I’ve always been slightly envious of those with an exceptional taste for color. Maybe it’s because of my struggle to choose the right pairing for a brand identity. Or, more likely, perhaps it’s because color has always seemed so subjective. Even after spending countless hours picking Pantone chips, I’ll often feel like the various combinations I’ve selected are wrong. Of course, I always present my selections with purpose and intention, but I can’t help but think that a better combination exists. This painstaking process is the reason I so often resort to black.

Reading & Writing 

Animated Storytelling, by Liz Blazer 

Chater 5: Color Sense
Despite my personal history, I’m quite aware of the many possible connotations color can communicate. After all, I did spend a semester in college studying color theory. Back then, we had to hand-paint palettes that were complementary, analogous, and monochromatic. Talk about monotonous! But, as Blazer discusses in chapter 5, color has the potential to create mood, express emotion, and enhance the meaning of an animation. Directors, animators, and storytellers would be wise to choose color carefully.

To help, Blazer recommends developing a color script. This process involves creating a sequential visual outline of the colors in an animated film. Among other skills, the process requires the ability to refine. If a story had to be limited to one single color, what would it be? It can be helpful to choose a primary color, and then select supporting colors appropriate for each story beat. 

Glazer also provides a few practical tips when it comes to color selection. For example, background colors shouldn’t compete with moving objects. Using too many colors can be visually confusing, which is why a limited palette makes it easier to intentionally direct the viewer’s eye. Saturation can also be used to let the audience know that something, or someone, is important to the story. A good practice is to choose one thematic color and one accent color, then proceed with your gut from there.

Chapter 6: Weird Science
We’ve all experienced it, the dreaded creative block. With so many possible solutions and a looming deadline, the inability to design something gunique is the single most frustrating part about working in a creative field. The solution? Get started. Nobody will ever finish their masterpiece if they don’t get started, so Blazer devotes this entire chapter to experimentation. To make this part of the process sound more professional, she humorously insists it can also be considered “Research and Development.”

In any case, experimentation acts as the “transition from the nitty-gritty of preliminary work… and the technical detail” to come. In advertising and design, this would be considered the concepting phase. It’s the designer’s and animator’s time to play. This is also a chance to get all the bad ideas out of the way. Unexpected creative decisions are often a result of letting loose and being inventive. Experimentation also provides an opportunity to refine skillsets. Blazer’s best advice? “Make the work you want to be hired to do.” “Passion projects” can be added to your portfolio, and you just never know when somebody might hire you to bring your personal work to life.

Research to Inform

The Man with the Golden Arm title sequence
The title sequence for The Man with the Golden Arm, created by Saul Bass in 1955, is probably one of the most famous examples of stop motion animation. In it, Bass used simple paper cut‑outs to create an unsettling rhythm that mirrors the film’s themes of addiction and turmoil. The pieces are timed perfectly with Elemer Bernstein’s Jazz score, giving the sequence a raw and choppy pulse. The iconic cut‑out arm then appears as a bold symbolic graphic, further emphasizing the protagonist’s struggle. 

Fell In Love With A Girl Music Video
Here, The White Stripes’ song, “Fell in Love with a Girl,” is brilliantly brought to life with LEGOs by Michel Gondry. The entire video is created frame by frame, adding to the song’s raw energy. Gondry takes advantage of the natural choppiness that stop motion provides, letting the stuttered movement sync with the track’s garage‑rock tempo. The red, white, and black color palette also reinforces the White Stripes’ visual brand identity.

Stop Motion Animation for Dunkin'
This animation, created by Dana Fahad for Dunkin’, uses stop motion to give coffee beans a playful personality. The beans initially form a clock, symbolizing that it’s “time to make the coffee.” The beans are then ground and coffee is served, providing a short and simple story. From a graphic perspective, though, the beans covering the screen to reveal the Dunkin’ bag provides the most iconic brand moment.

Pumpkin Spice Haunt
I seem to be drawn to stop motion that uses cut paper. It seems like such a simple approach, but I know how difficult this technique is to use successfully. This short video contrasts two cups of coffee: one fall-themed, and the other Halloween. Tweeting birds play as stream rises from the fall-themed mug, while a haunting sound effect plays as ghosts rise from the Halloween mug. Repeating each animation allows the viewer to take in the unique differences.

Alphabet Stop Motion Animation
I love this animated alphabet, created by Isabela Kubota for Instagram. Each letter is set in a unique font — which she amazingly lists in the description on YouTube. She uses colorful and textured cut paper to create each animation. The letters aren’t perfectly cut, which makes them seem more authentic. The deep shadows and quirky music make for a light-hearted viewing experience, which is probably why it has over two million views on YouTube!

Create

Linear Story
During the research phase, I came across quite a few different approaches to stop motion animation. As a graphic designer, I was naturally drawn to videos that incorporated type. However, most of the typographic examples I found were undoubtedly animated in post-production. To create my own story, I realized, I would need to photograph the type.

My linear story idea is a result of personal experience designing logos. I thought this would be an easy way to work type into an animation. But, for a linear idea to work, the protagonist needs a challenge to overcome. What’s one of the biggest hurdles to meeting deadlines? Procrastination! With the subject, topic, and challenge decided on, the story almost began to write itself.

Given the turnaround time of only two weeks, I also decided that creating scenes with clay would be out of the question. I would have to tell the story of a logo designer creating gestures with my own hands. By shooting a top-down view of a tabletop, I figured, I would be able to incorporate type with the initial creative brief and sketching. Is the designer able to meet the deadline? Guess you’ll have to find out in the storyboard:

Nonlinear Story
Because conflict and resolution aren’t necessary, nonlinear stories are often used for ideas that are more metaphorical or symbolic. Repetition can be used to prove a point, making the bookending story structure a great template for nonlinear animations. For my next concept, I decided on the structure first. From there, I was able to back into another idea that incorporated type. I just needed a bit of inspiration.

In the 2007 documentary, Helvetica, directed by Gary Hustwit, famous mid-century designer Massimo Vignelli says, “You can say, 'I love you,' in Helvetica. And you can say it with Helvetica Extra Light if you want to be really fancy. Or you can say it with the Extra Bold if it's really intensive and passionate, you know, and it might work.” It has since become a relatively familiar quote in design circles and acted as the perfect source of inspiration for my nonlinear story. It would allow me to create a stop motion animation with type!

Of course, I didn’t just want to copy the quote and animate it — I wanted to build on the idea. By writing a series of universal expressions, I thought, I could make a more meaningful story. Animation can be used to bring each expression to life in a way that static type could never do. Take a look at the storyboard I developed around this idea, and let me know what you think:

Stop Motion Test Animation
To prepare for stop motion production, I created the short video below as a test. First, I wanted to get the lighting in the studio setup to create some longer shadows. Tabletop lighting can be quite finicky, so I played around with the three point technique until everything was bright enough to capture a shallow depth of field.

Both of my animation concepts include my hands, so this test also provided an opportunity to see how shots would be needed create somewhat of a choppy feel. Based on the test, I’ll probably shoot for 12 frames per second, then adjust the timing in Premier Pro as necessary. After creating and viewing the test, I realized how conscious I need to be about focus. When the primary subject went out of focus, it created a film-like quality that I really like. Last, there was some light leaking in from a nearby window that I’d like to control better.

Based on the results, I’m leaning towards my nonlinear animation concept. While I did purchase a remote shutter release, capturing both of my hands might prove to be more difficult than I anticipated. I’m always up for a good challenge, but I also want to set a realistic goal for myself. With concept #2, my hands will be free to focus on the lighting, camera focus, and typography.