Animated Typography: If

  • Date: 2019
  • Media: animation

Two short typographic animations I made during the Time Designed summer workshop at the Basel School of Design.

The focus is on interaction between letterforms, rhythm, and creating an intriguing sense of movement. I was assigned the word “if”.

ATTENTION: Both animations include sound, which may be jarring.

In this animation I based my design off of the nature of the word—“if” is a conditional and indicates an opportunity for choice. I used the diamond shape to construct the letterforms. In flowcharts, diamond shapes are used to indicate a moment requiring a choice. The images are coupled with self-recorded sounds to evoke a feeling of mechanical movement and rhythm reminiscent of a conveyor belt or an analog computer.

Here I aimed to create a feeling of curiosity or inquisitiveness by manipulating the forms of the Futura Black i and f, paired with the sound of a doorbell.