Thought at Work
title sequence
project info
when
10 weeks, fall 2018
role
animation, concept, direction
overview
Thought at Work is an annual design conference hosted exclusively by students at Rochester Institute of Technology. The conference is focused on empowering, inspiring, and educating young designers as they embark on their journey. At the beginning of the conference, a title sequence is shown to engage and excite the audience for what’s to come. I had the opportunity to lead the title sequence team that consisted of 3 talented designers and animators: Rohan Pawar, April Lau, and Dylan Davis.
prompt
Back to the basics
Let’s go back to our roots as designers and take a look at how it all started.
A simple idea
As designers, creators, and innovators, we all have a plethora of ideas for concepts that we want to create, some of which never see the light of day. Despite the complexity of some ideas, they all generally start out simple, going through various obstacles and phases before it’s realized as a good or solid idea. When it comes down to it, the backbone of our designs and creations start with these simple elements that manifest into something greater. Our vision was to show the end-to-end journey of an idea and all of the obstacles it has to go through before entering the world.
ideation
An idea of an idea
Relating back to the prompt, “back to the basics”, we wanted to strip the complexities of an idea down to the simple shape of a ball. We wanted to create an abstract narrative that allows the audience to follow the journey of this idea during its conception phase. As the idea overcomes more obstacles, it becomes more comfortable and confident in its movements. Through playful movements and interactions, the idea continues forward despite obstacles that get in its way.
Fusing two worlds
Part of the concept for Thought at Work’s 2018 visual style consisted of isometric shapes. For our concept, we wanted to fuse together 2D and 3D animation to create a more dynamic and compelling piece. The 2D animation adds to the simplicity of the piece while the 3D animation adds more depth and a different perspective.
design
Visuals
Together with members of the graphics team, we decided that using simple shapes and colors would be best in order to communicate our message. Without seeming too childish, we wanted to convey a sense of playfulness through these elements.