A story line

So here I have my original concept, based on the idea of the creation of something from nothing, the build up of basic elements to generate a larger and much more important picture. We are all in school to better ourselves on a variety of playing fields, that is a basic common denominator of the joint student body of Ringling. Typically, I would develop a style board to nail down the style and feel of my animation, but for the first time, I decided to delve right into the concept and story boarding. From the ideas that I presented in class, I decided to head in the direction of liquid motion. To convey the idea of basic elements converging to create something bigger and better, I want to depict various splashes of colorful liquid, paint, I guess you could say. The animation would focus entirely on these splashes, with various camera angles and velocity, highlighting their beauty and grace. The splashes would come together in a brilliant collision of color to create and reveal the network logo.

My plan is to do this piece in either Maya or Realflow or maybe even incorporate both in some way. I've been doing a lot of research into the programs and how to use dynamics and nDynamics in Maya and there are a limitless amount of possibilities with those two. Either way, we'll see if it really produces the look and feel I'm looking for. I have, however, given myself a deadline, and if I can't produce the look that I want by that deadline, then I'm going to scrap this idea and go to plan "B" before I waste too much time and can't get the project finished at all on time. This should be interesting....

Establishing Our Premise

In order to establish a functional package, we need to find the common denominator between all of the vastly different people we have at the school, something that can connect with the audience and all of its different elements.

When I think about the artists I see every day, and when I think about art in general, I feel that we all strive for the best, and that the best is always what is awarded, whether it be with money, awards, or just recognition.

The way I see it, the shared aspirations of our artistic generation come to be fame, recognition, legacy, originality, leaders, influence, people want to do what they love and make a living from it, they want awards, a successful job, to start their own business. Characteristics are intuitive, open, illogical, free, artistic, thinking, subjective, fast, energetic, we are appealing to both fine artists AND design students, they are funny and humorous and are more liberal than the previous generation. The most essential and basic commonality I feel is the desire to be better, better than you are currently as well as better than everyone else.

It is this strive to be better that I am going to base my concept off of, we are here to learn and build upon ourselves as artists and people. We are given lessons and new material and fresh perspectives from a variety of sources. We forge new paths and destroy old ones. We create and experiment and it is this essential concept that I want to elaborate upon.

The Ringling population defined.

50 words:
Golden, Gears, Paint, Spill, Iridescent, Maximum, Success, Fruit, Stress, Temper, Dark, Passion, Destruction, Vastness, Ambitious, Analytical, Asymmetrical, Audacious, Balanced, Bold, Challenging, Critical, Elegant, Elusive, Energetic, Flowing, Frenetic, Harsh, Illusory, Imaginative, Meticulous, Non-conformist, Powerful, Provocative, Seamless, Soothing, Symmetrical, Ecstatic, Emotional, Old, Historic, Illogical, Ephemeral, Abstract, Beautiful, Glorious, Bold, Alluring, Constructive, Captivating.

Top 5:
Constructive, Bold, Beautiful, Imaginative, Captivating

The Demographics

The demographic is an interpretation of the target audience of a product, show or network. Typically this interpretation is a generalized and overarching statement that covers the entire group, or groups, that is being targeted, however, it is possible to delve even deeper and create a profile for a specific person within this group. This is a fictional character that provides a face to sell to. It creates a much more personal connection between an artist and their audience and provides for a much easier task in establishing what an audience would want. So here we have a new project, and that means a new demographic to determine. Ringling is home to people from a whole host of cultures and beliefs, so determining how to sell to this audience is going to be more on the difficult side. Here is what I arrived at, a face to give to both the male and female population.


Mike

20 years of age, male, white, 6'1'', 145 lbs, a bit on the scrawny side, a freshman in GIC, agnostic (believing in something, but not a labelled “God”) originally from New York, doesn't drive but skates and bikes for transportation, no job and relies on the money provided by the parental units who are both middle class Americans working the average behind-a-desk office job, shops at target and brand name retail stores, has a very clean cut style of dress, wants to eventually design posters for concert and music events which makes sense considering he is very into his music, his tastes in music consist of electronic and dubstep with the occasional rock and alternative band thrown into the mix, he watches movies a lot and since moving to college doesn't watch T.V. apart from what he sees in the common areas and cafeteria as well as online shows in his spare time, he loves to eat meat and is very indiscriminate when it comes to the type and his largest expense is on food considering the commons food rips his stomach apart, he parties hard and works even harder, somehow maintaining good grades as well as a party hard reputation, he enjoys painting and drawing whenever he gets the chance which he is very talented at.

Lauren

19 years old, white, 5'2'', 115 lbs, physically fit, short black hair and gauges, freshman in Illustration and her goal in life is to illustrate children's books, she does not believe in god but is very spiritual, she doesn't drive, but bikes everywhere instead, she holds a job at Kilwins in St. Armands, her parents can barely afford the school, so anything she needs to buy she pays for with her own money, she shops at goodwill and off brand boutiques around town, she is what many would consider to be “hipster” with a very distinct fasion sense and taste in music such as Animal Collective and Margot & The Nuclear So and So's, she doesn't watch television regularly due to the lack of television in the dorms, but she enjoys sitting in her common area and channel surfing in her off time watching pretty much anything that's on and can take her mind off of things, her favorite channels include IFC and Current TV and she really responds well to artistic and original content, she doesn't eat red meat but loves sushi and chicken wings, she goes to a lot of parties and drinks hard but she knows her limits and rarely makes anywhere near a fool of herself.

Network Branding Research

To kick off the new project in the right way, doing a little research into the effectiveness and functionality of network ID's is vital. A network package is designed in order to create a specific tone and identity of the network, developing a particular attitude that conveys and connects with the audience on some level. They are important in order to maintain a connection with the intended viewers.

So to begin the actual research into effective network branding, I took a look at Denny Tu's blog "Art & Business of Motion" in which he provides an impressive and extensive list of work and great examples of network branding from across the world.
Quite a few of these examples really caught my eye, and a few of them honestly left me breathless and wanting more. To start off, we have the fresh brand identity for the Universal Channel. The channel features a line-up of character-driven drama, comedy shows and movies, and caters to an audience of greatly varying age, social standing, and family situations. The rebrand is an attempt at building upon the "brand equity and heritage" of its parent company Universal.

I LOVE the use of color, music, technical / scientific treatment of the animated graphics, and mixed use of animation and live action which I feel culminate into a truly beautiful and well designed rebrand. The way the logo is brought on and off screen is well designed and entertaining, and they use a variety of techniques and treatments, but each one resembles the last on a core level. The use of shape is brilliant and they get across a very organic and natural feel while still having a very technical and clean cut tone as well. How they manage that is wonderful and very original. 

Another exquisite package that I saw was the rebrand for Eden, the UKTV documentary channel that features shows like Superstorm, Ganges, Tribe, and Wild China, as well as top rated series like Planet Earth and Blue Planet. They are an almost purely nature and planetary based channel, highlighting features about the earth, the environment and the varying animals that inhabit it for an audience that is interested in the planet without the people. The idents reflect this so well, with a very natural color palette and minimalistic imagery that pushes the idea of very limited human interaction and influence. 

The lineups don't feature any text, simply a woman's voice as an announcer, which perfectly resembles the tone and style of the rest of the pieces, lacking any real text and remaining rather minimalistic. Simply brilliant the way I look at it. 

Both packages do an excellent job of remaining clear and consistent, maintaining continuity between their separate elements. Their use of sound, text (or lack there of), imagery and color help build a brand that is all their own and fits the audience that they are trying to reach. 

I feel that the two examples are similar in very little ways, that they are both in fact very different from each other, only connecting on the level of great design and a very effective combination of live action and animation. The differences between them are vast, from color to the style of animation, these two examples cater to a very different crowd I feel, and that is reflected in their style. Eden is much more organic and natural whereas the Universal network brand features very harsh colors and technical movements and relies heavily on computer graphics. Eden lacks this, remaining minimalistic and simple, a large difference between them. 

When designing the identity for the ART Network, I feel that these examples, including all of the ones I didn't highlight, will definitely play a substantial role and hold a good amount of influence on my work. I plan to incorporate a mixture of live action and animation very similar to these two networks, while maintaing a more organic (hopefully) and fluid feel to cater more to the artistic and free nature of the Ringling audience. 

