolio.
I took the feedback that I was given and displayed the Reimagining Designs Histories poster in a better context, on a notice board. I have also experimented with using hands within my photography in order to show both the context and scale of my work. This was something I discussed during my peer review of my portfolio, and I felt that it was something I considered.
In relation to my peer feedback I have added a contact page at the end of the portfolio to allow any one who reads to get in contact with me for more information or view more of my work online social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter or WordPress. I decided to give it a similar aesthetic to the cover page of my portfolio.
As a whole I feel that I have learnt a great amount from the movement project, as I have achieved a new skill set entirely. I have also learnt the importance of considering all aspects of the brief as within the project I received many different piece of feedback relating to my outcome and I have found that I need to be aware of some of things that the ‘context’ of the brief is telling me, this is something that I would like to improve on for the next project. This project allowed opportunities to be usual however, I decided to be more serious and I just need to be aware of the brief more when generating ideas.
I think that by completing this project I have been able to gain an understanding of how movement within my work can have an impact on the meaning of it. While doing this I have also started to explore the possibilities of using After Effects. While I was excited to learn this new software and area within Graphic Communications/Design I was aware that this would require me learning the basic skills quickly in order to create a strong outcome. Throughout the course of the project I feel that my confidences has grown when using the software.
As I haven’t done any animation before I found this project challenging from start to finish however, I feel I have achieved the best outcome that I could. I used mind mapping as the creative thinking technique however, for future projects I may start to develop other techniques. Furthermore, I feel that I have been able to make defined links between research and theory but I could have made more practical links between the my practice and research.
When it came to creating a way to express the idea of “indicatorism” I felt that it would be best to create a variation of option, I appreciated the group feedback that enabled me to see that I was being too literal in my communication of the movement. This helped me develop further ideas which is area of the design process that I think I have improved on. The critiques I received throughout the project have helped me develop the outcome, the advice on using audio help my outcome greatly. With the audio it gives the viewer a sense of consistency while giving an familiar sound drawing the viewer in. I felt that the decision to go simplistic with use of text and minimal images enabled me to visually communicate the message of the movement.
I feel that in future projects where movement is needed I feel that I would be more comfortable and confident working with After Effects to create a composition using audio, type, image and consider pace and pause.
Follow the link to view digital version of my sketchbook – Sketchbook
After the group critiques on my first animation I created a new storyboard with different compositions orders. This was done in order for the narrative of the animation to flow better using questions to guide the viewers into the movement. In comparison to my initial storyboard I think that this flows better throughout even without certain compositions which I removed. I have learnt that sometimes things need to be added to realise that they don’t work quite as well, so it’s ok to remove element, this is an aspect that I will have to consider throughout my practice.
Notes on changes to be made and developedDeveloped Storyboard
Composition 1
This initial composition needed to be included within my animation in order to draw people into the animation. The use of the generalised question at the beginning is to draw all drivers into the animation, capture their attention, making them think about themselves. I moved this composition to the start to make a greater impact within the whole animation. The use of the ‘typewriter’ effect creates the impression that the message is being stamped into the animation.
Composition 2
This second composition uses a black background to contrast to the orange one to simulate the indicator flashing on and off. The type ‘busy, rushing around?’ is animated to look as if its rushing around the screen, I used motion blur to help create this effect, and the transition looks smoother in comparison to when it wasn’t applied. I kept the use of fast animated lines moving around the type to represent the idea of rushing around, however, I have minimised these as I felt that composition would become over crowded with too many. This is again another question narrowing the audience further but making all the viewers think, majority of people rush around which is why it will apply to more individuals.
Composition 3
In this composition I have used again a rhetorical to again make the viewer think, this is a narrower question to really make the viewer question their driving. Again, similar to the first composition I used and orange background with the white type being stamped onto the screen. This will also have the audio of the indicator in the background however, it will be subtle in the background and the pace won’t go in time to the beat of the indicator.
Composition 4
The use of composition 4 is to create more pace, again using a question to think about the narrative but this is only on for a shorter period of time. This creates a quicker pace to the animation on the build up towards the event (crash) happening. I think that this is something that I needed to add as the pace was constant throughout, I have learnt the value and importance of this especially when working with movement in graphics. The indicator audio I downloaded from BBC sound effects for free as I felt this was the best way to gain quality audio sound.
