Time and Motion in Kinetic Typography
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Motion Media Department
in a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Motion Media
at
Savannah College of Art and Design
Mina Vali Zadeh
Atlanta, GA
© November 2015
Alessandro Imperato, Committee Chair
Christina Maloney, Committee Member
Minho Shin, Committee Member
Dedicated
To
My parents and brothers
Whose love and support made this possible.
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge and thank,
My awesome thesis committee;
Alessandro Imperato
Christina Maloney
Minho Shin
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 1
Motion and Temporality Create Meta-linguistic Meaning in Dynamic Typography ..................... 2
Creation of Feeling and Expression throughout Motion................................................................. 6
Expressive and Emotional Quality of Kinetic Typography ............................................................ 7
An Open Approach to Create Meaning in Fluid Typography ........................................................ 8
The Creation of Meaning in Fluid Type ....................................................................................... 10
Construction of Fluid Type Through the Motion of Components and Parallax ..................................... 10
Revelation: Type that Already Exists in the Scene ................................................................................ 12
Morphing Typography............................................................................................................................ 13
Legibility in Kinetic Typography ................................................................................................. 14
"Se7en" ......................................................................................................................................... 15
Deconstructed Typography..................................................................................................................... 15
The Construction of Asemic Writing through the Application of Motion into Type ............................. 19
Formal Analysis of Legibility in Static and Kinetic Typography .......................................................... 20
Analysis of Meaning and Mood ............................................................................................................. 24
Free Radicals as an Inspirational Source for the Title Cards of Se7en .................................................. 29
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 32
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... 35
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 49
Motionography.............................................................................................................................. 50
Time and Motion in Kinetic Typography
Mina Vali Zadeh
November 2015
This paper explores how different categories of kinetic type create meta-linguistic meanings and
expression through the manipulation of time and motion. It also analyzes the meaning, expression, and
legibility for kinetic typography designed for the title sequence Se7en. It discusses how Se7en
successfully resolved the legibility issue posed by deconstructed type.
Keywords: (Temporal Typography, Kinetic Typography, Time and Motion in Type, Dynamic
Typography, Legibility, Se7en, Free Radicals)
1
Motion and Temporality Create Meta-linguistic Meaning in Dynamic Typography
Typography is a hybrid between text and image, as it is the visual language of the written word.
The design and arrangement of type adds a meta-linguistic level to the linguistic structure of type. In other
words, typography is to be read and seen simultaneously, which goes beyond the linguistic meaning of
the text. The examples of typographic work pursuing this intention are numerous in the history of graphic
design.
Andrew Haslam, in the book Lead between the Lines (2007), proposes a question about
conventional typography: “… what does the typographic code not record? Where are the omissions?” He
argues that a conventional text loses the timing and pace of verbal expression that exists in the spoken
language, because all conventional text exists on the page simultaneously. 1
Temporal typography is a development in motion design, which brings back temporality into
typographical text. As a result of constant typographical changes that occur over time in kinetic
typography, the wholeness of the work, is constantly changing. According to Gilles Deleuze: “If one had
to define the whole, it would be defined by "Relation". ‘Relation' constitutes an entity that exists between
“objects.” 2
The relations can also change the frame of work. As opposed to static type, in kinetic type, the
objects (elements), their relations to each other or to the frame are changing and as a result, the entire
work changes over time. In addition, the identity of one letter might transform into another letter or
image. The change of relations and identities gives a kinetic quality to typography. The wholeness of the
work is in constant change, which demands new interpretations of the work in each moment. Therefore,
the viewer/reader continuously re-constructs their perception over time.
1
2
Matthias Hillner, Virtual Typography (Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Pub. 2009), 167.
Ibid., 63.
2
This characteristic of dynamic type demands a new critical visual language that is different than
that of static type. While dynamic type shares some aesthetics and rules with conventional type, the static
language of graphic design is not sufficient in evaluating it.
The media theorist Lev Manovich claims that new media are hybrids between various
conventional media such as cinematography, animation, graphic design, and typography. Not only does
kinetic typography use the hybrid language of typography, it also utilizes time, motion and space in
making a new language that is the hybrid of cinematography, animation, graphics, and interactive media.
These media are used in order to further break down the restrictive framework of language. On a very
basic level, an alphabetic system of writing has difficulty expressing "anything more than language," so it
is ill suited to other communicative applications.3 Apart from the visual manipulation of type in graphic
design work, the manipulation of time and motion has empowered the expressive quality of type and
added to the richness of meanings and feelings it produces. Dynamic typography stimulates intellectual
interpretations, emotional responses and contributes to the comprehension and memorization of
information.
This paper attempts to explain how different categories of kinetic type create meta-linguistic
meanings and expression through the manipulation of time and motion. However, designers choose the
appropriate method that communicates the right message for each individual piece.
Before starting to examine these typographical approaches, the correct usage of the terminology
for this new direction of typography is indispensable. However, there has been some research in the area
of temporal typography, the use of terminology by practitioners and researchers have not been accurate
and precise. The following are some of the terms that have been used for describing this area of motion
3
Martin Henri-Jean, The History and Power of Writing. (Trans. Lydia G. Cochrane, Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, 1988. Print), 36.
3
design: kinetic typography, type in motion, moving type, dynamic type, temporal type and fluid
typography.
Y. Y. Wong was the first researcher who did extensive experiments on temporal typography, and
especially on dynamic type, in 1995 and 1996. Very recently, the British Ph.D. researcher, Barbara
Brownie realized the necessity of developing a unanimously agreed upon terminology for temporal type.
In her very recent book Transforming Type, she has made a valuable effort in categorizing temporal
typography based on the work of previous researchers such as Y. Y. Wong, and also through conducting
some close readings.
According to Barbara Brownie, temporal typography includes serial presentation and kinetic
typography (Figure 1). Serial presentation is a type that Yin Yin Wong has already recognized which is
different from kinetic type. When a type exists in a temporal environment but keeps its static quality, a
serial presentation of type happens. On the other hand, a type, that includes change or motion, is
categorized as kinetic type.
Also, kinetic typography can be categorized based on the type of motion it has. The kineticism
can be either global motion or local kineticism. This comparison is very similar to the difference between
typography and letter design in static type. While typography design is concerned with the layout of the
whole work and uses a predesigned typeface to set a relationship between type and the page, the type and
letter design deals with the design of individual letters. So, it acts locally compared to typography that
directs the design globally to make a composition. 4
Similarly, global motion deals with the composition of the frame and the local motion or change
that happens at the level of letters. Global motion is being categorized to scrolling typography and
dynamic layout. On the other hand, the local kineticism includes elastic and fluid type.
4
Barbara Brownie, Transforming Type: New Direction in Kinetic Typography (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015)
,xiii.
4
In scrolling type, the type layout is fixed and unchanged, but the whole layout moves in relation
to the frame of the work. The motion of the layout can happen in the x, y, and z-axis. In a 3D space,
usually it includes the motion of a camera through a typographic landscape and might include complex
camera movement. One of the earliest “reactive” examples of scrolling type is Jeffrey Shaw’s “Legible
City” (1989, 1990, and 1991). A bicycle is placed in front of the screen that shows a city made out of 3D
letters stacked over each other to make buildings. The viewer has the freedom to navigate through scenes.