Denny Tu's blog (http://dennytu.wordpress.com/) has provided the perfect base to jump from in starting this project, with a huge sample of work. All of these examples have served only to fuel my desire to delve into production for the ART idents, and I really can't wait to start. My ultimate goal is to produce something that's on par with everything featured on denny's blog.

A New Beginning

So this is it, the show package is done and in the past and now we're moving on to the bigger and hopefully even better network package being designed for All Ringling Television, or the ART Network. This is going to be fun for a lot of reasons, mainly because I think that this project is going to allow for a big shift in technique and I'll be able to experiment a bit more so I can get the perfect style and execution for this branding.

Our creative brief for the project is as follows:

Network Identity and Branding

The Client:

All Ringling Television Network  -on campus Comcast cable channel 117

Project Overview:

To design a Network ID and support elements to brand the new ART (All Ringling Television) Network.   The theme for the initial on-air look will be "The Power of ART"   

Objective:

To create visually compelling imagery that establishes ART Network as a channel where one turns to see new and innovative content.  The Idents should illustrate the power of ART Network to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.  The Idents should capture the excitement and energy that ART Network can generate.  The imagery should be unusual and unfamiliar to the viewer to suggest the originality of the network.   It could visually explain the acronym ART as All Ringling Television Network.

Deliverables:

1  ID   7-10 seconds in length - with audio
3  Looping Animated Line Up slates -  with sample layout of informational text
1  Bug  (keyable)
1  Violator Animation (keyable) to reveal logo, and inform what's coming up next.

Distribution:

These animations will be use on the new Ringling TV channel, ART Network.  The looping Line Up slates will be use to present upcoming programs and times.

These are a few great examples, and have really served to inspire a few ideas.

LOGO ID   /   Promo Transition into video

Logo ID  - resolve

Show Line-up Layouts

Violator  (keyable lower element)

Additional Line-up examples

Unlike the way I started out the last project, this time I've got a positive attitude and I think that I'm definitely going to enjoy producing whichever ideas come my way. 

Reflection

This entire experience moved us past just doing an animation. This project was an entirely new experience for me and actually helped broaden my horizons. Starting out, I was simply not feeling the assignment, it was yet another broadcast based assignment, and in no way reflected my interests. But I've gotta say, my entire perception of broadcast design and television related work has changed for the positive. I learned a lot about what it takes to produce something that you don't always consciously think about when watching your favorite television programs. The technical side of the project was just as complicated and intricate as the animation work, and we were introduced to a whole new array of problems that we needed to solve. One of the most difficult aspects of a project like this is staying organized, and that remained an issue all the way to the end. Overall this was a huge learning experience, and regardless of how stressful it was, I enjoyed the new challenges.

Final Pass

So here we are, at the final stage. We have a completed show package that I feel carries a very consistent vibe throughout each of the elements. A lot has changed, mostly small changes, but a huge amount of them. We considered every bit of feedback that we got, and tried to accommodate all of the suggestions we received. It was a tight fit at the end, but we pulled through and got everything done that we needed to, JUST IN TIME! We played with the timing and colors, the music and sound, and resolved a good 4 or 5 seconds earlier than our first pass animation. 

I am so happy with our final package design and animations, and I feel that everything ended up working out really well. It was quite and experience working with my group members, and I learned a lot just in that aspect. 

These are the final package elements:

Transition 1:

Transition 2:

Lower Thirds:

Looping Background:

Title:

What's changed?

We blurred the background literally and with color, bringing the final logo resolve forward and making it more prominent. The sound and film were edited down to get the timing of the animation as close to perfect as possible. There was further work done to the graphics explosion, making it fill the screen even more, and setting the backpack and graphics higher in the hierarchy of the piece. The lower thirds had close to an entire re-haul and the changes are obvious. The first transition has a few more elements added and the second transition has been completely revamped while still retaining the same basic motion. Both Transition fill the entire screen for 2 frames, eliminating the need for any sort of matte with the transition. The looping background has a fresher and more appealing layout while the colors and basic appeal haven't changed much. 

We also provided the After Effects files along with a PDF Usage guide for the editor to use to understand the files.