Composition 5
Composition 5 uses the typewriter effect to stamp the type onto the screen. At the end of the composition the indicator audio will stop completely, with a brief pause before the orange background changes to black. This will build tension ready before the next audio clip plays.
Composition 6
The use of a black background only at the beginning of the composition while the ‘crash’ audio is playing, creates a pause to allow the viewer to think and process what just happened. I did this swell to pause between the type on the screen to make the viewer consider the storyline. The the phrase ‘IS THIS YOU?’ appears which is in the form of a question to be consistent with the other slides but also to make people think about if that could be them.
Composition 7
There won’t be a change in background (will remain black) at this point as I wanted the viewer to realise that without indication this is impact or potential results. They phrase ‘ they didn’t realise you were turning’ highlights the fact that it was somebody else who was hurt rather than you. Could make the viewer consider that they might be causing somebody else more danger.
Composition 8
There will be the use of an image within this final composition, an image of a headlight. This will make a difference to the animation as it will be the first literal approach where as the previous compositions have been metaphorical using colour. I will use a lens flare to create the impression that the indicator is flashing to the audio of the indicators. The name of the ism and the copywriting will appear on the screen.
As I decided to go with the idea of creating an informative animation for this project, by campaigning for people to use their indicators when driving. Following my group tutorial feedback it was clear that I needed to look at pace and flow more before developing my animation any further. Through doing this would allow me the chance to see how pauses and variation in pace could benefit my own practice.
29 ways to be creative
This animation didn’t have a voice over in it which is relevant to my practice as I’m not planning on having voice over. The transition between each of the frame was smooth which some even morphing straight into others. The pace was fast at points to enable to fit 29 points into the animation however, there was a small pause after each to allow time for the viewer to think and process the words. I think that they use of pace works well in this and would work within my own animation.
Communication is Aid
In this animation the viewer is educated in the importance of communication in any situation however particular a natural disaster. There is a variation in pace throughout the animation which makes it flow smoothly from frame to frame. Starting of slow and steady at times the pace quickens then resumes back to normal to create the variation. There is a great emphasis in the use of colour within the animation, which helps transition appear smoother all together. As the colour palette is the same throughout the shapes and type appear to move smoother. Also, audio is of great importance within this animation with the use of the voice over to explain but also the use of dramatic music behind the voice over makes you as the viewer more aware of the serious nature. This is something that I could consider as my animation script as a serious/dramatic undertone to it.
Procrastination
This book trailer is a longer animation that uses motion graphics to tell the purpose of the book. As I am looking at the importance of using pace throughout an animation I found that there was again a variation in the pace. Pause were added after certain phrases to allow the viewer to think but also to create emphasis on the content. In this animation there were uses of many sound effects to create more understanding of the context of the video. This is something that I need to consider when making my own video. I found that the animation was perfectly timed so that the sound effects had the greatest impact they could.
By looking at all of these animations I feel that I have gained a greater understanding of how I can use pace to my advantage but also how audio and other elements could also be useful to my animation. This research will benefit me moving forward into creating a final outcome.
As I had learnt the basic of After Effects during the workshop I decide that this was going to be the best software for me to use during this project as I will be able to develop my skills using my knowledge from the workshop but also further resources. As I was a beginner with this software I found myself struggling to get to grips with the software however, as I progressed in this first development I found myself starting to understand.
I used a variation of orange and black background to simulate the indicator flashing on and off. This I found easy to achieve using solid layers of colour. As I am using type rather than images in the animation, I timed it to the sound of an indicator in the background, until theres a bad screen and a crash sound effect where the indicator stops all of sudden. This creates an impact within the viewer. I used rhetorical questions to make the viewer think about them personally, I also applied a typewriter effect to they type to give the effect that it was being stamped into the screen. I found that this was simple way to create a effect using the type.
At the end of the animation I used a lens flare to create the impression that the indictor was flashing, I found this difficult to begin with as I tried to get it to flash in time with the sound effects, however, I achieved this in the end. I used online resources to help me achieve this and progress in my skills using After Effects.