In this example, the viewer’s relationship to each scene changes, thus the change is occurring globally in
relation to the frame without change or motion of the type itself. 5
The second category of global motion includes dynamic layout, in which the words and letters
move independently to create a dynamic composition. It requires different parts of the composition to
behave in different ways (rotation, position, and scale change) at the same time. Because of the various
kinds of motion that dynamic type offers, its application has been widespread, especially in dynamic
layout that tries to express the different personalities and feelings in a conversation.
In global motion, the priority is the relationship of letters and words to each other and to the
frame; however, in local kineticism, the change happens to the individual identity of each letter, which
transforms over time. Local kineticism appears in the context of logo animation and brand identity where
designers have to focus on individual letterforms rather than a big chunk of text. 6
A type with changing contours, but with no change of location is an elastic type as the change
happens to each letterform. The type might become distorted, but it still has to keep its verbal identity.
Barbara Brownie in her book Transforming Type gives an example of elastic type:
Micheal Fluckiger and Nicolas Kunz’s interactive typeface, LAIKA (2011), demonstrates how
the process of distortion is made visible and temporal on the screen. Fluckiger and Kunz have
identified that, with new temporal technology, a typeface does not need to be “rigidly set.” It can
5
6
Ibid., 60.
Ibid., 19.
5
fluctuate between its various states so that the viewer witnesses its transformation from upright to
italic or bold. Fluckiger and Kunz present “LAIKA” as an installation, in which audiences could
move either their bodies or a set of contrillers to watch the letterforms change between states.7
In the other classification of local kineticism, there is fluid type. In this type, the type identity is
constantly transforming, morphing and changing. The letters become other letters or adapt the identity of
an entire new imagery. At some points in the visual transitions, the visual identity becomes neither type
nor imagery. Eduardo Kac used the term “fluid sign” for this typography in explaining his holopoetry
work. 8
According to Brownie, fluidity in temporal typography can occur in three ways: construction of
type through motion of components and through parallax of parts, metamorphosis of type and lastly, the
revelation of type in a pictorial scene through rotation and navigation. In the later approach, the type has
already existed in the scene but hidden. What is similar to all these forms is the unfixed and changeable
quality of type. 9
In the following chapters, each different category of fluid type and the way meaning is created
through them will be discussed.
Creation of Feeling and Expression Through Motion
In the article “The Art That Moves”(1984), Len Lye explained how different motion creates
various empathetic responses:
Our Muse also increases empathic tension through an increase of scale in an image of motion. For
example, the falling motion of a small shrub in contrast to that of a giant redwood tree, or the tiny
wavelet on the beach and the big comber, have distinctly different effects on the degree of our
7
Ibid., 21.
Eduardo Kac, “Holopoetry, Hypertext, Hyperpoetry.” Holopoetry: Manifestos, Critical and Theoretical Writings.
(Lexington: New Media Editions, 1995), 54-67. July 19, 2011.
9
Barbara Brownie, "Fluid Characters in Temporal Typography." Fusion Journal: 12, Accessed November 7, 2014.
8
6
empathetic response. There are identical principles of gravity and arced lines of motion in each of
these instances. But our lack of response to the smaller object is in marked contrast to the feeling
we get from the larger. 10
He also explains the universal feeling of motion and how watching scenery, that involves motion,
can produce a feeling of energy and motion in the viewer's organs, which is different for each individual.
“I feel a kinesthetic touch on my shoulder when I see the porpoise hump its backdown to the deep.” 11
In addition, abstract film historians have argued the significant role of motion in creating
emotional experiences. If motion has the ability to add an emotional quality to abstract imagery that exists
with a degree of independence from visual references in the world, then adding motion to type, which
owns linguistic meaning, could further intensify the expressive and emotional quality of type.
Expressive and Emotional Quality of Kinetic Typography
Adding motion to type can make the linguistic meaning more specific for the reader by which
designers can communicate a detailed message to the audience. For example, the word drown might bring
different images and interpretation to various readers' mind. By giving a swinging motion, slower or
faster motion to the letters while they are moving downward, a specific sort of drowning is being
communicated.
The quality of the spoken word, such as the tone of voice is one of the properties of a film that
can be added to dynamic typography. 12 It can convey the speaker's tone of voice and the characteristic
and emotional attributes of the content. Yin Yin Wong researched this quality in her thesis in 1988. She
10
Len Lye, "The Art That Moves." Figure of Motion (New Zealand: University of Auckland Binary, 1984), 80.
Ibid.,79.
12 Yin YinWong, “Temporal Typography: Characterization of Time-Varying Typographic Form” (MS Thesis, MIT, 1995,
July 19, 2011), 35.
11
7
animated the sentence: "Can you give me a favor?" and she scaled up the word ‘favor’ in a quick,
accelerated manner to express the tone of voice. She also did an experiment to prove that in a dialogue,
motion, and proper timing can reveal different characteristics. For example, in dialog between the wolf
and Red Riding Hood, she used a quick and jumping type for Red Riding Hood. In contrast, for the wolf
that is acting as grandma a slower motion was used. 13
An Open Approach to Creating Meaning in Fluid Typography
Although motion and timing can specify the meaning of the content, they can also challenge the
reader and encourage a sense of anticipation and imagination. Motivating these senses contributes to the
artistic qualities of the work in contrast to a design approach, which serves a functional and clear
approach to communicating the message. According to Matthias Hillner, if the type slowly emerges from
imagery then "The viewer is forced into a process of guessing the potential significance of the diverse
visual elements." 14 For further clarification of this kind of typographical approach, we first need to
understand what happens in the process of reading.
The German philosopher, Edmund Husserl, called the anticipation of the future "Pretensions" and
the memorized past events as "Retentions." In this view, the present moment in reading a text is perceived
by comparing the past and future events. In other words, the tension between "Pretensions" and
"Retentions" creates the reader's present moment. When an experience immerses people, the perception of
time becomes more “quality time” than “quantity time.” A clock measures the quantity of time, and
modern society is heavily based on that.15
The French philosopher, Henry Bergson, proposed distinguishing between the extent of time,
which includes continuous events and the intensity of time that occurs when people are profoundly
13
Ibid., 32-35.
Matthias Hillner, 167.
15
Ibid., 128.
14
8
involved in events. If a text emerges from imagery or vice versa over time, the viewers' sense of the
present is weakened, as they will be intensely involved in an aesthetically pleasant event. The aesthetics
of graphical transitions from image to type or vice-versa is surprising as changes of paradigms occur. It
stimulates the viewer’s mind to judge future results by analyzing past revealed information. The result of
the work might finally match the viewer’s expectations, or it might go against them, as there is a level of
unpredictably involved. Matthias Hillner, in Virtual Typography explains:
Virtual typography makes people experience time as intensive because it imposes a state of
confusion. While the continuity of transformation makes viewers concentrate on the future (when
trying to predict the emerging shape of the anticipated text information), it also requires the
constant evaluation of the present data by comparing it to what was seen so far (does any of the
data resemble anything ever seen before?). If the viewer's time consciousness fluctuates between
the past and the future, their awareness of the present moment is weakened and their focus of
attention is sustained. 16
One example of the co-existence of type and imagery in graphic design is the Calligram that
incorporates both image and type simultaneously. (Figure 2) In contrast, in the realm of motion design,
type and imagery can transform into each other over a duration of time. The continuous changes in the
present time demand a reinterpretation of the present moment in the viewer's mind.
As explained in previous chapters, fluid type is constantly transforming, morphing and changing.
The identity of type changes to imagery or to another type with a different verbal signification. The next
chapter explains different types of fluidity and discusses how various levels of meanings can be created in
this typography using different behavioral kineticism through time.
16
Ibid., 130.
9
The Creation of Meaning in Fluid Type
1- Construction of Fluid Type through Motion of Components and Parallax
In the first category of fluid typography, the type is constructed through the motion of
components. The abstract or non-abstract imagery comes together to constitute the letters, so the parts
collaborate in the formation of typography.
Martin Lambie Narin created the first example of this fluid behavior for Channel 4’s identity in
1982. (Figure 2) He used the process of defragmentation and reconstruction in creating the design. This
innovative approach has continued in some contemporary examples of Channel 4 identity. One example
is the identity called “Tokyo” (2005), and this starts with a person’s perspective like that of a tourist who
is walking in Tokyo and looking at the neon street signs. Eventually, using the navigation of the camera
the street signs construct the logo. In the design process of this work, the logotype is defragmented to sign
images that are actually the components of type, and then they are reconstructed to create the final look of
the logo. The voice over at the very end reveals the whole idea behind the design: “The strong language
and flashy images, here on 4.” (Figure 3)
This approach to modular typography is evident in the history of Dutch graphic design and in the
work of the Destijl movement. Lettering in Bart van der Leck's poster for “Delft Salad Dressing” (1919)
is constructed from geometric primitives. (Figure 4) Van der Leck himself referred to such typographic
works as “compositions”, describing letterforms that are built systematically, as opposed to being molded.
“Channel 5” identity (Free, 2006), is another example of this kind of dynamic typography. The balloons
move in the sky and shape the word free. 17 (Figure 5)
In the cases of “Channel 4” and “5,” the construction of type out of imagery happens in two
different ways. Channel 4 creates it through parallax alignment, while Channel 5 creates it by the
17
Grace Lees-Maffei, Writing Design: Words and Objects (New York; London: Berg Pub. 2012), 7.
10
movement of parts. According to Brownie, "If the component pieces are capable of independent motion,
then viewer navigation is no longer required to reveal the typographic identity." 18
The meaning of this category of type “unfolds during a passage of time” 19 As the identity of type
and imagery are constantly in flux, during each stage of this transformation multiple meanings can be
communicated. The legible moments of the type only can create a specific verbal meaning. The final
meaning of the whole process is the result of various meanings created through the duration of time and
the overall meaning is different than each individual meaning. In other words, the whole is greater than
the sum. 20 Therefore, the meaning created in fluid typography communicates on a more complex level
than that of static type and this is all the result of its temporal quality.
Because the meaning is not merely reliant on the verbal meaning of the type, the transformation
from text to image (or vice versa) can reinforce, clarify or contradict the meaning of the text. For
example, in the case of the Channel 5 identity, the use of balloons, which can signify freedom and a
childlike joy, supports the meaning of the word “Free” that is created later by the motion of parts, which
are several balloons. In the case of identity design for Channel 4 by Martin Lambie Narin, different
abstract rectangular shapes with a variety of colors come together to make the logo. Channel 4 has been a
publisher and broadcasted different programs produced elsewhere, and the different sizes of rectangular
shapes and colors represent the variety of programs and audience. 21
Unlike the other two following categories of fluid typography, in the construction through the
parts and parallax, the identity of imagery or type does not replace each other completely. At different
stages in time, one might prevail but at the very last stage, both type and image would be recognizable.
18
Ibid., 8.
Eduardo Kac, 1997, 25.
20
Barbara Brownie, Transforming type: new direction in kinetic typography (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015)
19
21
Ibid., 68.
11
Revelation: Type that Already Exists in the Scene
In Chinese Sichuan opera, performers change their masks on stage, in full view of their audience,
using sleight-of-hand. Here, each mask is always present, but concealed until the time of revelation.22
Similarly, in this type of fluidity, the imagery or type reveals the existence of a new linguistic form that
was hidden in the scene. This playful shift consists of the element of surprise, attracting the viewer's
attention.
The change of navigation, rotation and illumination might lead to the occurrence of these
transitions. 3D typography has the potential of the revelation of another typographic form. As a result of
the 3D volume, it occupies, the type has different surfaces and sides in the space where it is a good place
to hide other images or type. A good example is Kyle Cooper's title sequence for True Lies (1994), each
letter of the word “lies” is positioned on a hidden surface of the 3D word “true.” The Y-axis rotation of
letters in the word “true” reveals the word “lies.” (Figure 6)
Another more recent example is the work, Evil-Hate-Love (2012), by FMK7 in which the camera
moves in 3D space around three words. Before revealing the next word, there is a transitional stage in
which the letterforms of the revealed word become deconstructed. First, the letters become abstract
glyphs while having the type quality and then they turn to complete abstract imagery. Later, the abstract
imagery becomes reconstructed to reveal the next word. Thus, during the transitional moments “the type
is escaping from the constancy of linguistic meaning.” 23 (Figure 7)
Regarding the meaning that this category of fluid type creates, usually the words in revelation
have opposite meanings; love and hate create a tension in the meaning of the piece. Perhaps the designer
intended to communicate the message that all these opposite meanings transform into each other and are
in a close relation to each other. Meanwhile, the transitional moments admit a distance among these
22
Grace Lees-Maffei, 11.
.
23
Barbara Brownie, "Fluid Characters in Temporal Typography", 11.
12
words because the typographical look of each word becomes defragmented. Love can transform into hate
and hate becomes the devil, but again the devil transforms to love and the loop continues. There has been
a long history of the subject of the love-hate-devil transformation in literary history. Interestingly, the
designer could cleverly communicate this idea through temporal typography and the use of three simple
words in space.
Morphing Typography
Morphing typography happens in the process of distortion and manipulation. The type becomes
entirely illegible, lose its identity and this serves the construction of a new identity. It can occur from one
letter to another letter or to an image. According to Barbara Brownie:
The notion that a letter may morph into another form is arguably founded upon ideas developed
during a study conducted at the French Académie des Sciences from 1695, in which letterforms
were placed on grids in the creation of a new typeface, Romain du Roi. In the creation of the
slanted version of Romain du Roi letterforms, through the manipulation of the grid, it became
implicit that type may be considered malleable.24
Brownie argues that, as opposed to using the rigid letterpress type in the 17th Century, the
experiment of using a grid in designing the slanted version of a typeface was a new approach in working
with letters that emphasized the flexible quality of type. Similarly, morphing type is a method in dynamic
typography that utilizes the flexible quality of letters, but in “process” and over time, instead of presenting
the final result that happens in static typography.
In the morphing process of the letter D to E, there are moments that the letter D becomes so
distorted that it loses its typographical quality and becomes glyph imagery. To the viewer who has seen
the previous form of the letter D it might look more "asemic" having the appearance of writing without
actually being writing and having any linguistic meaning. Unlike the construction of type through
components, in the process of morphing, the identity of the initial type completely adopts the identity of
24
Ibid., 8.
13
the next type or imagery. Liquid motion is a recent trend in motion design that often uses illustrative
imagery and typography to create organic animation. In this kind of animation, the imagery usually
morphs to type and vice versa. The earliest example of this trend includes the work of advertising
agencies CRCR and Buck.
Legibility in Kinetic Typography
Legibility in kinetic typography cannot be compared to the legibility in static typography. Even in
static typography, an accepted level of legibility for Modernism and Post-modernism has not been
unanimously agreed upon; a text may have been called legible for Modernists, when it could be read
quickly and easily, however, for Post-modern designers a level of readability is required to serve the
communication purposes. Instead, there has been a lot of emphasis on the expressive and visual quality of
type.
This visual quality of typography can be extended and explored to a greater extent in kinetic type
compared to static type. The temporality that exists in kinetic typography gives designers more freedom
in the creation of meta-linguistic typographic meaning. As a motion work occurs in a process through a
period of time, different stages of the process deal with various linguistic and meta-linguistic aspects of
kinetic typography. When the linguistic meaning is required, a level of legibility should be considered in
order to read the type. In this stage, the type can be as clean as a Modernist type or as expressive as Postmodern type, as long as it can communicate its verbal significance. On the other hand, some other parts of
the process may be dedicated to the purely visual aspect of type, or as explained in the previous chapters,
it can be dedicated to the change of identity from type to imagery or vice versa.
Regarding the legibility of the type with a Post-modern twist, various methods in motion and
timing can be used to change a less legible form of a static type to a legible temporal type that can be read
14
by the audience. Timing and repetition are two approaches that can affect the legibility of the type. These
will be explained in detail in the case of the Se7en title sequence, which used the same approaches.
Se7en
In this last chapter, the title sequence for Se7en (1995) will be analyzed. It should be argued that
Se7en is the first title sequence, which successfully merged type with film footage. The typography is as
expressive as the footage and one without the other cannot effectively communicate its meanings and
establish the mood for the film. In the previous example of title sequence design and before the creation
of Se7en in 1995, footage had played a more vital role than typography. The use of type along with
footage had been usually limited to an overlay of crew credits on top of the footage, without owning any
characteristic. Kyle Cooper designed the title sequence for Se7en while working at R/Greenberg
Associates. The typography of the title cards share the characteristic of deconstructed typography as
opposed to Modernist typography.
In this chapter, the static and kinetic typographical elements used in Se7en will be discussed in
relation to the history of static type. The meaning and mood that kinetic type creates will be explored by
conducting a close reading that analyzes how the issue of legibility posed by deconstructed type was
resolved in Se7en. Also, a close reading of the credits for Free Radicals (1958) by Len lye shows its
influence on the design of title sequence for Se7en.
Deconstructed Typography
The characteristics of Modernist typography were explained and codified by Jan Tschichold in
his book The New Typography published in Berlin in 1928. According to him, any ornament around type
is extra and unnecessary. Typography is not painting and should be free from any expressive quality;
according to Jan Tschichold, “Artistic” typefaces are disturbing because of their strongly individual
character. Artistic typefaces are in direct opposition to the spirit of the modern age. Jan Tschichold
15
argued, “Other individual expressive possibilities of type have nothing to do with typography. They
hinder direct and totally clear communication, which must always be the first purpose of typography.” 25
In contrast to this view, the handwritten type designed for Se7en, has an individual and
expressive quality. It is a very rough style that uses jagged lines in curved letters. The names of the cast
are hand written, while all of the credits for the crew appear in Helvetica. All names and credits in the title
cards are backlit and white. The crew credits are slightly smaller, and use jittery-jump cutting with
twitching type. Each word for the crew credits is repeated two to four times. This feature is against the
rules of modern typography, which did not permit the use of any ornament or extra motifs around type.
The original word is opaque; the repetitions are transparent appearing below the original word (Figure 9).
Jan Tschichold explains that people admire the beauty of cars, airplanes, or ships and they do not
understand that the perfection of their appearances is the result of the precise and economic expression of
their function. In Modernist typography, only typefaces serve the purpose of clear communication that is
legible, geometric, and quick to read. In the fast paced world, we no longer read quietly line-by-line, but
glance quickly over the whole, thus, the only function of Modernist typography is clear communication.
The handwritten typography designed for Se7en cannot be considered legible by the definition of
modern typography, as the letterforms are not geometric and free from expression. As a result, it does not
contribute to readability and it cannot clearly communicate its message. According to Jan Tschichold,
uses of Sans serif type with geometric-based letterforms, placement of large differences in weight and
size of typefaces, non-centered design, utilization of the grid and baselines, and implementation of
negative space are all features of Modernist typography.
It could be argued that Postmodernism in design developed as a reaction to the structured
Modernism that dominated design from around the 1930’s up to the 1970’s, when there were the first
25
Jan Tschichold, The New Typography (University of California Press, 2006). 78.
16
attempts of the “New Design” which spread in the mid 1980’s. According to the French philosopher
Jacues Derrida, linguistic meaning is unstable and indeterminate. In this approach, the reader/viewer is
free to explore and interpret language based on their individual experience. The reader completes the
meaning of the text. As a result, a work of graphic design as well as art are incomplete until the reader
completes it. As Roland Barthes explained in his book Image Music Text (1978), the meaning of the text
was assumed to be fixed in Modernism and before because the meaning could only be deciphered by
knowing its author. However, the author lives in the past and the text lives in the moment. An author is a
different entity than a text, just like a father who has a completely separate existence from his own child.
Instead, text talks at a linguistic level and the destination of the text is the reader. Multiple meanings can
be interpreted from a text based on the reader’s view, understanding, and background. According to
Roland Barthes: “The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author.” 26
Deconstructionism started in typography with Katherine McCoy’s research at the Cranbrook
Academy in the mid-1980s. She used deconstruction as method of analysis to understand the dynamism
of communication and finally found ways to encourage the active participation of the audience to open up
meaning. As the chair of Cranbrook Academy, She encouraged students to think both theoretically and
practically in this new approach. The majority of typographical rules set by Modernism were refused by
Post-Modernism. For example, the use of the Grid that was sacred for Modernism became redundant for
Deconstructivists.
The formal features of deconstructed type seen in Se7en include expanding the spaces between
lines, (card 21, 22, and 23) (Figure 10) the lack of baseline and grid, and arbitrary alignment. The
example of Title 23 depicts how the names are placed all over the screen. This design clearly is breaking
26 Roland Barthes, and Stephen Heath. Image, Music, Text. 148.
17
the modern rules of typography, which put great emphasis on the constant reading of the negative space
of the frame by the viewer. 27
The necessity of personal, subjective, and expressive typography increases in Post-modernist
design, because promoting multiple reading rather than one fixed reading became the goal. The
experience comes before analysis in Postmodern design. 28 The possibility of multiple readings exists
purposefully in Se7en’s typographic design, as the meaning behind the reading of the title sequence is
multilayered and complex. On one hand, the type in the title cards set a dark and uneasy mood that serves
the concept of the design and contributes to the film’s narration. On the other hand, each title card along
with imagery and the applied effects on that creates its individual meanings and makes a statement about
the title sequence itself.
In addition, the blurry look of the type in Se7en and the fact that it is backlit is in harmony with
the blurry look of the live action. The blurry typography demands the active participation of the viewer to
read the type, as it does not lend itself to be read quickly, as Modern design expects from typography. The
quick cuts in the editing of the type are another element that demands the active participation of the
viewer. The quick editing challenges viewers to read the text at different speeds and look at the type as
imagery. The blurry type keeps a level of legibility that still allows us to read it. In addition, the choice of
Helvetica, a clean and modern typeface, for designing this Deconstructed and expressive typography is
worth noting. Considering Helvetica is known as a San-serif typeface to show characteristics of
Modernist graphic design, Kyle Cooper modified this typeface in contrast to its main Modernist
characteristic in order to create deconstructed typography. 29
27
28
Jan Tschichold. The New Typography, 2006.
David Crow, Left to right; the cultural shift from words to picture, 189.
29 Helvetica, documentary, Directed by Gary Hustwit, USA, 12 September 2007, DVD.
18
Regarding the kinetic aspect of type, the position of lines relative to each other is fixed but there
is a position change of the whole type in the y-axis in relation to the frame. According to what has been
discussed in the previous chapters, this kind of kinetic type implements a global motion and can be
categorized as scrolling type.
In the title cards where the type is overlaid on the footage, it seems that type has the characteristic
of being elastic typography, as the edge of the letters seem to wiggle and have animation. However, a
closer look reveals that this is the result of the overlaying of a couple of layers of words with different
opacity that change on top of each other. Therefore, there is no actual motion occurring in the contour of
the letters, so it cannot be categorized as elastic type with local motion.
The Construction of Asemic Writing Through the Application of Motion into Type
Because of the application of motion to type, the letterforms in Se7en become abstract glyphs at
some points in the credit sequence. This creates motion trails that produce new forms of purely visual
imagery. The motion can produce forms that are so diverse in shape based on the change of direction and
movement of the type on the screen. In a 3D environment, motion applied to 3D type can create new 3D
volumes in space. For example, if the letter O moves vertically and quickly in 3D space, the viewer will
see a cylindrical shape because of the after-image that the motion creates. This approach is reminiscent of
Len Lye's philosophy in creating his kinetic sculptures. He described how most mobile sculptures are
designed based on the beauty of form and how motion is not an important part of the sculpture. Instead,
he created kinetic sculpture that use motion to create these forms. In his purely kinetic sculptures, it could
be argued that the beauty and form are the results of motion.
Applying the same approach to type makes it purely visual and mostly illegible. The title
sequence of Se7en (1995) used this approach. Because of the film jam effect, a motion trail takes shape
along the text on the screen. It causes the type to lose its identity and look like abstract glyphs. There are
stages in which the type cannot be read and does not have any linguistic meaning. As the editing pace
19
becomes slower, the motion trail disappears, and the type becomes legible. (Figure 8) There is a constant
fluctuation between illegible deconstructed type that has an asemic quality and the legible type on the
screen. This change in the process adds an ambiguous aesthetic to the motion work that makes it
pleasurable for the viewer; it also helps to set an ambiguous mood for the title sequence, which matches
the mood of the movie.
Perhaps, Barbara Brownie could have added this type of kinetic typography to the fluid type
category, as different level of kineticsim can create different forms out of type with various levels of
legibility and abstraction. However, her classification of fluid type is dependent on the forms that already
have identities separate from motion. Although typographical forms with verbal signification already
exist in static form, the importance of creating new visuals when type becomes kinetic should be
discussed as well.
Formal Analysis of Legibility in Static and Kinetic Typography
The duration of the title design of Se7en is one minute and forty seconds. There are 26 title cards
and the duration of each title in this design is 30-60 seconds. The title cards appear on screen in three
different ways: the type is placed on the live-action footage; over a black static background; and over both
live-action footage and the black background. The type remains on the screen when live-action footage
and the black backgrounds cut to each other.
The backlit type is placed on the live-action in asymmetrical compositions, in different positions
on each card (Figure 12Figure 13). The text is in white and placed in a dark area of the live-action footage
in all cards that create a strong contrast and make the names legible (Cards 1, 3, and 7). In these
examples, each line of type has the least global motion, which is limited to subtle shaking. As there is
movement involved in the live-action, this minimum amount of motion is designed for these cards (Cards
1, 3, 7, and 8). This motion design approach prevents the type from competing with the live-action,
making the process of reading smoother for the viewer. The credits appear at the beginning of the design,
20
such as the name of the director, Kyle Cooper, the utilization of this approach increases the level of
legibility. These cards are mostly placed on the first half of the title design. The flicker effects on the text
and the timing of when the text appears on the screen are two elements in the credits that are synced to the
beat of the music and the sound effects.
In the other groups of cards with the black background, the white type is scratched on the
emulsion of black film. The backlit typography has the most motion and dynamism of all of the cards
(Card 2, 11, and 21). Regarding the types of motion that are applied to these cards, the position of each
credit changes abruptly, the type is flipped horizontally, they are shaky, they flicker and in some cases;
they simulate the look of a malfunctioning film projector. The white-blurred motion trails can be seen at
the end of the typography while the type and trails jump cut. These quick effects and motion create a
sense of uncertainty and ambiguity about the reality of the information on the screen. These quick effects
can be disturbing to the viewer’s eye. The movement of typography in this film-jam effect is paired with
the music that solidifies the effect. For example, in title card 13, the names move across the page
vertically with white-blurred motion trails that follow them. Finally, the credit name lands on the screen.
The landing part of the type is synced with the strong beat of music.
Another group of title cards (card 6, 15, and 23), where the typography stays on the screen during
both live-action and black static backgrounds, can be seen mostly in the second part of the title sequence.
The type either first appears over the live action footage, and they stay on the screen as it cuts to the black
background, or they appear on the static background and stay on the screen after cutting to the live action.
They are also synched to the beat of the music when there is film-jam motion and flicker effects on the
type. As the music speeds up for the second half of the design, the speed of the montage increases. While
there are more names on each card, the duration remains almost the same as the first title cards. The
graphical and blurry look of Helvetica, which represents the role of the crewmembers, is hard to read. To
compensate for the clarity of the grungy Helvetica, a flicker effect is applied to the type. This draws more
21
attention to this part of the text and causes the viewer to dedicate more time on this part (Figure 10Figure
11).
Repetition plays a significant role in all aspects of the design, including the treatment of the
typography. The approach is made clear in both static (the repetition of words over each other in
Helvetica typeface) and in the editing of the type. Repetition of the words in time is a key factor in the
legibility of many cards.
The use of repetition is especially evident in the sequences for the main title card (Card 6). There
are different jump cuts, revealing the word Se7en seven times on the screen. Each time the word appears,
the design, size, and position of the word are different. These cuts are shorter, but more legible than the
final depiction of the word. The point is that although the grungy, graphical look of the type in the final
shot is not legible as a still frame, the viewer can still read it due to the previous, quick repetition of the
type. The main title card starts off with the word Se7en, small, legible, and on the top right of the screen.
After 20 frames, another version of the design for the same word appears in the middle of the frame,
which is significantly bigger in size. It lasts only four frames. There is an inserted frame of scratched film
and after which, there are 4 frames of another, smaller, blurred word with layers, which appear in the
middle of the screen. It cuts again to a small-sized type on the top right of the screen. The stack of type
layers upon each other makes the word illegible; however, it becomes transparent over the duration of 12
frames to the point that just one layer of the word remains opaque and, therefore, it becomes legible. The
type remains on the screen for 20 frames during which, it allows the viewers to scan it quickly. The final
resolve occurs and a new design of the word Se7en appears, which is hard to read as a still image. It lasts
40 frames on the screen. Due to the previous quick repetition of the word, viewers will have had a chance
to read it. Therefore, the process of repetition enables the viewer to read the last landing of the type, even
though the static graphic might not be legible. (Figure 14Figure 15Figure 16)
22
In addition, Kyle Cooper utilizes another design approach that makes the type legible in credits.
He uses non-legible deconstructed typography, which seems like abstract imagery and at some point
asemic (having the appearance of writing without any linguistic meaning) in the middle of the fast motion
along y-axis, and places the legible type at the end of the motion. In Title 5, the name of the actor Morgan
Freeman appears handwritten. It remains on the screen for 17 frames, before a duplicate of Freeman’s
name appears flipped horizontally on top of the first iteration of the name. (Figure 17Figure 18) The
arrangement of the two versions of Freeman’s name makes the design illegible for 5 frames after which it
becomes legible again. The kinetic type is synced with the music when it appears on the screen and
flickers constantly, making the type legible and illegible interchangeably and attracting the viewer’s
attention. An adequate amount of time is dedicated to the legible frames, so that they may be read. The
illegible type serves as abstract imagery that increases the ambiguity of the design. The viewer can see
that asemic type is in motion, but they cannot read it or see it clearly. This abrupt motion or cut leaves a
quick, optical effect in the viewer’s eyes and sets a tension that supports the concept of the title design.
In the next group of title cards (card 6, 15, and 23), the typography stays on the screen during
both live-action and black static backgrounds. They either first appear over the live action footage, and
they still stay on the screen as it cuts to the black background, or they appear on the static background and
stay on the screen after cutting to the live action. These cards can be seen mostly in the second part of the
title sequence. They are also synched to the beat of the music when there is film-jam motion and flicker
effects on the type. As the music speeds up for the second half of the design, the speed of the montage
increases. While there are more names on each card, the duration remains almost the same as the first title
cards. The graphical and blurry look of Helvetica, which represents the role of the crewmembers, is hard
to read. To compensate for the clarity of the grungy Helvetica, a flicker effect is applied to the type. This
creates a sharp contrast with the dark background and draws more attention to this part of the text. It
causes the viewer to dedicate more time on the text (Figure 19Figure 20).
23
In title cards 13, 20 and 21 (Figure 21), the compositions of the cards during the fast motion are
very much deconstructed and thus thoroughly illegible. A feature of deconstructed typography is that the
type and letterforms are distorted and grungy. The designer, Kyle Cooper, achieved this quality both in
the static look of type and in the type in motion by the motion trail created at the end of the type. The
letterforms start becoming distorted and illegible. Type moves in the vertical axis from up to down on the
screen. This animation is very similar to the movement of a filmstrip when there is a projector error. This
film-jam effect creates very bright stripes along the type. The most deconstructed typographical
compositions that are almost abstract, and thus completely illegible occurs during the fast part of the
motion. The motion gets slower as it ends when the legible typography appears on the screen. This
approach allows the viewers to finally read the text when it lands on the screen.
The first occurrence of kinetic typography that implies a film-jam effect appears in title card 9
(the second group of the cards), revealing the name R. Lee Ermey. The text is repeated three times on the
right side of the frame and moves from up to down with a motion blur at the end of the words (Figure
26Error! Reference source not found.). The proportion of the type is very similar to that of a filmstrip,
which is reinforced by the top to bottom movement of the type. The next shot is live action footage of a
filmstrip that is being cut by scissors. Kyle Cooper makes intentional use of the film-jam effect more
evident to the viewers by revealing a filmstrip image immediately after the introduction of the film-jam
effect on the type. After this introduction, the number of times the effect appears on the type increases
toward the end of the title sequence.
Analysis of Meaning and Mood
There are some deep levels of meaning and connections between the names of the crewmembers
on screen and the live-action behind it. In other words, the title sequence makes a manifesto about the
crewmembers by connecting their name and the reality of their existence to the fictional quality of the
footage behind it.
24
For example, in the first title card (Figure 13), New Line Cinema Presents (the production
company) is placed on the bottom right of the screen where the profile of an open book can be seen. The
common English expression open book refers to somebody who has no secrets and is easy to understand.
The imagery of an open book can be read as a metaphor, it signifies a transparent thinking approach. The
type New Line Cinema Presents is stuck on the pages of this open book, which could be said to introduce
the production company, as a transparent and open organization.
Regarding the main title (Figure 14, 15 and 16), the word Se7en reappears seven times with
different designs on different parts of the screen. The seven repetitions put high emphasis on the meaning
of the word Se7en. This re-editing of the word seven times, each time with a different design but with the
same word, implies an action or event that happens seven times based on one main idea. There are shots
that drive to the conclusion that the seven repetitions reference the seven deadly sins in the Bible. For
instance, the flipped word Envy on a page in second 49 of the design lasts six frames and is positioned
diagonally on the top left side of the screen. There are pages of printed and handwritten typography that
stack over each other. The scale of the printed type leads to it being cropped and causes the words to be
unreadable. The pages with the large type are placed in the background. The word envy, which is on top
of a transparent handwritten page, is placed over all the other pages. The position of the page on the
screen creates a flipped triangle. This triangle and the placement of the word envy on the left side of the
screen lead the eye to the top edge of this inverse triangle in which a drop of blood pours on the paper
(Figure 24). Conceptually, the triangle could be interpreted as representing the number three. The triangle
has highly Christian meanings, because the Christian God is a trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. United
in a single godhead, he is commonly represented by a triangle. Envy is one of the seven deadly sins in the
Bible.
Another shot that implies the religious theme of the design and the word Se7en is the macro shot
of printed type “Heterosexual”, “Transsexual”, “Fantasizing”, and “Intercourse” being crossed out with a
25
black marker (Figure 26). This diegetic typography is shot diagonally. The action of crossing the words
with a black marker in addition to the other religious signs in the other shots contributes to the religious
meaning of the activities. These words reference one of the seven deadly sins in the Bible, which is “lust”.
Two versions of the same live-action footage overlap. The opacity of one of the pieces of footage is
considerably lower and thus transparent. This overlapping approach creates an ambiguous feeling about
the reality of what is presented on the screen. The blurry imagery overlaps and creates a ghost-like effect.
The appearance of the word Repent on a single frame of title card 25 is another indication of the
religious references in the piece (Error! Reference source not found.). The word Repent is handwritten
on the scratched film and overlaid on the live-action footage of the books. The Bible covers topics
relating to sin, repentance, forgiveness, salvation, and others that help provide Biblical guidance for
Christians to follow to resist the temptation of sin.. 30
The close-up of the word God in the live-action footage of a dollar is repeated three times
throughout the title sequence design. The last time it is repeated, the character removes the upside down
word God from the In God We Trust sentence on a dollar. This phrase, In God We Trust, is found in
several verses from the Bible, including Psalms 118:8, Psalms 40:3, Psalms 73:28, and Proverbs 29:25 31.
One anonymous character is involved in all the activities. After skinning off his fingerprints with
a blade, we see bandages around his fingers in almost all of the shots that follow. He is constantly in the
process of creation. In this process, he is shaping and choosing his own reality and interpretation from
external reality: cutting just some of the images of a film strip and putting them in the notebook, crossing
out words of a book with a dark thick black line, writing and developing photos. All suggests that a
specific view and interpretation is being meticulously chosen.
31
In God We Trust: The Motto. All about History. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
26
This character seems to be working on the photos of the dead bodies of women and men, using
scissors, a needle, and a blade. The blood in these shots suggests that the activities have a violent nature.
Considering all other religious references in the title sequence design and the violent nature of the used
elements, these could all convey that the character may be plotting a violent crime that is religiously
motivated. He is doing all this calmly, patiently and precisely just like an artist, who is heavily involved
in the process of creating tactile book art.
The character leaves a negative and fearful impact on the audience due to the mood of the design,
which is the result of editing, color correcting, the music, the look of the type, and the jump-cutting and
film-jam effect of the type. He does not reveal himself openly in the frame. Macro shots contribute to this
fear and tension by not showing the character, and instead focusing on his activities. The dark shadows of
live-action footage and the solid black title cards reinforce an uneasy atmosphere.
Cinematic approaches such as mysterious, dark lighting, unfocused extreme close-ups, overlaying
of footage, and repetition in typography all set up an ambiguous atmosphere in design. In all of the nondiegetic typography in the title cards, repetition can be seen in two ways. In one instance, two to four
transparent overlays of a word are put behind the same, opaque word to create a ghost-like effect. The
number of the overlaid words do not follow a pattern. In another approach, the words are repeated several
times on the screen. This repetition is made clear in most of the title cards with the black static
background in which there is a film-jam effect (Cards 2, 11, and 21). This repetition is an approach to
creating a sense of ambiguity. It makes the viewer unclear about the reality of what is being seen on the
screen. There are many versions of the same words and there is no implication about which one is the
“real” word, or which one the viewers should look at. While Kyle Cooper uses typography on an
expressive level to create this ambiguous visual approach, he provides enough time for viewers to read
the title cards. This blurry, repeated and jump-cutting of typography seems to exist in a mental space
rather than being completely real. It might suggest different interpretations of reality, as it has a dreamlike
27
and atmospheric look. The repetition in the design may signify the repetitive nature of ritualistic
activities. It refuses to give the viewer one fixed, long lasting, and clear moment of perception of what is
happening in the scene. The expressive typography is very illusive. It only lasts on the screen for the
minimum duration that is necessary to be read and then cuts quickly to another shot or typographical
composition. Type has been used as a part of the imagery of the design. It helps in setting the moods and
meanings of the work.
The film-jam effect happens when film stock sticks in the camera. When the camera is recording
reality, the imagery of that reality is actually being shaped inside the camera. This imagery is a
representation of reality. This effect indicates a projection error by the camera that signifies the
misinterpretation of this reality. The camera signifies the mind, as it can create its own imagery of a
reality. The misinterpretation that happens when the film jams is extremely dark and negative. The solid
black background signifies this dark and hopeless space that appears when the grungy type of the credits
land on the page. On the other hand, the film-jam effect breaks the black space of the screen with the high
contrast of white compositions. In these compositions, typography gets so distorted and exaggerated that
it becomes illegible and starts losing its own characteristics. The letters are barely recognizable which
illustrates how reality can become distorted. The film-jam effect further implies the disorder of the mind
projection fallacy, which occurs when someone thinks that the way they see the world reflects the way the
world really is. The jarring projected imagery and flickering on the screen can be an implication of the
sick, mental space of someone who has developed a misinterpretation of reality. This effect is happening
on the production film crewmembers’ names that signify they are being seen and misjudged by a
developing mind projection fallacy. The application of the film-jam effect on the credit names represent
that they are being judged, and in this judgmental view they have some serious issues in their existence.
They are not perfect as humans. Their names are jumping around, distorting and cannot remain on the
screen for more than a few frames.
28
The open book, the back of a hand on the background, which is turning the pages, and the
placement of the production film companies on the book suggests that the mentioned mind is consciously
opening up his view to the audience and production company. The macro blurry imagery of this shot has
a fictional quality rather than a sharp real look. It implies a state of mind, a specific view of the world that
is the result of an interpretation.
Free Radicals as an Inspirational Source for Title Cards of Se7en
The credits for Free Radicals, animated by Len Lye might have been a source of inspiration for
the design and animation for the kinetic typography for Se7en’s title sequence. Leonard Charles Huia
(Len Lye) was a New Zealand-born artist known primarily for his experimental films and kinetic
sculpture. The International Experimental Film Competition at the 1958 Brussels World Fair in Belgium
invited him to make an abstract animation, which resulted in the creation of Free Radicals. This abstract
animation won second prize at the festival. He invented the technique of using black film stock and
scratched designs into the emulsion, and used it for the first time in Free Radicals in 1958. The same
technique was used in the creation of the kinetic typography for Se7en in 1995.
In an interview with Gretchen Berg, Len Lye explains his process: "I made Free Radicals from
16mm black film leader, which you can get from DuPont. I took a graver, various kinds of needles. (My
range included arrowheads for romanticism.) You stick down the sides with scotch tape and you get to
work with scratching the stuff out…You hold your hand at the right height and act as if you were making
your signature.” 32
The credit design for Free Radicals (Figure 27) is part of the abstract animation and the same
scratched film technique was used in the design of handwritten typography. In the main title (Figure 28)
the position of the word “Free” changes quickly three times, and after that, the word Radicals appears and
32
Michael Betancourt, the History of Motion Graphics (Rockville, Md.: Wildside Press, 2013), 96.
29
again with the similar quick jump-cut, the position of the word “Radicals” changes three time. The whole
sequence”Free Radicals” repeats three times on the screen. Each word remains on the screen for a short
time (10-16 frames), thus the repetition of the words contributes to the legibility of the main title design.
Furthermore, the repetition creates a visual rhythm on the screen, which is synched with the beats of the
music.
Regarding the Free Radicals credit design, there is quick motion in both letters and words added
to the necessary eye movement for reading. As a result, three kinds of motion can conflict with each other
and affect the legibility of the credits. Repetition of the words in time is an approach that contributes to
solving the issue of legibility and achieves a certain level of readability in this work. Although the
repetition leads to the legibility of the credits, the quick motion of the words challenges viewers on an
active level to read the information. It should be noted that increased involvement of readers is one of the
main intentions of deconstructed typography. The same approach was used in the design for Se7en.
Both the title cards for Se7en and Free Radicals use handwriting with the same technique of
scratched designs into a film emulsion. The background is black and the words are in white. The words
share the same visual quality: they are jagged and jittery jump looking (Figure 29). The letters lose their
characteristics in time and again recall their original characteristics as letterforms. During the
deconstructed graphic design in the 1980s, the same features could be seen in static design; the type and
letterforms were used as purely abstract images.
In Free Radicals, because each word is drawn frame by frame and also due to the accidental
nature of the scratched film technique, the letterforms are constantly transforming and changing to
different shapes and thicknesses as well as position changes in time. As a result of various constant
motion, the handwriting is very dynamic. The letterforms change and become distorted. For example, in
title card 1, (Figure 30) the stroke of the letter R in the word “Free” moves toward the stem. It causes the
R to lose its characteristic and become illegible on those frames. Thus, fragmentation is occurring through
30
time in the kinetic word “Free.” In title cards for Se7en, there is global motion, as the whole information
that appears on a title card moves together, although in Free Radicals both local and global motion
happens simultaneously in both letters and words.
The change in the kerning of letters can be seen in almost all words, specifically during the
second repetition of the word Radicals and the first appearance of the words Film, and Africa (Figure
31,Figure 32Figure 33). Thus, in the Free Radicals credits, a form of deconstruction in expansion of
kerning is occurring temporally.
As mentioned before, motion is a fundamental feature of Len Lye’s artwork. The importance of
motion goes to the point that he does not agree that the form can be separated from the animation, but
instead the form is the arbitrary result of the movement. “Writing with a collaborator, Laura Riding, in
1935 for the essay “Film-making,” Lye proposes a tentative framework to think about motion as form:
“Form in movement-compositions is the total effect of accidental design created by cross-movements,
perspective movements, timing, accenting—all the varieties of action whether in natural juxtaposition or
not.” 33
Kyle Cooper has applied the same view in the design for Se7en as the motion blur of text creates
a new form causing the type to become distorted.
Deconstructed design was an “ism” of the late-1980s and early-1990s, however the features of
deconstructed type can be seen in Free Radicals designed by Len Lye, two decades before the academic
emergence of this style or attitude. In a 1994 interview in the New York Times Magazine, Jacques
Derrida was asked about the purported “death” of deconstruction on North American campuses; he
answered, “I think there is some element in deconstruction that belongs to the structure of history or
33
Ibid., 90.
31
events. It started with the academic phenomenon of deconstruction, and it will continue with other
names.” 34
The title sequence designs for Se7en and Free Radicals both share the same technique and
animation approaches, such as the use of repetition to create legibility and rhythm, deconstruction of the
letterforms and the extension of the words and letters across the page. The credit for Free Radicals could
be considered an early motion example of deconstruction happening in handwritten words.
Conclusion
In motion design, time and motion contribute to both the artistic and design aspects of
typography. While a design approach usually seeks for direct clarity, the artistic approach is more open to
various interpretations. In addition, the combination of both approaches can be integrated in a motion
design work.
Regarding the design approach toward kinetic typography, time and motion enrich the emotional
and expressive qualities of typography in creating a more specific meaning that can communicate a clear
message to the audience. This usually uses dynamic typography and implements the global motion of
type in which the composition changes constantly. The animation of position, scale, rotation, and opacity
of letters, words, and sentences adds an expressive and emotional quality to dynamic typography. This
expressive quality can serve many aspects of text; one aspect is that it can serve the linguistic meaning of
type. Motion defines a specific and detailed meaning for a word. For example, if there are many
connotations for a verb to be used and perceived, the motion that is applied to typography clarifies how
exactly the action is done. The animation of a text can emphasize the intonation and a specific
34
New York Times Magazine, “Interview with Jacques Derrida”, 1994.
32
characteristic in a conversation. Also, the motion can set a mood for the type. The common use of this is
in title sequence design in which typography prepares the viewer for the atmosphere and feeling of the
movie.
Furthermore, there is a more artistic approach to conveying an open interpretation of meaning
through kinetic type. It can occur in the case of fluid typography, in which the motion or change happens
locally to the letters. When there is a “paradigm shift” between imagery and type, its flux creates an
ambiguous aesthetic that adds artistic value to the design. 35 It creates transitional moments from the text
to imagery or, vice-versa, when the meaning of the whole process goes beyond the verbal meaning of the
type. The final meaning and perception of the viewer is the sum of the whole process and transitions
between imagery and typography, and is not only dependent on the verbal meaning of text. The
contradictory meaning of the first text can occur throughout the temporality. For example, in the
revelation category of fluid typography, the disclosure of the second text usually surprises the viewer by
revealing a second meaning that carries an opposite significance of the first text and the message it
carries. The meaning of the work lies in the sum of the whole sequence and needs the active participation
of the audience to be grasped.
In creating a motion work, different categories of temporal type can be combined based on the
special need of each design. This quality is seen in the Se7en title sequence, which implements the
characteristics of both scrolling typography and another type that might be categorized as a new kind of
fluid type. While the block of text moves in relation to the frame, the motion trail at the end of the text
distorts the type into abstract glyphs. For the first time, Se7en combined the language of film and kinetic
typography in title sequence design in 1990s. Kinetic typography in Se7en is as important as live-action
imagery because it creates abstract glyphs with an expressive quality that supports the dark mood of the
movie.
35
Barbara Brownie. Writing Design: Words and Objects (ed. Grace Lees-Maffei, Oxford: Berg, 2011), 46.
33
Kinetic type in Se7en demonstrates the fact that the issue of legibility is different in motion
design from that of graphic design. Many graphic designers pose the problem of legibility for static
deconstructed type and criticized it. Se7en could successfully solve this legibility issue with dynamic
deconstructed type. By utilizing editing, repetition and placing the illegible, abstract asemic compositions
in the middle of fast motion, Se7en successfully kept the type legible when the informative function of
typography was important. The kinetic typography contributes to creating tension and meaning in the
design while communicating its verbal significance.
The recent research by Barbara Brownie (Feb. 2015) categorized kinetic typography for the first time and
introduced new forms of kineticism (fluid type) to the category of kinetic type. Brownie’s classification of
kinetic type is defined based on the application of motion into the typographical forms that have separate
identities other than motion. As argued in this research, Motion can be the main element in the creation of
typographical forms. Future experimentations and research of new approach to kinetic type can lead to the
creation of innovative motion work, which is based on the aesthetics of motion while communicating the
linguistic meaning of the type.
34
List of Figures
the figure number, name of image, and corresponding page number
Figure 1 Temporal Typography Classification
Figure 2 Arabic Calligram
page 36
Figure 3 Channel 4 Identity
Figure 4
page 36
page 37
Tokyo page 37
Figure 5 Delft Salad Dressing
page 37
Figure 6
Channel 5 Identity
page 38
Figure 7
True Lies
Figure 8
Evil-Hate-Love page 38
Figure 9-25
Figure 26-33
page 38
Se7en title cards
page 39-44
Free radicals title cards
page 45-48
35
Figure 1. Brownie, Barbara. From: Transforming Type; New Directions in Kinetic Typography,
Bloomsbury Academic. 2015.
Figure 2
36
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
37
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
38
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
39
Figure 12
Figure 13
40
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16
41
Figure 17
Figure 18
Figure 19
42
Figure 20
Figure 21
Figure 22
43
Figure 23
Figure 24
Figure 25
44
Figure 26
Figure 27
45
Figure 28
Figure 29
46
Figure 30
Figure 31
47
Figure 32
Figure 33
48
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