Design and Wonder in the Everyday

Credit where credits are due

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Some of the most amazing motion graphics out there are being viewed by millions of people worldwide through Hollywood movies. We’re talking about title sequences and end credits. As you can see from some of our favorites below, creative motion graphics don’t always come from animated movies.

Thanks to The Art of the Title Sequence for having the best quality legal versions of the clips anywhere online. For quick viewing, I’ve also embedded lower quality video from other sites. UPDATE (2/22/2010): It didn’t take long for the videos to be taken down from Vimeo. I’ll leave the remaining survivors.

For best quality viewing, I recommend clicking on the “480p” or “720p” links next to each title. Clicking on the title itself will take you to The Art of the Title Sequence which may also have credits and extras available.

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
by Jamie Caliri (480p | 720p)


Sherlock Holmes
by Prologue Films (480p | 720p)


Casino Royale
by Daniel Kleinman (480p | 720p)


Stranger Than Fiction
by MK12 (480p | 720p)


Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
by DUCK Studios (480p | 720p)


300
by yU+co (480p | 720p)


Iron Man
by Prologue Films (480p | 720p)


The Incredibles
by Pixar (480p)

21.02.2010 Animation, Cool, Inspiration, Video No Comments

Rethink Scholarship promo

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

What a fitting video promoting the Rethink Scholarship!

“The Rethink Scholarship is an $18,000 scholarship for aspiring art directors and designers to Langara College’s Communication and Ideation Design program. The winner will also receive a 3-month internship with Rethink.”

22.01.2010 Animation, Inspiration, Video Comments Off

As if dolls weren’t creepy enough

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Pixar animator Rodrigo Blaas made his directorial debut with his own project, Alma. Be sure to view in full screen to witness Blaas’ beautiful direction and eerie doll designs. (What’s with all the scary dolls these days?)

06.01.2010 Animation, Art Comments Off

Hu’s “Lucky” shows who’s unlucky

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Motion designer Eb Hu is gaining increasing momentum with his works such as the haunting animation Lucky. I found this piece while viewing his work for George Michael’s Christmas Song. Hu creates atmosphere in his animations that only the best of animators can attain. It’s not about pushing pixels, it’s about pulling viewers in to the story.

14.12.2009 Animation Comments Off

I, for one, welcome our giant robot overlords (for less than $500)

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Alvarez

Fede Alvarez of the Aparato Post scores a seven-figure deal through an incredible giant robot invasion video produced for less than $500. Watching the video, it’s hard to believe the price tag (I suspect work hours are not in the accounting), but it’s still remarkable nonetheless. View the video here and then, read the story on Variety.

03.12.2009 Animation, Cool, Video Comments Off

School daze animated

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Animated by Titmouse, Inc., the Fray’s video for their cover of “Heartless” is elegant and hearkens back to simpler days stuck in class behind a classroom crush.

12.10.2009 Animation, Video, music Comments Off

Dead All Along

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Made at the Animation Workshop at UCLA’s Department of Theater, Film and Television, this Edward Gorey inspired animation is delightful. My one gripe is that the music doesn’t quite match the mood of the animation. Otherwise, great work, UCLA!

23.09.2009 Animation, Inspiration Comments Off

Nature good, grown-ups bad

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

As a diploma thesis, David Scharf created “The Forest,” a stark and cinematically stained animated short about an archetypal little girl seeking refuge from a bleak and mechanical world. It’s well done, and seems to be a great preview of Scharf’s work to come.

27.08.2009 Animation, Art Comments Off

Playing with food pays off

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

Whether you’re from Canada or not, you can no doubt appreciate the message behind this “Eat Real, Eat Local” spot. Imaginative uses of food and infographics set on a dinner table make for a fun learning experience.

We need more of these type of spots — in content and design — on a global scale.

20.08.2009 Advertising, Animation, Cool, Inspiration, Learning, Video Comments Off

Stop motion video goodness

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

The music video for Coldplay’s Strawberry Swing is yet another brilliant piece of stop motion artistry making the rounds. Directed by Shynola, this video stands out for the sheer time and work involved in redrawing the chalk backgrounds for each frame. Incredible.

Below are two other notable stop motion videos in the past few months: “Her Morning Elegance,” “Sorry I’m Late,” and the “Stop Motion with Wolf and Pig.”

25.07.2009 Animation, Illustration, Video, music Comments Off