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Typography In Motion
November 19th, 2007 in Fonts, Inspiration | 86 Comments
In most designs typography is used to present information in a rather static way — after all, it has to be read by users. However, it doesn’t have to be like this. What effects can be achieved if typography is set in motion? What happens if letters are suddenly floating, jumping and dancing around while sentences are actually interacting with the readers?
Where motion is involved, video is necessary. Below we present some excellent examples of typography embedded into movies and videos — be prepared, “dynamic” typography can be breathtaking.
Typography In Motion
Cuarteto de Nos
This music video of the Spanish Uruguayan band Cuarteto de Nos is mostly based upon typography. For our purposes it isn’t important what the song is actually about — the brilliant performance of typography makes a lasting impression. The colors are chosen wisely and carefully. The combination of letters, illustration and text effects is simply incredible. A must-see for typography lovers.
Alex Gopher - The Child
A video created by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet for the French DJ Alex Gopher. A world made only with typography. Cult video for fonts lovers and graphic designers.
The Hush Sound - The Lions Roar
So simple, yet so beautiful. Apparently, sometimes you just need to follow your inspiration. The rest isn’t that important.
Pulp Fiction in Typography
What Does Mr. Wallace Look Like?
Typographics
Typography is what language looks like. A brief movie about typography with interacting typographic elements.
Duck and Cover
Typography assignment using audio from an old public service announcement called “Duck and Cover” from the 50s.
Further Resources
- Court.TV
A typographic intro. - Typography In Music Videos
A growing collection of music videos based upon different typography techniques. - Citizen Cope - Let The Drummer Kick
A typographic animation of Citizen Cope’s song “Let the Drummer Kick”.
The Last Click
Royksopp - Remind Me
OK, it’s not about pure typography, but this music video is fascinating. As stated here, you can watch it dozens times and still not catch everything. A day in the life of an average working Jill, broken down into its minutest component parts. The unstated joke: mankind has erected immense, resource-devouring systems of almost incomprehensible complexity just so you can sit in your cubicle.
Robin (November 19th, 2007, 4:46 pm)
It’s shame that some of these are just YouTube videos - I’d love to see higher quality versions, particularly of the ‘typographics’ clip
Richard Francis Kay (November 19th, 2007, 4:58 pm)
Great post! They look absolutely fabulous :-) Thanks for putting such an effort in this Smashing resources/quality website!
Eli (November 19th, 2007, 5:08 pm)
Seen the Pulp Fiction one before, really quite interesting.
Also, as Robin said, it would be good if we could see a better quality version of these, I hate the tiny little videos :)
JoK (November 19th, 2007, 5:11 pm)
What a perfect begin for this week !
Thanks a lot smashing yeah.
Some of this videos are absolutely cultish.
David Airey (November 19th, 2007, 5:24 pm)
The Alex Gopher vid is one of my all-time favs. I’d never seen the Royksopp video before, even though I really like that track, so thanks for posting it.
uli (November 19th, 2007, 6:16 pm)
great post, thanks for that! I hope there will be a chapter 2 with opening titles of movies …
and those youtube-flash-movies suck. I wish quicktime ruled the net :(
~~~d(o.o)b~~~ (November 19th, 2007, 7:20 pm)
Alex Gopher… I love his music style… and that clip is perfect!…
Jet… I like their song and that video rocks too…
Pulp Fiction… Does he look like a bitch?… BAM, BAM, hrhr…
Thanks for that great stuff!… really smashing…
hAVE pHUN
~~~d(o.o)b~~~
Aaron (November 19th, 2007, 8:59 pm)
Maybe Prince’s 1987 video clip for Sign ‘O’ The Times was maybe the first commercial use of mainly typography in video clips:
Prince’s video on Dailymotion
Franko (November 19th, 2007, 9:15 pm)
That’s quite nice also: Link [blog.designin.pl]
Jonny Haynes (November 19th, 2007, 9:30 pm)
really smashing work ;-) seriously, keep it up!
Wendy (November 19th, 2007, 9:40 pm)
would love to see the font download references from those movies mentioned
cemiotika (November 19th, 2007, 9:59 pm)
Hi there!, CUARTETO DE NOS is not a SPANISH band, is a BAND from URUGUAY (south america!),
I’am from Uruguay too!, that’s why i know where is the band from!…
CheerZ! (sorry for my english)
joseph (November 19th, 2007, 10:07 pm)
This is an excellent article. Loved this post…So many talented pieces in this.
Anthony (November 19th, 2007, 10:16 pm)
Royksopp is awesome. This has been one of the better Inspiration monday posts. Keep it up Smashing!
Michael Peters (November 19th, 2007, 10:23 pm)
This is fucking incredible post! The best Monday Inspiration so far!
Chris (November 19th, 2007, 11:09 pm)
Link [www.youtube.com]
~~~d(o.o)b~~~ (November 20th, 2007, 12:13 am)
@Stephane:
Nice track and a cool clip 2… ;-)
hAVE pHUN
~~~d(o.o)b~~~
Ryan Uhrich (November 20th, 2007, 12:19 am)
Hi Robin,
Yeah, the Youtube version is really compressed and hard to see. You can view a higher quality version of Typographics at:
Link [wearenormal.ca]
cheers :D
Ryan
tite (November 20th, 2007, 12:38 am)
Yeaaaaah !!!
AweSomEEEEE MONDAY
Thanks
Jonic (November 20th, 2007, 12:55 am)
Here’s another cool typography in motion clip… It’s more about the animation than the typography itself, but it’s worth a peek anyway…
It’s the first 30 seconds of Blackalicious’s “Chemical Calisthenics”:
Link [www.youtube.com]
CrazyLeaf (November 20th, 2007, 1:47 am)
Love the Pulp Fiction one. Really interesting.
JC (November 20th, 2007, 2:03 am)
More here: Link [deafmusician.com]
ezKiel (November 20th, 2007, 3:35 am)
You have to include Link [www.youtube.com]
Wes O'Haire (November 20th, 2007, 3:36 am)
Hey guys check out this one out too…
Link [www.youtube.com]
Ben (November 20th, 2007, 5:04 am)
Nice article as always. I love typography, particularly in movie credits.
Matty (November 20th, 2007, 9:49 am)
Smashing post! This was very inspiring for me, thanks a lot Smashing Magazine. :)
Mig Reyes (November 20th, 2007, 12:23 pm)
Hey, thanks for posting our video! It’s an honor to be among so many other great type-based motion videos. Check out our high-rez version on Vimeo!
Link [www.vimeo.com]
thejanuaryfall (November 20th, 2007, 12:33 pm)
the hush sound one is made by my friend mig reyes, he.s a student at the illinois institute of art … so you should give credit to mig reyes, not the hush sound …
Mig Reyes (November 20th, 2007, 1:19 pm)
I did it in collaboration with Matt Born, he never gets enough credit haha. Thanks!
Carola (November 20th, 2007, 5:04 pm)
@cemiotica (or anyone informed)
Do you know who made the Cuarteto de Nos video ?
(translation: sabés de quien es el video del Cuarteto de Nos?)
torkla (November 20th, 2007, 10:22 pm)
@Carola
Productora: Milagrito Films
Director: Charly Gutierrez
:)
Bruno (November 21st, 2007, 12:29 am)
Hi!,very good selection , i am uruguayan , and is good to see a high quality work like the Cuarteto videoclip listed here.
By the way, amazing blog, i have this feed on favorites. Keep Smashing!
stefano picco (November 21st, 2007, 1:28 am)
simply call it motion-design
Raf (November 21st, 2007, 1:30 am)
If you’re going to talk about typography in motion you gotta talk about the masters - mk12. Link [www.mk12.com]
Just check out their reel.
TheUprock!.com (November 22nd, 2007, 1:42 am)
A little disappointed when I opened — I’ve seen all these videos before, by simply typing “typography” into YouTube.
I can’t believe you guys didn’t include this video, which pioneered most of the aforementioned clips and their styles —
Link [www.mk12.com]
Dom Gregori (November 23rd, 2007, 5:15 am)
Can’t believe no one included this one. Link [brian.shaler.name]
Out cast’s hey ya covered by Obadiah Parker (Acoustic) all typography by Brian Shaler.
-Dom
madriaza (November 24th, 2007, 4:49 am)
we publish this post about 5 months ago. see Link [www.digilicious.cl]
Stefan (November 25th, 2007, 7:50 am)
Mhhh, great but Link [www.colurz.de] published some movie based typographie videos a few days earlier. Also great!
paqpaq (November 25th, 2007, 8:12 am)
Link [www.youtube.com]
cb (November 27th, 2007, 4:35 am)
This is all a rip of Kyle Cooper’s work.
If you don’t know about Kyle Cooper, you probably need to - he’s the Saul Bass of contemporary motion graphics. If you don’t know who Saul Bass is…
NR (November 28th, 2007, 4:43 pm)
What kind of programs are used for this videos. And are there some tutorials on the web so I can start experimenting with it.
Love the videos!!
fayyaz B. (December 10th, 2007, 9:29 pm)
Cool stuff… very inspiring!.
I remembered an ad for one of the earliest MAC Ads which had a really cool TYPOGRAPHY animation. It was so smooth and cool like MAC ads are, though I never got hold of that ad or how that was made.
nicole (March 4th, 2008, 8:56 am)
Link [www.youtube.com]
is also another fun typography piece.
chestah (April 7th, 2008, 5:46 am)
pulp fiction in typography is smashing!
Reginald (May 13th, 2008, 1:01 pm)
Typography in motion…everything is always that much more impressive with a little animation.
Mh CHOG (June 21st, 2008, 2:17 pm)
Where can I find tutorials to do these motion effect in Flash our After Effects?
muthu (June 28th, 2008, 1:46 am)
UR sufflies a lot of tips to artist
thankssssssssssssssss
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X7007 (September 30th, 2008, 12:47 pm)
Man, thats nice examples. My favorite is “long brown hair”
Greets Link [www.x7007.com]
pieter heyman (October 14th, 2008, 5:40 am)
I created one to
inspired by the song and the other motion graphic “jet - are you gonna be my girl”
this is my version Link [nl.youtube.com]
Matthew Born (November 29th, 2008, 5:02 pm)
I just happened to walk into the living room while my parents were watching A Boy Named Charlie Brown on ABC Family and was quite astounded. Type-driven motion graphics from 1969!
Link [www.youtube.com]