3D Project
Workshop 4 in the 6 workshops for AfterEffects was all to do with z-space, cameras, and animation in 3 dimensions We also developed techniques surrounding advanced compositing, textures, working with visual styling, production, and project builds. Before the workshop, Sara showed us lots of very inspiring projects, one being a music video by MGMT called All I Ever Wanted. I particularly loved the way in which textures and roll on effects were used to tell a story.
We were told to focus on textures, vector shapes, and interesting themes that we could explore through this motion of a narrative and the use of a flowing video animation. We were told prior that we would look into this idea of images rolling onto the screen with shadows and textures all interlinked to create a unique and inventive outcome. We were also told that the better the artwork before the more interesting outcome.
I started by thinking about my own practice and the type of design work I would like to focus and create this year. This year for me is all about trying new ways of design, such as motion graphics and animation, but developing it in a style that is very much my own. As spoke prior, I am very interested in Fashion Branding, Marketing and Editorial and the use of Scandinavian Design approaches such as minimalism, muted colour schemes and conceptual forward-thinking design. Therefore, I decided to recreate my favourite advertising campaigns in a fun, quirky and unique vector pastel creations. Being a big fan of fashion, I already knew the iconic posters and billboard campaigns I would create. I chose to look at:
- Kate Moss in Supreme; Based on inspiration found from New York Street Posters
- Asap Rocky for Dior; the iconic red jacket with Dior's Iconic Branding method
- Comme Des Garcons historic gender campaign
- American Apparells controversial couple campaigns
- Calvin Klein's very recent celebrity-endorsed campaign scheme
I was also very much inspired by billboard and poster designs from near where I live. These billboard campaigns and grunge poster aesthetic can be found in many diverse areas of Leeds including the student area Headingley. This inspiration for putting up posters in a roll-up effect including shadows and textures I thought held a strong narrative about it and was a big enough subject area to take up 10 seconds of my animation.
I then decided to take these iconic fashion ad campaigns and recreate them in a fun and inventive style. I looked into different designers that worked with vector images and create quirky responses to briefs.
Hungry Sandwich Club
I particularly like the work of Hungry Sandwich Club who create these fun characters that hold unique personality. The work created is engaging, fun and inventive and always thinks of the viewer in mind and how these animations can relate and fully engage with them. I like the way in which these simple vector shapes, when put together, can make an all-around effective result.
Designed By Duo
Designed By Duo is a small agency in the heart of Leeds that combine design and individuality with the belief of always keeping it simple. They heavily look at branding but they also delve into this illustrative technique bringing it into some of the very creative brands they create. I particularly like the way in which they work with pastel colours and muted themes and I think the work is very much my style.
I then started creating my artwork. Using Illustrator as my main design software, I created these vector style shapes using the pen tool by which would give me this simple yet effective design effect. Using a strict pastel colour palette to once again add to the simplicity of the design, the final outcomes really do enhance both of my inspirations as well as my own unique quirky spin on it.
Here are the final images I created based on Iconic Fashion Ad campaigns using inspiration from Designed by Duo and Hungry Sandwich Club:
I then found some textures that I could use. I started by looking at grunge textures and themes and then decided to opt for the more minimal approach. I decided to look at a bubble effect that runs through some street posters and a billboard metal effect that would be a reflective texture that would look like the light is coming from the campaign. 
We then imported all our files into After Effects. We started by creating the 10-second composition and importing all our media. We then played around with transitions, moving the shape between the screens. By splitting the viewpoint into 4, we could slightly move some posters in front of others which would inevitably give darker shadows etc. We then learned how to apply a camera and make it seem like the camera was running through the scene just enough so that the roll effect was effective. I then learned how to make my posters roll on screen as if they were being placed up on a wall. We could change the angle of these and the direction as well as the speed. We then learned how to apply textures to the scene which gave it an overall finish. Creating the images on different layers in one illustrator file allowed for us to manipulate the whole scene effectively and in different parts. 
The final finished outcome, in my opinion, works very well and it has taught me that coming out of my comfort zone and trying new ways of producing work could be heavily beneficial for my portfolio. I am also very proud that I managed to add my own influence into the work and I believe it is very much my style and aesthetic. I want to develop this idea further, playing with sound and more textures, possibly adding a brick wall for example. I also want to play around with more posters and keep layering and layering until a final motion graphic is completed.
