motion graphics & animation
Week 1 : Design for Motion
Introduces and defines the primary outcomes of Design for Motion–style frames and design boards. They are the building blocks of design-driven storytelling. Style frames give form to a concept, and design boards envision how a story unfolds. This week describes the anatomy of both style frames and design boards as well as their practical application in commercial and artistic productions.
Lectures
Design for Motion
A Brief History of Animation
readings
Professional Perspectives: Joshua Harvey
Professional Perspectives: Erin Sarofsky
video tutorials
Photoshop Tutorial: The Basics
assignments
Assignment 1: Introductions
Assignment 2: Photoshop File Creation
projects
Project 1: Character Design
section
Introductions
Design Thinking
Lectures
Lecture: Design for Motion
Motion design is the art of composing change over time. However, before we begin to make things move, it helps to have a plan. We have a much better chance of creating beautiful motion when we begin with beautiful design.
Lecture: A Brief History of Animation
The ‘magic’ ingredients to Animation.
Readings
Professional Perspective: Joshua Harvey
Joshua Harvey is a Los Angeles-based freelance Creative Director with a background in Design and Animation. His career started in 2005 after studying at the School of Visual Arts and then being offered a position at Psyop’s NY studio. Since then he has been a part of projects and campaigns for clients large and small, in roles that run the gamut of production. As a creative Director at Buck’s LA office, he co-led, designed, and animated on projects that garnered several awards. To name a few: the prestigious Clio, Gold at the London International Awards, ADC Designism, and the ADC Gold and Silver Cubes as well as Finalist at the Cannes Lions Festival.
Professional Perspective: Erin Sarofsky
Erin Sarofsky is a multi-talented artist and designer who runs her own studio, Sarofsky, located in Chicago. Erin leads a design-driven production company that produces original content for entertainment, broadcast, branding, and advertising. Her work has been featured in industry publications including Shoot, Stash, Boards Magazine, Motionographer, Forget the Film; Watch the Titles, Art of the Titles, and PromaxBDA. Her work has received multiple nominations for prestigious awards such as the Type Directors Club, the SXSW Film Design Awards, and a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Tutorials
Course Overview
Covers accessibility and course content
Photoshop Tutorial: The basics
Covers opening images, getting familiar with the work area, learning how to zoom and pan, undo command & saving your work.
Assignments
Introductions
Join our discord server [insert title] Introduce yourself, name, preferred pronouns, general location & interests.
Photoshop File Creation
Create a photoshop file. Export as .PSD file type. Include multiple layers [named], masks & adjustment layers.
Projects
Character Design
Design a character, can either be hand drawn or digital. Must contain a body, head, and ligaments such as arms, legs. Does not have to be human, can be fictional. Be imaginative.
Design Thinking
Covers the aspects of design thinking and how it relates to this course as well as future projects.
Sections
Introductions & an overview of the course
Course overview, accessibility and learning resources.
Design Thinking
Covers ‘Design Thinking’ and it’s application in this course as well as future projects.
Group discussions on required weekly readings.