Group Tutorial Feedback
In the group tutorial I gained feedback on my first animation for the ‘ism’ (movement) project. The feedback was positive but also constructive in how to develop further, and create a stronger outcome.
Pace – Currently there isn’t any variation in pace throughout the animation, there needs to be a build up in pace to create a stronger impact. Also, the pace is currently to repetitive and predictable to the sound of the indicators, works at the beginning but the pace should build up.
Pauses – Theres no thinking/processing time at the moment, include more pauses after certain questions to allow the audience to think.
Frames – The frames could be placed in a slightly different order to create a more engaging animation. By moving certain frames around will draw the viewer in and removing a few frames will allow the message to be clearer to understand. The wording in a few frames should be thought about further, for example using questions throughout outcome rather than switching between question and statement.
Sound – Certain sound effects go on for too long and others are loud enough think about the composition and where sound will be useful to include.
Using this feedback I will develop the animation further to create an outcome which is strong. I felt that this was a really useful tutorial session as it gave me further guidance on how to create an outcome that worked, as I hadn’t any previous experience working with the software.
Storyboarding is an important part to this project in particular as the outcome is movement therefore we need to consider the compositions in a frame by frame process. Through story boarding you’ve able to make sure the composition flows together nicely, i.e making sure it works. Much like a flip book, the images must be in the correct order for it work, the frames of the composition must be in the correct order to work.
I initially started off roughly mapping out the story boards within my sketchbook, however, I them moved on to mapping the storyboards out on A3 paper in order to gain a better idea of what the frames would all look like. This was useful to me as I could quickly get my ideas onto paper rather than digitally trying to get my ideas together. I used markers to give me a sense of colours that could be used in each frame and through using this method of working I was able to be as expressive as I required to get my ideas down. In each story board a variation of frames is used. I decided to do this in order to show progression but also to begin with I wanted to make the animation short so people could see it early if they were scrolling past it on a social media platform such as instagram. The storyboards range from 6 frames to 14 frames, the longer animation have a narrative to them whereas the short ones do have a narrative its just not as clearly defined. By using a various of frames enabled me to reflect on each outcome to see if the longer or shorter animations worked best.
I decided to create a digital outcomes as I thought that this would be clearer for other to understand during the critique session we had. Using InDesign and Illustrator I was able to create this storyboards using notes to help explain frame by frame.
Storyboard 1Storyboard 2Storyboard 3Storyboard 4
After presenting these storyboards to the group and received feedback staying that they are too complex and would be difficult to get right within the time constraints that I have. I was given the feedback that the use of the effects and images could make the animation too complex for people to follow quickly. I was given the suggestion of making use of block colour to help create a metaphorical approach to the outcome. Another suggestion I was given is to use audio to help create more meaning to the animation, for example using the a car indicator in the background then the frames moving at the same pace as the sound of the indicator. I went away following this feedback to create another storyboard to develop the possible animation.
Storyboard development 1
Above is the developed idea using orange and black backgrounds alternating to the audio of the indicator in the background. The orange and black colour scheme reflects the indicators going on and off, potentially using a lens flare to transition between the frames. This is a simplified idea of my 3rd storyboard, the major changes being that this time it only appears to use block colour rather than vectorised images. I think that this simplified version will be more effective but also more visual intriguing to look at, reflecting on this I feel that it works better in the overall outcome.
The brief for this project is to invent a new idealogical movement which doesn’t already exist and cannot contravene good ethical practices. This task will be done through a control environment (the studio) where we are able to control certain risk factors.
To start off my project I decided to create a mind map highlight existing social movements and ideas that I could potentially take forward. I thought that this was the best way in which to generate ideas, while researching what movements already exist. When generating my own ideas I initially found this very difficult as I was thinking to much into the movement itself. However, I then decided to look at things that annoy me or make me angry, by doing this I was able to quickly brainstorm ideas that I could take forward into further development.
I took two of the ideas further to create two separate mind maps on each topic. The first being driving and how some driver think that it’s okay to not indicate. This for me is an annoyance because it’s not just other road user that use these signals but also pedestrians like children who play out in the streets. The second idea was based around glitter/sequins and how they create such a mess when theres no need. However, after looking into this more I felt that the first idea about not indicating would allow me more scope and opportunity.
During a group tutorial I discuss the idea around not indicating which lead to the idea that it’s just lazy driving. This discussion around the idea that it’s not just misuse of indicators but also hazard lights when individuals leave them on parked outside shops when theres clearly no parking space there, they again are just being lazy. This group tutorial sparked interest for me because I thought about combining the ideas to create a campaign to stop drivers from being lazy and make them aware of some of the consequences that some of their lazy habits might have.
The next stage of my process, was to create an ‘ism’ for the movement, as from the project launch we learnt that most movements are an ‘ism’ and their followers are ‘ists’. (For example, modernism was the movement and its followers are called modernists). I decided to create multiple outcomes before choseing a name for the movement. The name I decided to use was “Indicatorism” as the main focus of the ‘campaign’ is to make people aware of their lazy driving habit of not using indicators but also looking at mis use of signals when driving.
In order to back up my ideology I conducted some research around the mis-use of signals. According to the UK government website (GOV.UK) that you should remember to use Mirror – Signal – Manoeuvre, in order to show your intent to other road users (including pedestrians and cyclists). It appears that using your indicators is a legal requirement as it helps with safety of all road users. Not only is it a concern in the UK but it is a safety concern world wide as America’s Fox News (Fox21 News, 2012) completed a report in 2012 about how neglecting to use your indicators can result in as many as “2 million crashes’ per year. Others like Mark Vallet (2012) have picked up on surveys where drivers have admitted to being to lazy to use their indicators/turn signals. In this articles he stated that “among drivers 18 to 24, 71 percent said they don’t use their signals” which highlights that their is a clear age range who aren’t bothered to use their indicators. Again, across the other side of the world in Australia (Government of South Australia, 2018) they must use their indicators every time they intend to change direction, which reiterates this fact that its just lazy driving if you don’t.
From this research it was clear that I had a younger age range of individuals who my movement needed to be aimed at. I decided to extend this age range to 18- 30 years old as I felt that it’s not just a younger audiences that do not correctly us signals. I decided to create personas to help me visualise potential viewers of the outcome. All of these personas do not indicate when driving, and they all use a forms of social media, which suits the context of the project as it needs to be moving (digital rather than print). The context also relates to the target audience as majority of them use social media platforms as older generation do not which is why I think that its more suited to a younger age bracket.
Before this workshop I hadn’t used Adobe After Effects at all, it was a completely new piece of software for me. Unlike other Adobe software that I have used this looks at create frame by frame animations, you can work with sound files, video and still images.
We were given the analogy that it’s like a book, a book is made up of chapters and a outcome is made up of several different composition. We were given the task of creating 3 different compositions which are each 5 seconds long. In order to ensure the animation was the best quality possible I had to change the present to HDTV 1080 25. I also changed the background colour of each layer in order to make each layer different.
The next step was to put the ‘chapters’ compositions into the ‘book’ composition with is 15 seconds long, once these were placed inside the ‘book’ layer I noticed that the background layers weren’t showing. In order for them to show I needed to add a solid layer behind each composition.
In ‘chapter 1’ composition we looked at adding type to the outcome, looking at anchor point, position, scale, rotation and opacity. I chose the letter ‘A’ to animate, within the first composition I rotated the 360 degrees. The composition ‘chapter 2’ the task was to make the letter move along a path. In order to make this work I used keyframe points on timeline to show where and when the letter would move. I then used the auto-orinet to make the movement of the letter fluid and natural like. I also adjusted the scale and opacity of the letter. This was a particularly useful task as it gave me the ability to think about potential story boards I could make for my movement project.
For the third composition we were given the task of taking a word and using one of the organic effects to create movement within the word. I took my name and decided to animate it to create an outcome that was different, I used the effects and presents menu > selected animation presents > text > organic. After looking through the various effect available I decided to use the flutter effect to create an exciting outcome for this composition.
Overall the outcome I thought was good considering that I didn’t have any prior knowledge of the software before the session. I particularly enjoyed learning how to create the small animation sequences and effects such as easy ease and motion blur. This workshop gave me the opportunity to start thinking about what I could create as a final outcome, and if an animation could work compared to any other software. I will use this to experiment with ideas.
As a designer, creativity is key to our practice and sometimes designers can find their creativity blocked. Creativity can be gained from many different aspects of our lives including experiences. The more experiences we allow ourselves to engage with both related to our practice and not to our practice, could allow us the opportunity to spark creativity. During the workshop we explored the idea of using various creative think techniques to enhance idea generation and the thought process.
These creative thinking processes including, mind mapping, brainstorming, lateral thinking, lotus blossom and many more. All these processes allow us to generate creative ideas and provide potential solutions to design problems. We were allocated in groups certain creative thinking techniques to explore and research, as well as being given an ‘ism’ to relate it to (linking back to the project briefing for the over arching project). I was allocated brainstorming as the creative technqiue and anthropomorphism as the topic. Prior to starting this I had an idea of brainstorming but I wasn’t aware of what anthropomorphism was.
As a group we split the research up into sections so in pairs we could research a certain aspect of the task before coming together in the end to present our findings. Brain storming is a technique often used by groups of designers to gain a variety of ideas/ potential solution. Anthropomorphism is when an animal or inanimate object is given human characteristics to make it come alive. We presented our findings on the technique with a presentation.
Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3
From completing this task I have understood how brainstorming can be useful mainly when working with a group of designers as it has many benefits. I have learnt that it’s similar to a mind map however, brainstorming ideas is generally messier and not as structured as a mind map could be considered. Also it differs from a mind map as it suitable for group projects rather than individual as individual projects would be your ideas only and no others therefore you would be creating effectively a messy mind map. I think that through completing this workshop I will be able to use all the creative techniques within my tool boxes to help me if I ever feel a creative block occurring.
This project requires use to look at movement and the different types of movement we see. Physical, political, social, artistic and musical are all different forms of movement, but they all create a shift or change within their surrounding, the idea being that movement causes change. Three of the most important aspects of movement are space (point, path, perception), physicality (size, scale, weight) and time (duration, amplification light), these aspects all have an impact on how a movement is perceived by an individual. One of the most important ideas to remember when creating movement within a piece is that people experience through their own vitality. Within graphic communications when movement is used its important to remember that it must inform, be focused but also expressive. It’s also can be over used so should only be used where needed the most.
We were given two workshop tasks to complete to gain a greater understanding of movement and how it can be applied. Prior to the workshop I hadn’t completed much animation before so this was something completely new to me. By creating a GIF and Scanimation I would be able to gain a greater understanding of how movement can be applied to typography. I was given the letter ‘S’ to animate in six frames, I have to think about the narrative for the animation while thinking about how the letter could move (thinking about the vitality). Using my sketchbook I thought about typefaces I could use as well as sketching out the six frame ideas. I decided to work with the idea of the ‘s’ being stretched and pulled because I thought that this would work well in expressing the letters characteristics.
Using Adobe Photoshop I created a gif of the ‘s’ being stretched by physically stretching the letter upwards. I create 6 separate layers before using the timeline to create a frame animation. I think that this simple way of creating a GIF works really well and could be used for future projects if using the correct context. I think that it works well in showing the movement of the letter which is what we were asked to complete.
GIF Animations
Creating the scanimation was harder than I initially thought, there are more steps in order to create the animation. Using the template we were given I was able to use my 6 jpeg images that I created of the ‘s’ to cut and create a sliced image to create the animation. This process was a new one that I hadn’t previously done so I found it quite difficult to start off with. However, by the end I was able to produce a scanimation that resembled my original idea. I think that this process could be used to create some very interesting animation that aren’t commonly used to communicate, of course they would only be used in the correct context.
Screenshots showing the scanimation working.
Reflecting on the workshop today I think that they have successfully introduced me to the idea of movement and how it can be applied within graphic communication. After seeing hands on how something can be communicated through animation I am excited to learn more and get stuck into the project and the brief.
For the third composition we were given the task of taking a word and using one of the organic effects to create movement within the word. I took my name and decided to animate it to create an outcome that was different, I used the effects and presents menu > selected animation presents > text > organic. After looking through the various effect available I decided to use the flutter effect to create an exciting outcome for this composition.
Abbie Louise Williams 