beeple (Mike Winkelman) created “subprime” as a visual response to Americans’ tendency towards over-consumption, but instead of making his argument with charts and graphs, he simply shows the fictional progression of upgrades at a single homeowner’s site.
It’s obviously not to be taken too seriously—just a light jab at the housing crisis—and that’s another reason I like it. The rotating visuals and bouncy electronic soundtrack (music by Nobot) create a hypnotic effect that underscores the film’s ironic message to build more, think less.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish off the west wing of Motionographer Manor. It’s going to be faaaabulous…
Back in November, we asked Motionographer readers how they were doing financially. At that point in time, pieces of the sky had already started falling, but the full economic Armageddon hadn’t hit everywhere yet.
Our poll results were mixed, but mostly positive. 67% of the 5,134 voters were either maintaining the status quo or doing better than ever. 22% were making less money, and 14% (or 720 people) had been laid off and/or couldn’t find work.
As promised, I want to revisit the poll now, just to see what’s changed. This is far from scientific, but it might give us some indicator of a shift. We’ll keep re-posting this poll every four months or so. Please post your personal experiences in the comments. It’s good for people to hear the stories (both good and bad) behind the numbers.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
“Oh great, here comes Old Man Cone again, rambling about visual essays.”
I know, I know, but I really do believe that when motion design is paired with intelligent writing, you get a brilliant form of persuasive reasoning that sticks in the mind of many contemporary viewers. Case in point: This ambitious and informative animation from Jonathan Jarvis (whose web server is apparently being pounded into oblivion at the moment).
Like most Americans, I became interested in the credit crisis when I heard the wailing cries from Wall St. back in early 2008. I knew they were harbingers of dark days, but I had no idea what the hell had happened or why.
My best introduction came in the form of a This American Life podcast, which does a great job explaining some of the trickier concepts at play. But this new animation is much more my cup of tea. I’m a visual guy. I need you to draw me a picture. Mr. Jarvis has done exactly that, helping my withered noggin create more lasting neural pathways to understanding and retention.
This is a good time to make a distinction regarding visual essay strategies: Jonathan’s animation uses a mostly iconographic approach, which is appropriate given the complexity of this subject matter. He essentially sets up a visual language, which he then layers and remixes to help us comprehend a wide range of related ideas. It works beautifully.
When your subject matter is slightly less technical and the main idea is more about persuasion, metaphoric imagery is usually the preferred tactic. For examples, see pretty much anything Simon Robson has done. Simon agonizes over which metaphor will extend his message, rather than simply illustrate it. He’s as interested in aesthetic and emotional impact as he is clarity.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A. during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
