Kyle Cooper designs multiple title sequences for many blockbuster movies, he's mostly noted for his title design for the movie Seven. For a Motion Graphics class we were assigned to observe one of his title sequences for a movie of our choice and analyze it. I chose the end credits from Universal Pictures The Mummy.
Cooper integrates Egyptian hieroglyphics within the type, thus making the type appear unable to read but by slowly moving and dissolving symbols letters begin to appear. He subtly places symbols and lines along the opposite side of the credits using the space to its full potential. A scrolling background of hieroglyphics in stone further adds to the illusion of the theme of The Mummy, without looking cluttered.
After watching this clip it inspired me to use images and symbols within the text to create a theme. Or even scrambling letters in a keyframe and using the dissolve effects to create a word or image.
After watching the Hillman Curtis films I've discovered a new appreciation for the world of typography. Which led me to choose Paula Scher, and David Carson as the artists to compare.
Paula Scher, from what I gathered, was introduced to the term syncopated a term meaning everything is in place except for that one thing. This is a great way to catch the eye with the slight imperfection that makes the type so perfect. She made the statement in her video that "typography is designed to look like they make noise" which helped me relate to the previous assignment with our words and boxes. Scher designed several posters that expressed noise like "Noise Funk" which created a style for the New York public theater. Using this term syncopated allows me to see that imperfections even slight imperfections can create the motion in the message that the artist desires to portray.
David Carson, on the other hand has a different perspective than that of Paula Scher, which is also what drew me to his style. He has been formally noted as the father of grunge, and I assume that this is due to his sporadic placement of letters in his art which is entertaining to maneuver through. Carson believes that the artist should pull form who they are and put that into the work. He says this in a TED interview in 2003 that no individual was raised by the same parents, the same way, with the same background, and that should be integrated into the work that they promote. In the same TED interview he displayed "no parking" signs that were on the same surface but had different font, and asked how the audience responded emotionally to the sign by asking "which one would you park in front of?" I agree with Carson when he states that "who you are" should be portrayed into a work of art that one produces this way there is emotion from the design end that can coexist with the viewer of the work.
These two artists assisted in showing me a new approach and appreciation to the world of typography. Both artists have their similarities with type by displaying it in a syncopated manner; on the other hand the emotion or lack of emotion placed within the piece shows the difference in all work.
A small company by the name of Three Legged Legs produced this fascinating video that really and truly moves. The title of this exciting little opus is "Havaianas Foot Nap". Foot nap allows the viewer to go into the mind of a foot when it falls asleep. The colors in this video are beyond aesthetically pleasing, they're mind-blowing.
In the first shot of the video the viewer is face to face with multiple hues of red, yellow, and orange. A good choice when grabbing ones attention since the color red is psychologically proven to stimulate the senses. Through out the video we are faced with a multi colored overdose, which is not a bad thing since color can add dimension to a design. For example, when the dreaming foot is flying through the junge scene we can see green trees but by using green's complementary color red, for what I assume to be the canopy of the jungle, the scene gains depth.
The second video I came across was not as visually stimulating as the previous one; however, it does show how color can crate dimensions. This video focuses on cells, and the space around them. The creator uses the color grey around red and yellow, this allows the warmer colors of the cell to be seen in the foreground, thus adding dimension. Through out the video the viewer is exposed to reds and yellows, and in the last shot of the video a green cell emerges. This is similar to the Poynter exercise using simultaneous contrast, but instead of closing your eyes and seeing this contrast the creator of the video does it for you. The movement in the video is similar to the first video in allowing the viewer to become aware of the depth throughout the video. The designer has also integrated the warm colors in the beginning, like the first video, to stimulate the viewer and ending with a cool color to slow stimulation and ultimately ending the vide generously.
