Project 3: Typeface Video — C Mini
Project 3 is an animated typeface video, created using AfterEffects and Illustrator.
First off, the typeface I am choosing for my video is Adelle. Although I enjoy Trade Gothic and its characteristics, I feel that Adelle is a wonderful typeface to be animated, because it is so dynamic and alive without any movement at all. I also think there is exploration and fun to be had with animating the serifs…and potentially the idea of them having a conversation with each other, which I noticed when I first examined Adelle.
In terms of audio selection, some words that come to mind are: funky, upbeat, dynamic and with a rhythm that you might want to get up and dance to. I’d also like to explore unique genres of music, because that’s something I do on a regular basis anyways. One difficulty with this, however, is finding music without lyrics, or with lyrics that wouldn’t be too distracting or leading in terms of the storyline of my animation. Vicki mentioned that lyrics that aren’t in English would be a potential avenue — I would love to explore this too, especially with songs in Portuguese.
A few notes from the project introduction:
- I am free to depart visually from my spread — I want to do this because I think there are a lot of new directions I can go with my video and the audio it goes along with, while still communicating Adelle
- for audio: consider sounds, tones, rhythm that are appropriate to my type and the mood/vibe
- think of the type as actors, and the screen as the stage — we are telling the type where to enter, perform, and leave
- the principles of theater play a big role in type animation — this ties to the Woolman and Bellantoni’s Moving Type reading we were assigned
So in terms of audio, I am looking at the music I currently listen to, and researching those same genres but without lyrics. My process so far has been saving songs that I feel relate to Adelle and are interesting/fresh/attention-grabbing but still consistently strong, to a playlist on Spotify.
link to that playlist:
As I continue to explore music, I am struggling with choosing a song that both matches the vibe of Adelle and also has rhythms that I can see used in interesting ways in my video, and that I also really enjoy listening to. But, after extensive research and analysis, I’ve narrowed down my list to 6 songs (from the playlist):
- Peace of What
- Leena
- Who is the Hunter, Who is the Prey?
- Atomico
- Airborne
- Sueno en Paraguay
After speaking to peers, I narrowed this list down further from songs that felt like they didn’t have the dynamic and high energy changes in rhythm and sounds that I need, to resonate best with Adelle.
Top three:
- Who is the Hunter, Who is the Prey? — solely drum intro, high energy, into a groovy beat that then is accompanied by more instruments
- Leena — interesting transition from a slow paced intro to a very high energy, synth-esque vibe, then to a more retro feel accompanied by singing
- Sueno en Paraguay-El Buho Remix — really interesting descent and ascent from 1:25 to 1:45..could be a great spot to introduce ‘Adelle’…starts slow paced with a really unique, eclectic sound (also Argentinian music). A bit too relaxed/calm in the beginning for words like energetic and authoritative
Final song choice: Who is the Hunter, Who is the Prey? by The Sorcerers (feat. Chip Wickham)
Waveform of this song
What is the pace and tempo you are envisioning for your video? How is the music/sound informing type, scale, color, transitions, etc. Include audio samples and images of your storyboard and details where appropriate.
After this, I created the first draft of my storyboard:
Along with the first draft of my script:
In 2009
Two powerful designers came together from Argentina and Prague
To create something
Energetic vibrant honest Authoritative Brimming with personality
Under their type foundry TypeTogether, José Scaglione and Veronika Burian wanted to make
Editorials
Magazines
Books
Banners
Websites
Video Games
Newspapers
Easily legible, accessible, and powerful
A typeface that could handle
tough situations
Any range of media
Extensive needs
And A globalized audience
Using their rich blend of experiences, cultures, purpose, and motivation, Burian and Scaglione brought forth
Adelle
A typeface with eight weights
24 variations
With non-latin language versions
And charm through its unique handcrafted quality:
thick, rectangular slab serif blocks, but with a convex base and softened upstrokes.
(SHOW, not in script: The serifs on the stems of each letterform are rectangular and not curved, accentuating the gradual curve at the top and also taking the typeface to a higher level of elegance and professionalism, making it more versatile.)
Constructing a language that is unifying, human, and vibrant.
–Credits–
Feedback on my script and storyboard:
- When read aloud, script is around 1:10, when it should be around 45–50 seconds — needs to be shortened
- Simplify the script — consider the gutter…what can the audience fill in themselves? Right now the script gets lost at some points
- Storyboard: right now my storyboard only makes sense to me
- only show key frames, show movements with different colored markers and arrows
- have/consider more variation in scale, more contrast — not everything being the same size and placement…uninteresting
- Distinguish between the four scenes in some way
- Letterform characteristics are really important → give them more time and weight
- Song supports the typeface and animations, not the other way around
- Remove full sentences
Script 2nd Draft:
Pt 1–12 s
2009
Argentina and Prague
Brought two designers together
To create something
Energetic Vibrant Honest Authoritative Brimming with personality
Pt 2–10 s
José Scaglione and Veronika Burian wanted
Magazines
Websites
Books
Newspapers
To be legible, accessible, powerful
Pt 3–26 s
A typeface that could master
Print to digital
Designer needs
A globalized audience
A unique handcrafted quality:
( thick, rectangular slab serif blocks with a convex base and softened upstrokes.
Rectangular stems ← maybe these are ‘callouts’ as I visually show these characteristics?)
Through their rich experiences and cultures, they brought forth
Pt 4–12 s
Adelle
A typeface with eight weights
24 variations
Non-latin language versions
Constructing a language that is unifying, human, and alive.
This storyboard mainly serves to show aural cues and the broad idea of the animation. My next step is to flesh out the animations or transitions from each frame to the next, in an interesting way. Also, to consider the placement of words, while thinking about contrast, what will be interesting and hold attention, and readability.
I decided to create an animatic in Illustrator — I was able to visually show each of the broader transitions for my keyframes and figure out the timing I like as I click through the artboards in presentation mode.
Based off this animatic, I created scenes and assets in Illustrator and imported them to After Effects. I’ll be mapping out the timing of each asset first, before figuring out things like composition, sizing, visual qualities, etc.
Next, I’m thinking about a color scheme, composition, grid lines, etc.
Another thing I need to consider is the ‘feel’ or mood of the video. Maybe I want to emanate a particular feel or time period or genre. I think this can take my video to a higher level because it has a clear story and vibe instead of being slightly ambiguous in a visual sense. I think this is where the color scheme comes into play as well as rhythm — I don’t know that this color scheme tells or implies a clear story? Although it does feel energetic.
Feedback from peer review
- Bright yellow is a good match to the typeface/dancey feel
- The way my information is formatted is in a clear way where the viewer learns a lot — from introducing the makers to then describing aspects of the typeface to specific qualities and facts — gives a lot of information to the viewer without being overwhelming
- introducing Adelle in the middle and at the end is good because it makes it memorable — you finish the video with a reminder of the typeface
- consider things like color and contrast because right now, since it’s all black and white and similar size, it all feels very similar or the same — little hierarchy, too
- I am focusing on presenting the information in a more subtle way, by making the point size smaller and simpler transitions — because the transitions happen very frequently and rapidly, and the music is also fast-paced, so these simplifications are important for readability
- Also, I’m starting to consider more how the viewer will follow motion on the screen — too much motion all across the four corners of the screen forces them to move their eyes rapidly and is difficult to keep track of or to keep attention that way — how can I present the information in an entertaining way while making sure the reader can actually take it in and understand it clearly?
- I also think subtler transitions will allow me to give individual words more attention when animating..for example the words “energetic” and “authoritative” — instead of making them enter ‘onstage’ in a complex way, I can emphasize their meaning through animations on them/playing with the type characteristics
In these stills, I take a much slower approach to presenting the typeface “adelle,” so that it is more impactful
But my first time introducing Adelle (around the middle of the video) is very high energy and takes up the whole screen..I wonder how this might look on a TV screen?
- So, I am spending time on presenting the information in a readable and clear way, because there is a lot of information — but that still emanates the high energy of Adelle
- Then, I’m also going into the more complex facets, such as with the first reveal of Adelle, and where the words at one point explode like confetti
Once I’ve made a somewhat rough but visually strong draft, I want to explore more into the color scheme and ask my peers if they are able to read and retain the information on the screen as well.
My questions right now:
- Is there too much pink on the screen? It is for consistency, but I feel that it’s taking over a bit
- Are the words too small?
I am spending a lot of time on details at this point:
After adding the majority of my effects and coming to a draft I am pretty satisfied with, I’ve gone back to perfect the timing — bringing in words on beat and fixing places where words linger too long or come in too slowly or too quickly.
Final video: