For Adspace Network's holiday feature on luxury gifts I decided to create an homage to the 1940's. With images of Miracle on 34th Street swirling in my head I tried to design as authentic a title card as I could with the product as the hero. You can see more examples on my Essentials page.

For their switch to HD, It's Always Sunny re-created, shot-by-shot their original opening sequence last year. Here's a comparison video with the newly-shot intro on the left and the original on the right. For something so simple there's a lot of attention to detail.

Tonight was the end-of-the-year Motion Graphics showcase for the class of 2011 at SVA; and their work was nothing short of spectacular. It was both exciting and humbling to see such talent. My eyes were moving as quickly as my brain as I took everything in. I was thinking back to my class' show – just four short years ago in 2007 – and how much our work would look out-of-place amongst this year's selection. For the past few hours I've been racking my brain trying to analyze what they had done and the choices they had made. And while some were better than others, it was still an impressive showing.

While I certainly don't want to lump my former classmates in with me, I know I wouldn't feel comfortable showing my senior year work alongside this grouping. It just wouldn't stand up. They seem to have a much better understanding of composition and texture than we (I) did back then. They also used a wider variety of mediums and effects. Sure, I saw a few animation hiccups here and there and a few odd timing choices throughout, but the overall polish of these projects astounded me. It probably also helped that they were (almost) all in HD, widescreen...something I always envied later years for being able to do.

At the end of the day, I figure three things could explain this jump quality:

1. This class is simply talented. 
2. They have better tools (faster computers, more advanced software and plugins, cheaper DSLR HD-capable cameras) at their disposal, which in-turn creates more polished pieces, more easily.
3. Motion Graphics, as a medium is still young and paths blazed by earlier classes have helped propel the art-form further than we were able to imagine it – thus bringing us to this higher level of accomplishment. Basically, the entire industry is moving forward, getting better and learning more, faster – thus the students start with a greater proficiency from day one. (For example, I never touched After Effects until my first mo-graph class at SVA in 2005, however I had been using Photoshop since grade school. It's very possible that these subsequent students have had earlier and earlier access to After Effects).

Points 2 and 3 take some of the credit away from the students and faculty, which I'm not necessarily inclined to do. You can tell from the concepts and general style that these are bright people with great ideas – it doesn't matter if you're rendering on a G4 with After Effects 4.5 or a Mac Pro with CS5.5 – a good idea is a good idea.

It is interesting to see some of the style trends that many of the students were drawn to. A good number of pieces employed a "vintage/grunge" style which looked like something out of Instagram or Hipstamatic. Film, overexposure, grain and handheld motion were all present. Also excessively small typography in the guise of "delicate typography" was a recurring theme. I found myself wanting to see some of these treatments bumped up maybe 10%.  These aren't necessarily bad things, but speaking as someone who is still relatively new to the industry, it's intriguing to see new trends emerging.

As of right now I can't find the 30+ minute show online anywhere, but I've included some individual pieces below.

SVA Mograph Screening 2011 Invite from Monica Kim on Vimeo.

SVA Mograph 2011 ADC Show Opening from Monica Kim on Vimeo.

The Illusionist Title Sequence from Monica Kim on Vimeo.

Skype Text from Monica Kim on Vimeo.

PSA - Stop Smoking from KIMZAN on Vimeo.

Coney Island from Jeffrey Chong on Vimeo.

City of Melbourne Logo ID from Naomie Ross on Vimeo.

Here's a quick sample of videos and motion graphics I've designed for our 3x1 lobby video wall.

For our new offices we wanted a way to display our logo that wasn't so static as just a sign, we also wanted to be able to show off some of our newest business ventures – so I helped come up with this video wall. Three 46-inch bezel-less screens hang in the center while an always-changing loop of content is played. The actual pacing of the videos is much slower and calmer, with static instances of our logo showing up between each vignette – the editing here is to prevent you from getting bored while watching what would normally by a 3-5 minute loop of videos.

This is a fake boot sequence I designed for a 3-screen video wall. The wall was comprised of three portrait-format widescreen displays with ultra-thin bezels.

The fine folks over at Business Beware needed something a bit different from my normal Iconize Me service and requested a full superhero motif! It's great fun to see all the creative ways people are using their custom caricatures!

I usually stay away from earbuds over $50. I simply don't have the sensitivity to hear the difference between a $30 pair of buds from a $200 pair. So products which depend solely on their technical merits rarely interest me. I look mostly at design, durability and price. The a-Jays Fours have received a fair amount of coverage around the web for their striking iPhone 4-inspired design, quality sound and relatively normal price point. Unfortunately this post will cover none of those.

I did a fair amount of research (since I had never heard of Jays before) and decided to buy myself a pair. I was struck when I finally got them: Something none of the articles or reviews I had seen mention was the rather unique retail packaging which the headphones come wrapped in.

Presented with an oblong rubber-like shape, wrapped in a paper label, I was initially very impressed. That quickly wore off as I couldn't figure out how to get to the candy center. After some struggling, I realized you're supposed to insert a small pen or point into the hole near the bottom of the package – and to their credit, there's a sticker indicating as much. Pushing the small lever down, the center piece immediately slides out to show an unusually thick, perfect-bound instruction manual which lifts reveal the headphones and ear inserts.

My initial delight began to wore off as I continued to analyze the piece. While I always appreciate a package which makes a product feel special, unique and worth owning, this was coming off as a bit over-designed. It created a process where there didn't need to be one. Granted, it's lightyears better than the thousands of other earbuds which come in blister packs. (Ever have the sharp end of a blister pack slice the cord of a brand new pair of headphones? It's like the end of the world.)

The tactile feel of the material is incredibly satisfying and matches the product perfectly. They come across like one coherent body of work. It wouldn't surprise me if all of these came from one industrial design team. However, for all the details they got right I can't figure out why they picked this oval/oblong shape. Nothing in the product mimics this form and feels out of left field. Something a little more angular could have meshed better with the product within.

The paper wrap is very vanilla and unimpressive. The photo of the headphones on the front is, of course, gorgeous and does a great job of selling its beauty, but the typography, layout and presentation don't live up to the rest of the experience. 

As of right now, Jays doesn't have much of a retail penetration in the United States (I got mine as Adorama in New York City, which seemed to be the only story that carried it), so very few people will encounter this package and have to consider it as a selling proposition. Which is a shame because for all my nit-picking, it really is a great looking box. It even has a retractable hang-tag in the back which allows for it to switch between shelf-ready and hanger-ready.

The headphones sound good too.

A beautiful film in its own right, I was a fan of The Social Network's marketing from the very beginning. However when I first saw the DVD and Blu-Ray packaging show up on Amazon, I was surprised they continued with the review-heavy marketing that dominated TV and posters after the film's release. Considering the movie is rumored to be up for several Oscar nods you'd think they'd take a more understated (and dare I say tasteful) approach to their DVD package art.

Well, I got my Amazon shipment today and I was pleasantly surprised at what awaited me!

Once you slide off the cardboard sleeve you're greeted by what can only be described as rubber-coated paper. When combined with the embossed lettering, it feels like you're holding something really substantial, really special.

The next slide-out element is less impressive, though it still has the same unique rubber-like coating. Though, without any embossing, it's just not the same.

The discs themselves are beautifully understated (how much more would they honestly need to say? They're either in the case, or in the DVD player), and feature some nice photographs in the tray.