Information Design Final Project

 3/02/2025 - 16/02/2025 (Week1 - Week7)

Teu Yu Tian / 0371923
Information Design | Bachelors of Design (Honour) in Creative Media | Taylor's University
Final Project - Infographic Video Animation


1. LECTURES:



2. INSTRUCTIONS:


Final Project

REQUIREMENT:
Based on FLIP group topic research, produce a basic video animation.

Using a processed design framework, you will now produce an infographic report to present the given information to a ‘target audience’ with the purpose of:

1. Creating awareness (such as Global Warming, Recycle, etc.)
2. Explaining a process (such as "how to" video)
3. Defining a concept (such as "What is Fast Fashion", "What is Color Wheel", etc.)
Any time based media and software using photography, vector imagery.

Video resolution: 1920px x 1080px HD (min 1.5 mins max 3 mins)

Progression

Group Working File

Figjam Link: Click HERE to access full document in Figma.


Week 1
Briefing
Lecturer given the brief and instructions to students, we formed a group with members of 10 and discussed about the topic we want to do. We first thought of some topics such as trafficking prevention, water pollutions and cybersecurity. After the discussion with Mr. Shamsul, we decided to go with microplastics issue, derived from water pollutions ideas.

Title: Microplastics - Unveiling the Damage to Ecosystems

Research
Then, we distribute the job scope on research and slide preparations, I was in-charge with researching on environmental impact of microplastics on oceans, land, and ecosystems.





Slide 

Week 2
Task distributions
We had a meeting in this week, and execution task were distributed, I am part of animation team with another 5 members. 


Script and storyline were done by leader. 
I suggested a hook for the video:
A fish complaining about its food while it is eating the plankton with microplastics, then it suddenly eaten by a human. Scene zoom in to human stomach with microplastics particles.


Mood board and reference style: 



Week 3
Illustration team start working on sketch and drawings.




Week 4
Animation team had a meeting to discuss about the details and how the layer and animation should be set.

Week 5
FLIP presentation was done.

Week 6
Illustration and colouring were almost done, but recolour is needed due to inconsistent of colour. 
I helped with some recoloring scenes. I find it abit time consuming for recolouring. 

First Version:


We try to stick on one colour from one reference image when adjusting. Colour used are mostly orange, pink and purple tone, some of the green were added in the later scenes for certain usage such as on plant and recycle sign. 
Our colour palette is vibrant and unusual, the colour application for each scene need to be tested few round to achieve balance and harmonious, make sure the main subject stands out. 

Second Version:

Week 7
After completing the recoloring, I began animating scenes 39 to 49. I rearranged the layers in Adobe Illustrator and imported them into Adobe After Effects. Since I haven’t used After Effects in a while, I needed some time to get pick up the skill.

For the plant growth effect, simple keyframe animations were applied by adjusting position, scale, rotation, and opacity.

Masking was used for the transition from bottles to microplastic fragments. To mimic the floating effect, wiggle position effect was added to all the trash in the ocean.

Most transitions rely on simple keyframes, such as changing opacity from 0% to 100% and panning by moving elements. Additionally, some presets were applied, including the Barn Door transition from the plant scene to the ocean scene. A text animation preset, "Altering Character In," was also used for the phrase "trillion plastic waste...".

The microplastic effect was created using footage provided by teammate Chao Ran. Since the video had a black background and wasn’t transparent, the color range was adjusted to remove the black. This affected the original color of the particles, so further adjustments were made to the hue and saturation to restore their appearance.

In this scene, the trash needs to be sucked into a vacuum cleaner. Keyframe animations were used to adjust the position and scale of the trash accordingly.



Wave Warp effect: 


The Wave Warp effect was applied on vacuum cleaner effect and wave to create smooth motion. This helped achieve a more natural and flowing movement for the waves.


Animations part I've done:
Scn 39-49



Later on, I also helped with doing scene 11-13 with using masking and wave wrap for the water flow. 
Scn 11-13


Final Full Video



My own Working File Link:


Working file compilation for Group 4 FLIP Team 2:


3. FEEDBACK

Week 1
  • No Feedback

Week 2 
  • Narrow down your target audience. NGOs and activists are already aware of the issue, so they may not be your primary audience. Similarly, the government prefers a more formal video style, which may not align with your relaxed approach. Instead, students and children would be a more suitable audience. Additionally, try to find information on whether Malaysia's Parliament has discussed this issue. If so, including it would strengthen your content. Take care of the video length since the timeline currently not include the scene-to-scene transition yet. Your progress is advanced keep it up! Make sure your team knows how to use After Effects properly.

Week 3 
  • I love the drawing sketches. Impress me a lot. it is complete. I can imagine the animation already. Who draw it Discuss with the drawing team what software to use for final drawing. 
  • Confirm Art Direction then you could start your Final Drawing. 
  • Can straightaway do what you're currently doing. 
  • Voice Over can use AI BUT (need to mention in e-portfolio).

Week 4
  • No feedback given. Keep doing, good progress.

Week 5
  • Your group might sperate scene by using colors from light to dark tone or using background music to create the climax part. So far looking good.
Week 6 
  • Your final art style looks weird at this point. Make sure the color scheme was aligned to all scenes. Check all the strokes on and off make everything looks like a theme.
Week 7
  • No feedback.


3. REFLECTION

Experience

Working on the animation for this infographic video was both challenging and fun. I gained new knowledge through research phase. Learn how to work in team for animation productions and I feel my time management skill were improved compared to last semester. As part of the animation team, my tasks included animating scenes 39–49 and additional few scene. Keyframe animations were used for plant growth, masking for transitions, and Wave Warp for smooth water motion. Since After Effects hadn’t been used for some time, it took a while to get familiar with it again. Recoloring some scenes was also quite time-consuming, as multiple adjustments were needed to achieve a balanced and harmonious look.

Observation

Throughout the process, teamwork and communication were important. The workflow was well-structured, with script and illustrations done before animation. However, recoloring showed that a consistent color palette should be finalized earlier to avoid rework. Even with simple keyframes, animation made a big difference in storytelling by adding movement and engagement. Using effects like wiggle and preset transitions helped speed up the process while making the animation more dynamic.

Findings

This project showed the importance of pre-planning, especially in layering and color consistency. Small adjustments like tweaking opacity and adding subtle motion improved the final look. Attention to details and constant learning new technique is important in making the animation smoother and more natural. I am not the advanced in animation field, were I still have to search for online tutorial for certain technique. This points out that how much you spend on the things will reflect on the final outcome. This experience helped refine my animation skills and improved my understanding of how visuals and movement work together to enhance storytelling.  While there is always room for improvement, we did our best within the given time, worked well as a team in a positive atmosphere, and delivered the message through our video. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience. Thanks to all contribution from team members and leader. 

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