PDF Usage Guide

First Pass

So this is a compilation of our entire show package, all elements included, completed for the first pass. Its all still a bit rough and can use a lot of work, but most of it is just a matter of fine tuning, the bulk animation work is done. We had a critique on our current work, the work below, and the most important thing is that the idea stuck. People understood and could relate, and the basic concept resonated with the audience. That was such an essential thing because tweaking and reworking is something that doesn't threaten our completing the project on time. It would have been a huge setback to have had to rework the concept as well as the animation, so that was a plus.

Transition 1:

Transition 2:

Lower Thirds:

 

Title:

Ok, so we actually have a lot of work to do, but as I said, there is at least a nice connection between the core concept and the animation. The idea is legible and understandable, but the consistency between the individual elements still needs a lot of work. 

Doodles and Sketches

Here are a few of the assets we used for the animation itself, consisting of a few doodles and sketches and what not.

Logo Design

These are the logos we ended up using, one for the transitions and other uses which lacks the name of any major, and the others with each variation for the individual majors being represented.

Rough Animatic

Its a bit rough, but you get the idea. There isn't any sound yet, we are still in the process of finding the perfect sound to match the overall tone and theme of the show package. 

A Style on its Own

So we reached a point where the question "How are we going to do this?" became unavoidable. We had no clue how we were going to achieve the kind of graphic work that we were talking about. Until Sharon suggested we use the same style that I had in my Midsummer Dreams holiday bumper. In that piece I used paper textures heavily and we thought this would be perfect for the look we wanted in this show package.

You can see the link between these styles, and I definitely feel that it works best for this show package. 

Storyboard

So this is the storyboard that we've arrived at. This outlines the entire animation, highlighting key points and the end resolve. These are scanned images placed into the template. 

Style frames

These are the style frames we ended up with, each with a good representation of how we wanted the animation to look and feel. There are bright yet unsaturated colors and a lot of energy, perfect for the target audience.

The Concept

So for this project, my group of three consists of Sharon Correa, Matthew Nitzberg and myself. In the process of brainstorming, we developed a concept that revolved around the idea of a students personality, talent and ideas flowing freely from the place that holds their dearest items: their backpack.

A students backpack is their life, for most at least. It's home to their sketchbooks, theire pens and pencils, their class notes, their computers, their hard drives and USB's, their snacks and their work, and in a way, holds their ideas together.

We developed a concept statement to guide us throughout the project and lead us towards our goal.
"Be introduced to a whole new world of opportunities and limitless possibilities and gain fresh insight into a day in the life of a Ringling student. With a fresh perspective, the college existence is illuminated through a first person look at what awaits incoming freshies. Follow the footsteps of students at the greatest school on earth, ready to paint the true picture of what Ringling is."

With this concept, we started narrowing down the music, graphic style and font choices that best fit a show package formed around this theme.

Creative Brief

This is the second major project of the semester and it revolves around creating an entire show package for the Ringling television network. This is far from what I am personally interested in, so this should be interesting. Hopefully I can move past my lack of connection and still produce a top notch animation. 


Client: Ringling College of Art and Design
Project: Show Package
Title: A Day in the Life
Medium: Video

Objective:
Convey brand, attitude and style of the A Day in the Life videos.

Project Description:
Produce a show package that cross and capture the essence of three majors: Business of Art and Design, Advertising Design and Motion Design. Package elements include:

• Show Title: A Day in the Life: Motion Design / Advertising / Business of Art and Design
• Lower Thirds (two samples: 1 line and a 2 line)
• Animated background (10-second loop)
• Transitions (Two samples @ 1-2 seconds each)

Specs: 

16 x 9    Hi Def 1920 x 1080    29.97 fps.   .Mov files     AE File Deliverables

Target Audience: 

Prospective Ringling students, general public, donors, prospective employers. 

Target Insight: 

Audience wants to relate to the students in the video- they want to see themselves as cool, up-and-coming art students who will accomplish their academic goals and be successful, while having fun.

Brand Character:

Fun, exciting, interesting, a little on the edge, in the loop, i.e., industry, campus, etc.

Tone/Style: 

Video will be energetic, fast-paced, 100% in the voice of the student and give a very real look at what each major is like through the eyes of the student. Will follow the student to classes, on-campus, interests, etc. 

Inspiration

So in order to kick this project off the right way, we basically all got together and decided on an overall look and appeal that we wanted the animation and show package to have.

These are just some examples linked to videos of the inspiration we had in creating what we have: