Typophile

Timebased Typography

Malloo

Hello,
are there any recommendations for type in motion apart from softwaretutorials and picture-books like the “Type in Motion” publication. Maybe more a theoretical and historical work about the relations and correlations of different disciplines like typography, film, animation and programming. Not just the viewpoint of filmmakers, animators, post-productioners - more a typographic insight. Things like timebased typography, but not ust animated letters also code as typography and typography as code. I am thinking about the Intro from the Film “The Matrix”, the Alex Copher Video “The Child”, the font “Beowolf”, the work of “Saul Bass” etc. Thanks a lot, Michael

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paul d hunt

maybe this could be useful in some way???
kinetic type

andi emery

Carnegie Mellon Design has interesting kinetic type (probably not what you’re looking for but interesting type work nonetheless)
http://www.design.cmu.edu/show_gallery.php?gid=26

Does anyone have a link to that cool online type clock? I’ve seen a few of them in the past (I know, I’m waaay off base now!)

FourthDescent

Hi. Sorry to be dredging up an old thread, but I am new to the forums, so I am catching up.

I did my MFA thesis on type in motion with a slight bent towards time-based typography in cinema and broadcasting (although it did cover some cases of good web/flash based type in motion). You are right though, there are not many good books on the subject. Here is all I was able to find during my research...

  • Type in Motion, Jeff Belantoni & Matt Wollman
  • Type in Motion 2, Matt Woolman
  • Moving Type - Designing for Time and Space, Matt Wollman & Jeff Bellantoni
  • Motion Design, Matt Wollman
  • Type & Typography, Phil Baines & Andrew Haslam (only one chapter near the back)

Also, there is this book which is likely much more along the lines that you talk about, but it has been listed as “coming soon” on Amazon since I started working on my thesis back in late 2004. So, who knows when/if it will be released.
Typography for Film and Video (Absolute Beginner’s Guide)

You mentioned the first book in the list above and the second isn’t that much more substantial (I didn’t think the first one was good enough to warrant a second quite frankly). The third and fourth books are practically the same content just slightly rewritten. These are the two gems of the list and actually have decent substance.

Also, if you are really bored and want a good chuckle, my thesis is online here:
Type In Motion. You have to ignore the first section on history. It is somewhat inacurate and full of holes—it was a last minute addition I didn’t research adequately and should have left out. About the only potentially useful bit in the whole thing is the morphology (a methodological device first introduced by Kenneth Hiebert for those who know that name) toward the end. I have found it to be a useful methodological tool for critiquing, discussing, and designing moving type. Take it or leave it though....

Anyhow, this post is already long in the tooth. However, I will be going to TypeCon in Boston and am really looking forward to the Type Film Fest. Anyone else going who is interested in chatting about Type in Motion / Kinetic type drop me a line and lets grab a brew or few while we are there!

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