Ident / / One

Ident number one. 


From my last attempt i've thought about type, fade ins / / outs / / transitions etc, and I think it has made a huge improvement. 




I've come to realise that ten seconds is really not a long time to work with anything much at all.  I have too many components in this sequence for the speed to reflect the tone I want to achieve.


However, i'm happy with everything except the pace of the sequence.  I think i've successfully adapted my storyboard onto screen.


If time allows i'll have a go at improving the ident.

Logo / / Legitimacy

To give the sequences a legitimate look I need to give them some form of legitimate identity that the viewer can relate to.  One way to create this would be by adding the discovery science logo.  To get it right i'll have to vector an existing logo, create the movement and import it into my composition on After Effects.

So:

A vectored artwork and transparent background ensures manipulation within A.E without hassle and a loss of quality.

Initial Ident / / One

Following my detailed storyboards I have started creating my first sequence.  It may seem a little backwards to start in the middle, but it's the way I did it and I think it's working well so far.  
It will be evident how i've come up with these visuals upon seeing my context blog.  So far I think it's come out as I had planned.
Initial experimentation in After Effects:

Working from this timeframe within the storyboard.

Here I have created a file in Photoshop with multiple layers and imported it into after effects as multiple layers so that they can both be worked with individually.
This is just too bad:



I need to sort out transitions / / fade ins / / type etc.

Type / / Tone / / Relevance

After a very helpful crit with Matt Tuck, I narrowed down my type options considerably.  We thought that the sans serif fonts gave more of a science tone that looks as if it would inform, yet still work well from a design perspective.  From this we then looked at readability - if the programmes main point is to inform and educate then it has to communicate clearly.  The typeface I think works best is Monoxil Regular- the tracking is fairly large, giving a feeling of confidence and breathability that the viewer would trust.

Packaging / / Initial ideas

Fabric Dyeing / / Induction

Taking advantage of what the college has to offer.
- one step towards broadening my practice to come out with different results within my designs.

Type / / Session Three

Branding / / Type.
- assumption that because it is their brand, it works.

Ident / / Storyboard developed.

I've selected the main four I think are appropriate to work with, interesting enough and easy enough to generate motion in After Effects.

Take Note / / A.E

Important things to remember when working with After Effects.  Most things are easy to forget, yet have a huge impact the final outcome. 

Some more storyboards / /

From my Interim evaluation today I realised this was an area I was lacking in. 

The next step was to further develop my initial ident ideas.  First I had to choose the most appropriate sequences.  These were no.4, 6, 9 and 12.

Tone / / Experimentation

           Microscopic images: Wellcome Collection London.


The images above are in reference of the kind of tone I want to achieve: a busy, confusing and colourful texture.  Once this is coupled with pace and audio I will have the exact tone I want to achieve.

Third Sequence / / Initial

After Effects Induction / / Five

Possible techniques that can be applied to resolutions:

/ /  Advanced keyframe techniques.

/ /  The Photoshop equivalent of grouping layers (compositions) together.

/ /  How to use audio.

The difference in speed look as below:

Illustration / / Texture / / Experimentation

Below is the image I will be experimenting with.  I wanted to go for a scribbly, more abstract style that would reflect the imperfect visuals of a rockform.

Here is what I initially came up with.  Using Photoshop to manipulate the illustration I attempted to mirror the style of 

Type / / Session 2

Visual Hierarchy:

After Effects / / Sound

Since audio will be such a key aspect within our sequences, I thought it would be relevant to show how it's done.  The audio can determine pace and set the tone.  It is very important.

Storyboard / / Initial

More about visualising the kind of textures I want to create.  Here I photocopied onto acetate and drew underneath to give the effect of overlaying different aspects in one frame.

The crazy patterns are microscopic images of rocks. 


My next step is to get together some more primary images to work with within After Effects.  They have to allow me to move around a rock, giving more of a stop motion effect.  I think the inconsistency of stop motion will suit my ambiguous tone.

