Process

This multi-week project began by choosing a song without lyrics. I chose MC Solaar's "Intro" for its brevity, but also its strong sense of atmosphere and locale. I was able to vividly visualize the sounds I heard.

I began by creating four static postcards that had to goal of visualizing the sounds of the song using just type, image, color. and texture. I chose words that I thought most phonetically matched the sounds, such as "cla" or "tss". The shape and placement of these words was crucial to conveying the rhythm of the song.

I followed up by refining a single postcard into a large tabloid-size poster. It reiterated the strengths of the postcard, such as the image, textures, and layering.

Using elements of this poster, I translated the static piece into a motion graphic on After Effects. I basically had already made a style guide for myself, so it was really just about bringing the poster to life. I used the same textures, typefaces, etc., but animated them. I was very attentive to the nuances of motion and transition. I used careful keyframes to make the motion feel snappy when needed, or smooth and subtle when needed (the song has both moments). Many effects were applied to amplify the handmade texture and grittiness I had in my poster.