In Marshall McLuhan's The Medium is the Massage, McLuhan states "Societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the context." The idea of whether motion graphics are the most effective solution of a particular design challenge must first isolate what is it that we wish to communicate and to whom. McLuhan also says, "Students of media are persistently attacked as evaders idly concentrating on means or process rather than on 'substance.' The dramatic and rapid changes of 'substance' elude these accusers. Survival is not possible if one approaches his environment, the social drama, with a fixed unchangeable point of view – the witless repetitive response to the unperceived." It is in McLuhan's statement here that I seek to show the difference in the proper usage of motion graphics. Is it an effective solution or a flashy song and dance contrived to influence the viewer with style rather than content.
The most effective example of a misappropration of motion graphics can be found online at the websites of several retail establishments. The sunday paper in many areas often features a five-pound bag of retail advertisements, coupons and sales listings. The web pressed, gloss 2-3 signature, full-color advertisements of such retailers litter the recycling bins of America the next pick up day. They have been around for years but in recent times it was thought to be a good idea to also interject these weeklies onto store websites. Which in all fairness makes sense, it saves on printing costs and makes it easier (at times) for indivdual who do not get the paper to view them. I would also find them productive as mere pdf files, but no, someone thought 'hey wouldn't be a great idea if we make the pages flip like you were really reading it!'. NO IT ISN'T.
Toys R Us weekly ads
This is by far the most asinine example of the usage of motion graphics I could ever want to conceive. It does nothing, NOTHING for the content and applies itself wholey as nothing more than a stylistic attribute of flashy graphics to placate the many people now a days that adhere to the "I need something shiny to pay attention" philosophy. But is it the society that promotes the flashy graphics in order to be amused and influenced or is it the media that created this beast of burden that now has broken free of it's reigns and is running rampant over society. Fifty years ago the idea that someone had an illness that kept them from paying attention would have been laughable but now we have entire pharmaceutical companies dedicated to the "control" of this "disorder." Is it a disorder or are we just incapable of paying attention because the media in which we communicate is now polluted with an over usage of flashy graphics, loud sounds, special effects, jingles and soundtracks.
The next example is my all time most hated commercial. I saw this last Thanksgiving. It is a commercial for Guinness beer and doesn't have jack shit to do with beer. This damn ad looks more like an ad for some new video game. And that is honestly where I think television ads are headed. With the increased technology and visual levels of video game systems trying to do their best to show how they are the coolest, flashiest and most intense we have seen an increase in these ideas in commercials for things that DON'T HAVE THEM.
Guinness Advertisement
These stylistically high and substance (or for me concept) low advertisements seek to gear their ads towards "new" audiences, ie younger. They skew the image and branding of the product to adhere traits, or in this case flashy effects that do NOTHING for the content. Comedian David Cross once did a skit about this which is well worth watching here.
So are there projects where motion graphics are the answer. Well that began on August 1, 1981 with the launch of the Music Television, MTV. Music videos communicate in ways that advertisements could never adhere and do so in a manner fitting with conceptual thinking as well as stylistic means. In a recent interview in Computer Arts (UK Edition) for June 2008, Computer Arts interviewed Nando Costa, a brazilian print and motion graphics artist. Computer Arts asked Nando "Motion graphics is where some of the most interesting creativity is going on at the moment. Which of your competitiors is doing the best work, and why?" Nando replied "I am constantly amazed by the work of the team at Encyclopedia Pictura. They recently directed a Björk music video which had amazing art direction. I particularly like the work of my friend Maxim Zhestkov. I am also still amazed by stop-motion film-makers. They truly deserve more credit and recognition.
Encyclopedia Pictura is going for the gold in my opinion. Their sites splash page features you with the option of viewing the new Björk music video "Wanderlust" in 2D or 3D styles. At this point I laughed my ass off.
Melena Ryzik of the New York Times spoke to Björk and the directing team at Encyclopedia Picutura about the makding of their new 3D music video. The video of which can be seen here
So there is a time and a place for everything, even motion graphics. Yes this is the MTV generation and the adherence to flashy graphics and styles is not likely to go anywhere but everywhere. As designers the most important question that can be asked before any project is “does the application fit the context and concept of the design?” If we adhere to McLuhan’s “…fixed unchangeable point of view – the witless repetitive response to the unperceived.” We will end up nothing more than style makers and decorators applying choices based on past experience and doing nothing less than becoming the blind-leading-the-blind in a downward spiral that pigeonholes our work. In conclusion to quote Luke Prowse, “I once read somewhere that the only thing found in pigeonholes is pigeon shit.”
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