Animation / / Experimentation

I always had in mind that i'd be using my own images of the physical rock, but thus far have failed to have a go.  I've taken so many images that I think it's time to actually do something with them.  Below are my experimentations with sequential images creating an almost stop motion piece.




360 view.  This seems to work extremely 
well- it is the exact look i am going for.  
Further development is a must.



More of an irratic approach.  Mirroring my 
concept of flashing imagery within the video.  
Perhaps would look better if the one orange 
image came on for a fraction of a second

After Effects Induction / / Type

Working with type in AfterEffects.

I.D document.



Reference to Source text.



Reference to colour key frame.



Reference to range selector.



Reference to Range Selector / / offset.

Laser Cutter / / Induction

I thought it was finally time for me to stop asking people for lasercutting favours and actually learn to do it myself.

So now I know.

Texture / / Experimentation

I thought that a fuzzy ambiguous texture overlay would work well with the general abstract tone of the video.

Second Sequence / / AfterEffects

I'm certain that my initial storyboard design does not translate well into AfterEffects





On a lighter note, I enjoy this colour scheme.  - Taking advantage of RGB colour mode.
Pace of disappearing type is Irratic so works well with disperse / / subject matter.




A slight improvement.  By manipulating the opacity and blur, 'disperse' is more clearly communicated.


My plan for this sequence is to touch up as and when / / if time allows / / if my other sequences are just as not so great.  However, for now, my final sequence:

Discovery Centre / / Leeds

Today I took a trip to Leeds Museum discovery centre.  Here they house the items that can't fit into museums.  There is only approximately 20% of the total collection on view in museums.  So that left the 80% for me to check out:

From this research I have found I think my visual direction for my motion video is much more clear.  I will be working with shapes and textures- using this library of visual information I don't think i'll go short.


In keeping with the brief title I thought i'd show my topten images of the visit:

Along with rocks / / minerals and fossils, the Centre holds a multitude of other items.  I think it's one to think about for future projects.

Type / / Session 1

This whole module deals with Type in relation to print.

TimesNewRoman designed in 1932

Classification:

Linotype:

Talks about how we describe typefaces.  Classified as: transitional / slab serif /  black letter and broken / modern / old style / decorative and display / script and brush (FIND SOURCE)  A way of classifying for assigning identity to type.  

No real classification of type now.  All type is digitalised, been created on computer rather than by hand.  This is the reason why there are a lot of typefaces.

Catherine Dixon:

Source

Formal Attributes

Patterns.

Typographers to read-up on:

Licko

Ruder

Frutiger

Tschicold

Huxley

Stanley Morison

Dair

Gaudy

Sebastian Carter

Key programme: QuarkExpress

Easy to use for simple print jobs.

Remember H&J's- how sentences break.  IMPORTANT when working with editorial or large amounts of type.

SHORTCUTS

CMD / / SHIFT

ALT / / CMD / / SHIFT

Key aspect of each letter helped form the patter.  Using the anatomy of the type.  Look at key characteristics of each individual letter.

Some self-led letterform pattern designs:

Design Direction.

A more concise, considered, and refined direction that I want my TopTen project to go in.

Fourth Sequence / / Final

TopTen / / Design Direction

I need to make some decisions on my design direction.  And quickly.

This includes colour schemes / / tone / / type / / imagery / / visual concepts etc.

Fourth Sequence / / Initial

First Sequence / / After Effects

To give the effect:

 

The idea is that the type is being pulled back on an axis, coming forward with force and then hitting the screen.

I also wanted the type and background to change colour when it 'hit the screen'.  For this I had to create a solid layer of black for the background.

From this I wanted to have a bounce back, vibration movement so I copied the type layer twice and created differenciating opacity key frames.  Like so:

Next I needed to start thinking about how i'd be tackling the type actually dispersing.

This is what i've come up with so far: