Brain Poops

There’s something about seeing words that is soothing to me. I write in a journal at least once every few months and I love noticing how my handwriting appears and how it’s affected by the state of mind I’m in. When I’m drunk, it’s slanted and the letters are longer. When I’m contemplative, it seems I press on the pen longer and focus on my letters more. The result is an almost boldface type that seems to suggest a seriousness in what I am trying to say.

Then there is Kinetic Typography. The lovechild of video and text… Text given the Frankenstein treatment and set loose on the village of the average web browser. The words unfold, jump, dissolve, and create one another in synchronous with the audio supplied. Here are my top 5 favorite kinetic typography videos.

5.) A Lesson On Typography

by Boca & Ryan Uhrich

The rest after the jump

This first video was a school project, I think. It explains in brief the elements of typography as well as the uses and history of typography. I’m a big fan of the different fonts used as well as the grainy audio voiceover. Something about a vintage feel to the sound makes the whole presentation more bearable. It lends a history, fake though it certainly is, to the concepts being provided. I’m also a big fan of the different angles and methods of presenting the words and concepts. It has a slick feel to it that is contrasted by the blandness of some of the information given in the audio. It’s a nice introduction to typography and kinetic typography as well.

4.) The Hush Sound - Lion’s Roar

by spigumus

I have to confess that this video spurred me into learning Adobe After Effects. There’s something about the distressed vector graphics illustrating the words of the song that capture my interest every time. I also like the implied carnival feel that is achieved through the yellow, red and blue colors. I’m always impressed by how well it portrays the big top feel by simple color usage. The transitions and presentations of the words are innovative and well thought out, with correlation between phrases easily illustrated.

3.) Fight Club - Chemical Burn

by Sebastian Jaramillo

I have been a huge fan of Fight Club for a long time now. I have to confess I found the movie first and then the book… but I consider my late appreciation of Chuck Palahniuk tribute enough to his genius. In this particular clip, we can see the grittiness of Tyler Durden’s words contrasted with the run-of-the-mill typewriter text of “Jack”, the story’s narrator. I dig how Jack’s whisperings are obliterated by Tyler’s philosophy. It’s some powerful imagery and I’m glad it was translated to kinetic typography.

2.) The Devil’s Advocate

by sharonitt

Ok I confess it’s more the subject matter than the typography that caught my eye on this one. I mainly enjoy the way the words and phrases mesh than the way it is “performed”. So sue me, I’m allowed a critic’s bias.

1.) The Child

by Alex Gopher

I see this video as one of the important moments in kinetic typography. It manages to convey everything about a scene that could much easier be filmed than portrayed in text. I love how everything is shown as words to scale with each other and that it is so easy to understand once you watch it once or twice. There’s something about seeing the world you view every day in words that makes you appreciate it a bit more.

Well that’s it for my post tonight. Did I forget to include something you think should be included on this list? Comment and tell me!