Information Design-Project 2
Information Design-Project 2
15/02/2026 -8/03/2026
Valenz Jycee Primadi / 0373407
Vehicle and Props Design / Creative Media / School of
Design
Project 2
For Project 2, I worked on three exercises: Kinetic Typography, Animated Hearts, and Vector Animation. This project focused mainly on animation and helped me understand how important motion is in design. I revisited the basics of Adobe After Effects and slowly became more confident using the tools and keyframes. I learned how to improve timing and make movements smoother and more natural.
Through this project, I realized that animation is not just about making things move, but about using motion to support the message and make the design more engaging.
Kinetic Typography
In the Kinetic Typography lecture, we were taught how to create kinetic typography for a song. In this exercise, I learned how to animate text in a more unique and creative way. We explored different techniques to make the words move in a way that matches the mood and meaning of the song.
We were also taught how to manage timing properly, making sure each word appears and moves according to the rhythm and flow of the music. This helped me understand how important timing is in animation, especially when combining typography with audio.
In the Graphic Charts lecture, we learned that information design is closely related to charts and data visualization. Because of that, we were taught how to design graphs or charts in a way that is not only clear but also visually appealing.
In this lecture, I learned how to animate charts so they don’t just look static, but more engaging and dynamic. The animation helps highlight the data and makes the information easier to understand. This made me realize that even simple charts can become more interesting and impactful when movement is added thoughtfully.
For the Vector Animation lecture, we were taught how to animate a vector illustration. First, we created the illustration in Adobe Illustrator, then imported it into After Effects to animate each part one by one.
In this process, I learned the basic transformations such as rotation, scale, and position. Even though they are basic tools, I realized how powerful they are in creating movement and bringing a static illustration to life. This exercise helped me understand the fundamentals of vector animation and how small movements can make a big difference in the overall result.
The Nine Principles of Manuel Lima’s Manifesto
In his manifesto, Manuel Lima presents nine important principles for visualizing information in the digital age. These principles guide designers in transforming complex data into meaningful visual experiences.
1. Start with a Question
Every strong visualization begins with a clear question. The purpose is to give direction to the design and ensure that the final outcome answers something specific and meaningful.
2. Look for Patterns
Data can be overwhelming, but patterns help reveal structure and relationships. The purpose is to discover insights before turning them into visuals.
3. Embrace Complexity
Complexity is natural, especially in modern information systems. The purpose is not to oversimplify, but to make complexity understandable without losing important details.
4. Avoid Decoration
Visualization should not focus only on aesthetics. The purpose is to communicate clearly, not just to make something look attractive.
5. Use the Right Structure
Not all information works in a hierarchical format. The purpose is to choose a structure—such as networks or maps—that best represents the relationships within the data.
6. Think About Context
Data needs background and explanation. The purpose is to ensure the audience fully understands what they are seeing and why it matters.
7. Be Accurate
Accuracy is essential in information design. The purpose is to maintain honesty and credibility in communicating data.
8. Make It Accessible
Design should be clear and readable. The purpose is to make information understandable for a wider audience.
9. Tell a Story
A strong narrative guides the viewer through the information. The purpose is to create engagement and help the audience remember the message.
Overall Purpose
The overall purpose of Manuel Lima’s manifesto is to encourage designers to think critically and responsibly when visualizing information. It reminds us that good visualization is not only about aesthetics, but about clarity, meaning, and helping people understand complex systems in a connected world.
In each of our offline classes, we received an exercise to practice for our project. Our first exercise was creating a kinetic typography based on the instructions provided in the PPT. This helped us apply what we had learned in a hands-on way and prepared us for the main project tasks.
First, we were asked to download the song. This was the starting point for our exercise, as the music would guide the timing and movement in our kinetic typography.
After that, I imported the audio into After Effects to start working on the animation. This allowed me to sync the movements and effects with the rhythm and timing of the song.
Then, I wrote the lyrics, “soso what I’m a rockstar,” and separated each word into different layers. This way, I could animate each word individually and create more dynamic motion.
I started animating, and the sir recommended us to use 3D layers and motion blur to make the movement look smoother. For the word “so,” I focused mainly on animating its position and rotation to create a dynamic effect.
After that, I animated the next words, like “what I’m still a rockstar.” Some were animated using position, others with scale, and I experimented with each word to make the motion look unique. I also tried adjusting the font and layout to see what combination would look best and create a more balanced, visually appealing composition.
After that, I adjusted the timing for each word so it would match the audio of the song. I set the spacing between words and trimmed each layer carefully to ensure the animation synced perfectly with the rhythm and beat.
Although I wasn’t fully satisfied with some of the timing, this was the best I could do for now. I plan to keep practicing so that my kinetic typography skills improve for future projects.
For the Vector Animation exercise, we practiced first before starting the actual project. The first thing we had to do was download the AI (Adobe Illustrator) file. This file would serve as the base for our animation.
After that, in Adobe Illustrator, we were instructed to change the artboard to an HD resolution. This ensures that when we import the file into After Effects, the animation will appear in high quality.
After that, we separated each object into different layers. For example, the person was split into parts, and the man’s hand was prepared to be animated as if waving. This layering allows each part to move independently in After Effects.
Then, we imported everything into Adobe After Effects directly using the Adobe Illustrator file. This way, all the layers we prepared could be animated individually without losing their structure.
Then, for each character like the guy in the middle, the girl on the left, and the guy on the right, I animated them using basic transformations, mainly position and scale. This allowed me to create simple yet effective movement for each character.
After that, I added a bounce effect by creating new keyframes for each character. This gave the animation a more lively and dynamic feel.
After that, I did more advanced animation by making the guy on the side wave and the girl nod. This added more life and interaction to the scene, making the animation feel more dynamic and engaging.
I separated the guy’s hand and created a separate layer for it. Then, I parented the hand layer to the guy’s main layer so that when the body moves, the hand follows naturally, allowing me to animate it independently without losing the connection.
I moved the anchor point of the hand from the center to the wrist so that when it rotates, it pivots naturally from the wrist instead of the middle.
To do this, I selected the hand layer, pressed “Y” to
activate the Pan Behind Tool, and held Shift while dragging
the anchor point to the wrist. Then, I Alt-clicked the
Rotation stopwatch to open the Expression panel and added
wiggle (0.5,20). This made the hand
move slightly on its own, giving the animation a more
natural and lively feel while still following the main
body’s movement.
For the girl’s layer, I created pins on the selected layer. This way, I could fix certain parts of her body in place while animating other parts independently. By using pins, the rest of the body stays stable, allowing me to move only the areas I want, like the head or arms, without affecting the rest of the layer.
For animating with the Puppet Position Pin tool, I first pressed “U” to open the keyframes for the pins I added. Then, I created the 2nd and 3rd keyframes to make the girl’s head wave. After that, I copied these keyframes and pasted them so the motion repeats smoothly, giving the head a natural waving movement.
Final exercises in vector animation in class
We also created a WhatsApp group to facilitate communication and discussions throughout the project. Before starting the production process.
I developed a moodboard for the team to establish the visual direction and overall aesthetic. This moodboard served as a creative guideline, helping us maintain consistency and alignment in our design decisions throughout the project.
After that, I dragged and trimmed my assigned part of the song. I was responsible for the bridge section, so I cropped the audio accordingly and imported it into Adobe After Effects. This allowed me to focus on my specific segment and begin executing the kinetic typography animation based on the rhythm and mood of the bridge.
I animated the lyric “Call me up if you’re lonely” using text evolution with stretch and skew, making each word appear progressively in sync with the song. I controlled the movement with a null object, adjusting transformations first and parenting the words for smooth transitions. A muted scene from The Weekend of her on the phone serves as a subtle background, keeping the focus on the kinetic typography.
I used a null object to make animating multiple words easier. By parenting the text layers to the null, I could control rotation, scale, and position for several words at once, instead of animating each word individually. This made the workflow much faster and more precise.
For most of the text, I used Text EVO with strength and skew adjustments, along with null objects (Rotation, Scale, Position) to control movement. I applied the same approach to later lyrics like “Trophy” and “See I got the key from my homies,” adding a glow effect to make those words stand out more.
For this part, I recorded my own video referencing the music video, so the storyline of “falling out of love” could feel personal and relatable to anyone, while making it more unique. I also matched the lighting to the original video to keep it visually consistent.
For the lyric “Rather be alone and get high,” I used the same Text EVO transformations, adjusting the strength to make the words appear more dynamically and emphasize the feeling of the line.
For final touch, I downloaded overlay videos to make the visuals more engaging and used them as subtle backgrounds. I did the same with some clips of a few friends and me to add a personal touch.
Fig 3.12 Video Overlay
After all the members finished their parts and uploaded them to Google Drive, I downloaded every video and even accessed their files to gather all the materials. This allowed me to compile and assemble all the parts in After Effects for the final project.
After that, I imported all the videos into After Effects and compiled them according to the order I decided, arranging each part so the sequence flows smoothly from the start.
For this exercise, we were tasked with redesigning an animated chart, and I was assigned to create the line graph. Sir Martin noted that the original data was somewhat messy and unstructured, so our goal was to enhance clarity and readability through animation. I focused on keeping the design simple, clean, and professional while effectively communicating the data trends.
First, I animated the axis line using the Pen Tool to establish the graph’s structure. Once the axes were in place, I animated the data line with Trim Paths (Start and End) to make it appear gradually along the baseline, creating a smooth and clear line graph animation. ( I also used Grid)
Next, I used the Pen Tool to create the data lines according to the provided dataset, applying red, blue, and green colors to differentiate each line. I animated the lines using Trim Paths (Start and End), with a slight delay so that the green line appears first, followed by the red, and finally the blue, creating a smooth and sequential flow for the viewer.
To make the animation more engaging, I added shapes at each corner of the data lines. I applied a bounce effect to these shapes so that as the line reaches each point, the shape appears with a subtle bounce, adding a dynamic and visually appealing touch to the graph.
For Exercise 5 Project 2 (Vector Animation), we have to animate one of the four vector illustrations given by Sir Martin. I got illustration D.
In this project, we’re free to animate it based on our own style and creativity. The goal is to bring the static vector to life using the animation principles we’ve learned, like timing, easing, and smooth transitions. Since it’s open interpretation, I’m focusing on making the movement feel natural, expressive, and visually engaging while still keeping the design clean and consistent.
This exercise is more about showing our creative direction as a designer, not just the technical side.
Execution
I first downloaded vector illustration D. From what I see, it shows a person using a laptop, possibly chatting with a friend or searching for something. The character looks happy, and there is confetti around them, which gives a celebratory vibe.
For the animation, I want to highlight the joyful mood with simple movements like typing, slight head motion, and falling confetti to make it feel more alive and engaging.
Then I opened the AI file and started separating the parts because I want the animation to show that the person is happily using their gadget and losing track of time due to being too engaged with social media or the internet.
So, I separated the elements that can help express that idea, such as the clock hands, text bubbles, hands, plant, confetti, and other supporting details. This will make it easier to animate each part and create a more expressive and dynamic scene.
Then, I imported the AI file into Adobe After Effects to start animating the illustration. From there, I arranged the layers properly and prepared each separated part so I could begin adding keyframes and bringing the scene to life.
Then I began animating the parts I wanted to focus on, especially the text bubbles, the clock, the plant, and the emojis. I used basic transformations such as position, rotation, and scale to create movement.
For the text bubbles, I added a bounce effect to make them feel more playful and lively, enhancing the fun and energetic mood of the scene.
For the confetti, I animated it using position. The confetti in the background moves in different directions and slowly falls down. I slightly slowed down the motion to make it feel softer and more natural, while still keeping the celebratory mood.
For the character, I used the Puppet Pin Tool that we learned in class. This allowed me to animate specific parts like the head and hands more naturally. I made the head move slightly, like a nodding motion, and the hands move as if typing. This helps make the character feel more alive and engaged with the laptop.
Experience
For this exercise, I found some parts really fun and engaging, while others were more challenging. The Kinetic Typography project, in particular, was difficult because adjusting the timing correctly required careful attention and trial-and-error. I even had to record myself on video to match the movements with the text, and my friend guided me patiently through the process. Despite the challenges, I enjoyed experimenting with animation techniques and combining creative ideas with technical skills in After Effects. Overall, the projects allowed me to strengthen both my design sense and my animation workflow.
Observation
I observed that focusing on the main elements such as the text in Kinetic Typography or key lines and shapes in chart animations is crucial to maintain clarity and guide the viewer’s attention. Background elements or additional visuals can easily distract if not scaled or positioned properly. I also noticed that even minor adjustments in timing, bounce effects, and animation transitions can make the project more engaging and professional. Overall, these exercises helped me understand how to balance creativity with clarity and functionality in animated design projects.
Findings
Through this exercise, I learned a lot about After Effects, especially in chart animation and vector illustration. I also explored new tools like the Puppet Tool, which helped me animate elements in a more dynamic way. While I didn’t struggle with learning the tools themselves, completing the projects was time-consuming, which taught me the importance of planning, organizing assets, and managing workflow efficiently. I also realized how small design choices, like color, scale, and animation order, can greatly affect the clarity and effectiveness of the final output.
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