CT300
Kinetic Typography
Fall
Professor
C.J. Yeh
Co-chair, Advertising & Digital Design Curriculum
Founder and Executive Creative Director, Cynda Media Lab [➚]
Course Description
Focuses on fundamental typographic elements, theories, and skills unique to screen-based media that enable students to create holistic and experiential typographic designs that move beyond the limitations of print.
* This class is a requirement for the Advertising & Digital Design BFA and the Digital Typography Minor [➚]. Examples of how kinetic typography skills are applied: [➚]
A&DD Website
NewCreatives.info [➚]
A&DD Instagram
NewCreatives.info [➚]
Grade Breakdown and Evaluation
Professionalism and Class Participation: 30%
QuickFire Challenges (5 points per challenge): 20%
First Project: 15% (4% project proposal, 4% storyboard, 4% animatics, 4% animation)
Final Project: 35% (5% research, 5% ideation and MVP, 10% script, 5% animatics, 10% animation)
(A: 91% or above, B: 90% – 71%, C: 70% – 61%, D: 60% – 51%, F: 50% or below)
* You will work in teams in this class, but you will be graded as an individual
Section Info
Section 65A / Tuesday 6:30 - 9:20 pm / Class Drive [➚]
Section 601 / Thursday 2:10 - 5:00 pm / Class Drive [➚]
Office Hours
Schedule a meeting with CJ via Calendly [➚]
Project #1: More Than Words
30 FPS / Duration: 12 sec. (minimum) / Dimensions: 1080 (W) x 1080 (h) / format: H.264
The goal of this assignment is to create an expressive animation using typography, shapes, and music to communicate the feeling and emotion embedded in a word. Student will work in teams of five (5) and define a theme for the team together before designing and executing individual motion graphics.
Examples: [➚] [➚] [➚] [➚] [➚] [➚]
Final Project: The Future is Inclusive
Each student team (2-3 students) will develop an inclusive product design concept through research and ideation, and a design sprint process inspired by Design Thinking methodology. The final deliverable is a project concept presentation and a persuasive case study video [➚] to communicate the key value propositions of the product.
WEEKLY OUTLINE
* Weekly outline is subject to change according to the pedagogical needs.
WEEK 1
Tue 08/27 | Thur 08/29
Introduction
In-class Workshop:
– Team forming (5 students per team), elect a group captain and pick a theme for project #1
– Create a team Slack channel and create a team folder in the class Google Folder.Demo: After Effects Fundamentals
– AE Terminologies: .aep, comp, footage…etc,
– workspace layout and general interface
– Aspect ratios and screen resolutions
– Frame rate (FPS)
– Setting up a comp (Command+N)
– Import assets (Command+I)
– Creating and editing text layer
– Exit text editing mode: (ENTER on the numeric pad or Command +RETURN)
– Pan Behind / Anchor Point ToolIn-class Workshop/Homework:
– Prepare the first group presentation
– This 6-minute team presentation must include the five selected keywords (one per team member) within the theme and five moodboards (images and 3 to 5 adjectives) representing the design style and the emotion that you intend to evoke. Examples: [➚] [➚]
WEEK 2
Tue 09/03 | Thur 09/05
Presentation: Project #1 Proposal
Demo: After Effects
– Review fundamentals
– Edit composition settings (Command + K)
– Selection tool (V)
– Primary transform properties: Anchor (A), Position (P), Scale (S), Rotation (R), Opacity (T)
– Motion Path
– Easy Ease
– Anchor Point Tool (Y)– Next/Previous Frame: (PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN)
– Move anchor point to object center (Command + double click pan behind tool)
– Activate Anchor Point Guide (Command + move anchor point with pan behind tool)
– Center object on stage (Option + double click pan behind tool)
– Preview: (Space Bar or 0 on the numeric pad)
– Import Files (footage, composition, or composition retain layer sizes)
– Export using Adobe Media Media Encoder
– Solid layer for background while rendering using AME
– Shortcut References [➚]QuickFire Challenge #1
Lecture: Storyboard and Animatics
Homework:
– Project #1 storyboard designs (one per team member)
– Compile storyboards and audio choices and add them to your project #1 presentation deck.
WEEK 3
Tue 09/10 | Thur 09/12
Due: Storyboard and audio choice
Demo: After Effects
– Converting Photoshop Text Layer (Layer/Create/Convert to Editable Text)
– Source Text Property
– Hold Keyframe
– Set work area (B, N)
– Trim comp to the work area (option + click)
– Deselect All (Command + Shift + A)
– Shape Layer Basics
– Graph Editor: Value Graph
– Render basicsQuickFire Challenge #2
Homework:
– Animatics for project #1 (one per team member)
– Render animatics and add them to your project #1 presentation slides
WEEK 4
Tue 09/17 | Thur 09/19
Due: Animatics
Demo: After Effects
– Import Illustrator Files
– Continuous Rasterization
– Track Matte
– Create and Import Motion Path
– Animate Type on Path
– Skip Frame (Command + left arrow or right arrow)
– Go to Layer In Point (I)
– Go to Layer Out Point (O)
– Go to the beginning or end of the timeline (HOME, END)
– Graph Editor Zoom In (Space bar + mouse click)
– Graph Editor Zoom Out (Space bar + option + mouse click)QuickFire Challenge #3
Homework:
– Animation production begins
WEEK 5
Tue 09/24 | Thur 09/26
Due: a minimum of 5 seconds of animation (render and upload for review)
Demo: After Effects
– Shape tween
– Illustrator Blend Tool
– Set First Vertex
– Shape repeater
– Nesting comps
– Text Animation Presets
– Puppet pin
– Enable Time Remapping
– Expression: loopOut();QuickFire Challenge #4
Homework:
– Project #1 production continues
WEEK 6
Tue 10/01 | Thur 10/10*
Team Review
In-class Workshop / Homework:
– Project #1 production and team presentation prep
WEEK 7
Tue 10/08 | Thur 10/17
Presentation: First Project
Team forming for Project 2
WEEK 8
Tue 10/15 | Thur 10/24
Lecture/Discussion: The Future is Inclusive
Project 2: The Future is Inclusive
In-Class Workshop: Quick Fire Research
– As a team, identify at least 3 problems that you believe are worth solving
– Do a quick preliminary research to find at least 10 important facts per topic
* Include links to sourcesHomework:
1) Identify three problems as potential topics
2) Slack CJ and he will pick one topic for each team to move forward with
3) Identify groups of people (potential users) that are impacted by each problem
4) Dig deeper to understand the problem space as well as the potential users
4) Create a Google doc to gather all the research findings for the selected topic and upload it before coming to the next classDemo:
– Text property
– Expression
WEEK 9
Tue 10/22 | Thur 10/31
Due: Initial Research and Proposed Topics
Lecture/Discussion: Research Methodology: Empathy Interview
In-class Assignment/Homework: Empathy Interviews (3 to 5) and Proto-personas
– Desk research to learn more about your stakeholders (people with an interest or concern in something, such as people who care about and/or are impacted by the problem that you are trying to solve. In some cases, that might be people who could help solve the problem, yet not doing it.)
– Interview a minimum of 3 to 5 look-alike stakeholders
– Each team member will draft one proto-persona
– Create a Miro board to gather the research findings
– Prepare a slide deck for your key research findings and proto-persona draftsDemo:
– Using video in After Effects
– Effects: Corner Pin + CC Power Pin
– Luma Matte
– Time RemappingLecture/Discussion: Insight Statement (SEE)
Lecture/Discussion: Competitor Analysis + MVP
In-class Assignment/Homework: Insight Statement, Competitor Analysis, and MVP features
WEEK 10
Tue 10/29 | Thur 11/07
Due: Insight Statement, Competitor Analysis, and MVP features
In-class Assignment: Winning Formula [➚]
– Each team will review 10 award-winning Future Lions case study videos and analyze:
1. narrative flow and time allocation
2. key fact(s)
3. target segmentation
4. primary functional/communication goals
5. differentiationClick here to see past Future Lions winners
Homework: case study script first draft (no more than 2 minutes, roughly 240 words, upload before next class)
WEEK 11
Tue 11/05 | Thur 11/14
Due: Case study video script first draft
Team review: case study script first draft
In-Class Workshop: Moodboard
Homework: case study script revision, moodboard, and storyboard
WEEK 12
Tue 11/12 | Thur 11/21
Due: Case study script revision, mood board, and storyboard
In-class Workshop / Homework:
– Case study video design and production?
– Team review
– Progress Update (upload before next class)
WEEK 13
Tue 11/19 | Thur 12/05*
Team Review
In-class Workshop / Homework:
– Case study video design and production
– Progress Update (upload before next class)
WEEK 14
Tue 11/26 | Thur 12/12
Team review
In-class Workshop / Homework:
– Case study video design and supportive material production
– Progress Update (upload before next class)
WEEK 15
Tue 12/03 | Thur 12/19
Final Presentations
Creative Technology & Design (CT&D) Attendance Policy
Attendance is not optional. If you are going to miss a class, you must contact me via email ASAP. Due to the quantity of material covered in the course, I will not be able to spend class time explaining missed assignments or redo lectures. If a class is missed, it is your responsibility to get information regarding missed assignments and lectures from one of your classmates.
Students are required to attend all classes, be on time, and remain for the entire class.
Students who miss three classes for classes meeting once a week or four classes for classes meeting twice a week will receive a grade of “F.”
The student who arrives 10 minutes after the start of the class will be considered late.
Two late occurrences = one absence
A student who arrives over 30 minutes late or not returning from the break will be considered absent from the class.
Working on projects for another class or using digital devices for socializing (texting, social media…etc.) or gaming during class time will be recorded as an absence.
An excused absence is still recorded as an absence. The difference is an excused absence won’t impact your grade for professionalism and class participation.
Additional Course Information:
Grade Appeals: Include information on the grade appeal process. See Grade Appeal for more information.
Department Policy on Plagiarism
Plagiarism and other forms of academic deception are unacceptable. Each instance of plagiarism is distinct. A plagiarism violation is an automatic justification for an “F” on that assignment and/or an “F” for the course. A student found in violation of FIT’s Code of Conduct and deemed to receive an “F” for a course may not withdraw from the course prior to final grade assignments.
Use of AI tools
It is permissible to utilize AI tools in your creative process. However, you must identify which AI tool is being used at each stage of the process. You are required to fact-check AI output and avoid stereotyping and bias in your work. Finally, you are responsible for ensuring that the final creation is unique, ownable, and without any copyright issues.
Fact-checking AI output
AI tools are not infallible. They often generate incorrect or misleading information. It is your responsibility to fact-check any AI output before using it in your work. This includes checking the source of the information, evaluating the quality of the information, and considering the context in which the information was generated.
Avoiding stereotyping and bias
AI tools can be trained on data that contains stereotypes and biases. This can lead to AI output that is also biased. It is your responsibility to avoid the potential for bias in AI output. You should also be mindful of your own biases when using AI tools and take steps to mitigate them.
Ensuring the uniqueness and ownership of your work
You are responsible for ensuring that the final creation of your work is unique and ownable. This means that you must not plagiarize the work of others, including submitting works done solely by AI tools without meaningful improvement and input from you.
Penalty for violation
Violation of this policy may result in a grade reduction or suspension from the class.