Information Design - Final Project : Animated Infographics

08/02/24 - 29/03/24 (Week 1 - Week 8)
Andrea Choo Qin Hui (0366959)

Information Design / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Project : Animated Infographics

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INSTRUCTIONS

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FINAL PROJECT 

             For this final project: Animated Infographics, Mr. Shamsul instructed us to split 

             ourselves into groups of maximum 5 people. 

             Together with my teammates: Fion, Jessie, Johanna, Anjali and finally (myself) Andrea,

             we decided to go with Topic 2 - The Journey of A Product from Factory to Consumer. 

             For this topic, we are to map out the supply chain of a product, from raw material and

             manufacturing to distribution, retail and consumer use, emphasising sustainability

             and ethical practices. 

             The Expected Outcomes: 

             - An animated infographic informing audience about the given topic (1.5 mins - max 3

             mins video) 

             - Must include some form of data / statistics

             - Must use the questioning technique and provide answers

Week 1 & 2 (Research, Visual Suggestion & Breakdowns)

Figure 1.1 Research & Script Breakdown

             According to Mr. Shamsul after we had shown him our powerpoint, he told us that our 

             topic was too much but we should decide on a perfume brand to focus on instead. After

             brainstorming for abit, we decided to do a vote on which perfume brand we are going to

             do. 

             Perfume Brands (we have chose):

             - Dior

             - Chanel 

             - Gucci 

             - Calvin Klein 

             - Versace 

             - Bulgari 

             - Chloé

             Everyone ended up voting for Dior.

             Part Breakdowns:

             1. Script / Narrations - Fion

                 - Based on our research, we create a script

             2. Moodboard - Johanna & Jessie

                  Puppet / Mascot Sketch 

                  - Jessie looked for references for perfume-shaped mascots on Pinterest & started 

                     sketching it and added expressions to the mascot

                  Character Drawing Style

                  - Johanna decided to follow the simple style where there’s no complicated shading,

                     focusing with the simple colouring palette and the art style form just like a

                     children's animation style.

                  Colour Scheme

                  - For the colour scheme Johanna & Jessie discuss with other members for matching

                     with the design and not to bring lots of complicated colour. Deciding to use pink,

                     yellow and any bright warm colour for eyesight comfort.

                  Art Style (2D Outline)

                  - For the 2D outline at first Johanna decided to use different dark colours until

                     Jessie suggested using a simple black outline for 2D colouring art style. It is more

                     simple and efficient than before.

             3. Storyboard - Fion & Andrea

                  - Using visual reference and narrations as direction to create storyboard + transition

                     effects planning + visual suggestions.

             4. Voiceover - Anjali 

                  - Anjali took up the initiative to help with our narration. After completing the

                     storyboard, we decided on an approx of each narration’s duration. Fion then

                     divided the durations and sent it to Anjali.

Week 3 (Storyboard)

Figure 2.2 Storyboard Pt.1

Figure 2.3 Storyboard Pt.2

           

Figure 2.4 Storyboard Pt.3

Figure 2.5 Storyboard Pt.4

             To have a closer look at our storyboard, here is the Storyboard Canva Link!


Week 4 (B&W Visual Sketches & Video Draft)

Figure 3.1 B&W Sketches Pt.1 by Johanna & Jessie

Figure 3.2 B&W Sketches Pt.2 by Johanna & Jessie

Figure 3.3 B&W Sketches Pt.3 by Johanna & Jessie

Figure 3.4 B&W Sketches Pt.4 by Johanna & Jessie

             To have a closer look at our Visual Sketches, here is our B&W Sketches Google Drive!

             After receiving the initial sketches, I proceeded to make a short video draft without any 

             music or voiceover to show Mr. Shamsul our progress! But since Jessie and Johanna 

             gave me just a png of the sketches, I took it upon myself to seperate the layers on

             Procreate to make the transitions on our draft animation look more accurate to what

             I'll animate on our final animation.

Figure 3.5 B&W Sketches File After Procreate Pt.1 

Figure 3.6 B&W Sketches File After Procreate Pt.2

Figure 3.7 Perfume Draft

             The feedback Mr. Shamsul gave us was not much but he encouraged us to quickly 

             finalise our visual references, voiceovers and to show him again as we were pretty 

             behind compared to our peers. 

Week 5 (Visual References & Voiceovers)

Figure 4.1 Voiceovers Pt.1 by Anjali

Figure 4.2 Voiceovers Pt.2 by Anjali

             Finalised Voiceovers here!

             Thanks to Anjali's fast work, we were able to get the voiceovers quickly and Jessie was 

             able to start the sketch digitally based on the narration. First, Jessie sketched the

             outline and then coloured it with a colour scheme that had been chosen through group

             discussion. Below are sketches for each scene. Finally, Johanna helps Jessie to do some

             unfinished sketches to fill the empty moodboard scene and then colour it.

Figure 4.3 Visual References Pt.1 by Johanna & Jessie

Figure 4.4 Visual References Pt.2 by Johanna & Jessie

Figure 4.5 Visual References Pt.3 by Johanna & Jessie

Figure 4.6 Visual References by Johanna & Jessie

             Have a look at our Visual References cleary here!

Week 6 (Digital Illustration & Animation Pt.1)

             Anjali was incharge of animating 17 scenes for our illustrations and Fion did the rest.

Figure 4.1 Digital Illustration by Anjali

Figure 4.2 Digital Illustration Process by Anjali

Figure 4.3 Digital Illustration Files by Anjali

             Before starting the animation, I met up with Fion to discuss the animations and

             transitions for each scenes and after receiving all the scene by scene digital illustrations

             from Fion and Anjali in the google drive.

Figure 4.4 Completed Digital Illustrations by Fion & Anjali

             While trying to animate, I discovered that the files they gave me wasn't separated into

             layers, which made it impossible for me to animate. Once I told Fion, she immediately

             started to redo everything scene by scene, which definitely slowed us down even more.

             But thanks to Fion's fast work, I could animate half of it before we had to show Mr.

             Shamsul again.

Figure 4.5 Animation of Scene 1-6 (Start)

Figure 4.6 Animation of Scene 1-6 (End)

             As per what I discussed with Fion when we met up, Fion suggested a transition for the

             both start and end of the animation in scene 1-6. 

             Start : The buildings start appearing one by one 

             End : The clouds get pushed up and the buildings in the back slowly fade away, for this

             part I had to add another solid layer of the background and time it correctly so when

             the clouds get pushed up, the solid layer will also get pushed up at the same time,

             hiding the buildings in the back.   

Figure 4.7 Draft Perfume Animation

Week 7 (Animation Pt.2 & Video Compilation)

             The feedback we got from Mr. Shamsul in Week 6, wasn't much, he told us to proceed

             with the animation and there wasn't anything to change in the animation itself, but he

             did instruct us to lower the background music and insert some noise reduction into the

             voiceovers.

             With that, I tried to finish up the remaining animation. To know whether Fion or I have

             finished our parts, Fion made a Google Spreadsheet to document our progress. She also

             included the duration of each scene so that I would know how long that specific scene

             would be.

Figure 5.1 Google Spreadsheet

             Here is the Google Spreadsheet Link to have a closer look at our work!

Figure 5.2 Scene 19

             For scene 19, Fion had helped me find some tutorials to help animate this scene more

             accurately. 

             Tutorial Links:

             - How to Move Object Along Circle Path

             - Animate a Fake 3D Globe with 2D Layers

Figure 5.3 Version 1 of Scene 20-23

Figure 5.4 Version 2 of Scene 20-23

Figure 5.5 Comparison of Both Versions

             I made 2 versions of scene 20-23, version 2 was made after receiving feedback from

             Fion. After receiving feedback from Mr Shamsul, he said that the original version of this

             particular scene was fine and there was no need to change it.

Figure 5.6 Scene 25

             Tutorial Link for This Animation:

             - Animating Graphs in After Effects

Figure 5.7 Scene 29-31

             To animate the scent effect sliding in from the right, I added a Shape Layer for each of

             the scent effects and then Track Matting it onto each Shape Layer. To make it appear, I

             animated it by pushing the Shape Layer into frame of the scent effects and to make it

             wiggle, I use the puppet tool.

Figure 5.8 Finished Animated Files

             Fion made a compilation draft for progression check as well as final output.

Figure 5.9 Title Scene by Fion

             Fion made the intro of our animation and she also added scribbling sound effect into

             the scene.

Figure 5.10 Fion's Workspace Pt.1

             As Fion was in charge of compiling everything, she added suitable transitions effect in

             between scenes such as 'Additive Dissolve', 'Cross Dissolve', 'Film Dissolve', 'Dip to

             Black' and more.

Figure 5.11 Fion's Workspace Pt.2

             Fion's workspace on premiere pro for the Final Animated Infographics. (including

             scenes compilation, sfx, transitions effect, narrations and bgm)

Week 8 (Final Animated Infographics)

             For background music, we prefer calming, ambient music that won't overpower the

             message in our video. After hearing and trying out we decided to go for jazz. This is

             because many jazz pieces are instrumental, making them ideal for background music.

             They can add a layer of interest without overwhelming the message of your commercial.

             Moreover, compared to pop music which is often overused in commercials, jazz can

             help your commercial stand out from the crowd.

             Background Music Chosen:

             - A Jazz Piano by Oleg Kirilkov

Figure 6.1 Animated Infographics: 'The Perfume Production'

Final Submission for Final Project : Animated Infographics

Figure 7.1 Animated Infographics: 'The Perfume Production'

             Background Music:

             - A Jazz Piano by Oleg Kirilkov

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FEEDBACK

Week 5
Mr. Shamsul provided valuable feedback to strengthen our video's visual consistency and impact. He emphasised the importance of creating simple concept sketches that maintain a unified art style throughout all scenes. This will ensure a cohesive visual experience for the audience. Additionally, he recommends adopting a consistent colour scheme to further enhance the visual coherence of our animation. Finally, Mr. Shamsul suggests incorporating some data visualisations, such as graphs, to effectively communicate factual information within our video. 

Week 6

Unfortunately, Mr. Shamsul is unable to provide extensive feedback on your group's video due to the lack of narration. This also raises concerns about your project's progress, as it appears digital illustration hasn't begun yet. Moreover, Mr. Shamsul suggests incorporating a title card design in the introduction and placing a logo watermark somewhere on the video for better audience recognition.

Week 7

Mr. Shamsul provided positive feedback on the overall visual quality of our video. However, he suggested some final touches to enhance the presentation:

• Include a title card at the beginning to introduce your work.

• Apply noise reduction to minimise any background audio distractions.

• Add a watermark logo somewhere on the video, ideally in a corner, to increase brand recognition.