Information Design Project 2 – Good Time Kinetic Typography

WANG JIHENG 0378904

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Taylor's University
GCD60504 Information Design
Project 2: Kinetic Typography

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INSTRUCTIONS
GROUP DISCUSSION AND EARLY PLANNING
SONG AND CONCEPT
VISUAL DIRECTION
GROUP WORKFLOW AND DIVISION
MY ROLE
MAKING THE ANIMATION
FEEDBACK AND CHANGES
TEACHER FEEDBACK FROM THIS WEEK
FINAL RESULT
REFLECTION

INSTRUCTIONS

For Project 2, we had to create a kinetic typography music video in Adobe After Effects as a group. We selected one song, divided the lyrics into sections, animated our assigned sections, and combined the separate parts into one final video.

The purpose of the project was to explore how words can move, change scale, and react to music. The animation had to be readable, but it also needed to communicate the mood of the song through timing, colour, typography, transitions, and graphic elements.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND EARLY PLANNING

Our first important discussion was choosing the song. On 21 May, Alicia asked everyone to suggest an English song and we made a poll in the group chat. The choices included Good Time, Paradise, We Don't Talk Anymore, Sugar, and Can I Call You Tonight. Good Time received the most votes, so we agreed to use Good Time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen.

The group liked the song because it was cheerful, familiar, and easy to sing along with. It has a positive message about enjoying time with friends and not overthinking things. We described the music as fast-paced, bouncy, catchy, and energetic, but still smooth enough for text animation. We also collected keywords such as happy, fun, tonight, and the repeated “woah-oh-oh” sound. These keywords helped us decide that the video should feel youthful, free, playful, and exciting.

We also discussed the lyrics. There were many lines and several repeated sections, so we needed a division that was fair and also made sense for the structure of the song. Chika pointed out that repeated lyrics were not necessarily a problem because repetition could make the animation easier to plan, but we still tried to give each person a similar amount of work. Alicia combined the intro and post-chorus because the post-chorus was shorter.

SONG AND CONCEPT

Our main concept was to show the feeling of having a good time without making the video too serious. Instead of using one complicated story, we used the lyrics as the main guide. Words appear, stretch, bounce, rotate, or move across the frame according to their meaning and the beat.

For example, words connected to movement could travel across the screen, while stronger words could become larger or appear with a quick scale-up. We wanted the animation to feel like a colourful memory of a fun day with friends. This is why the group kept returning to ideas such as freedom, road trips, bright sunlight, dancing, and hanging out.

VISUAL DIRECTION

We spent quite a lot of time discussing fonts and colour before everyone started animating. Several font references were shared in the group chat, including Knewave, Fascinate, Rammetto One, Pattaya, Agbalumo, Lemon, and Rubik Bubbles. We finally chose Knewave as the main typeface because its rounded and slightly irregular shape matched the playful mood of the song. We also agreed that using all capital letters would make the words stronger and easier to recognise.

We did not want every section to look completely different. The group agreed to use about three or four typefaces consistently, with Knewave as the main style. We also discussed keeping the backgrounds connected while allowing some changes in text colour. Jack suggested vibrant solid colours such as orange, sunny yellow, and retro blue, with white or black text for contrast. Chika preferred a warm sunset or road-trip feeling. After comparing the references and an Adobe Color palette shared by Alicia, we chose a bright and saturated direction using yellow, orange, pink/coral, and purple.

Another point from the discussion was that graphics should have a reason. Chika suggested that symbols should connect to the lyrics instead of being added only as decoration. This became useful later when we reviewed the individual sections and removed graphics that did not improve the meaning or readability.

Fig. 1: Main composition and colour direction in After Effects.

GROUP WORKFLOW AND DIVISION

After choosing the visual direction, we divided the song into sections. The final allocation was:

• Verse 1 – Qistina
• Pre-Chorus – Chika
• Chorus – Alicia
• Intro and Post-Chorus – Hu Yaoping
• Verse 2 – Jiheng
• Bridge – Shiqing
• Outro – Ma Xiai

We used the group chat to share font references, colour ideas, progress videos, and After Effects questions. Alicia regularly reminded everyone to complete around 30–50% of their part before the next discussion, and later asked everyone to show at least 50% progress before the compilation stage. This helped us avoid waiting until the last day to discover that the timing or visual style did not match.

When someone shared a test, the feedback was usually very direct. For example, Chika's early section received positive comments because the background changed with the drumbeats. Qistina suggested adding small “pop” elements, while Chika reminded us that visual symbols could make the lyrics clearer. We also discussed technical methods such as using a Null Object, manual keyframes, camera movement, and simple easing. Presets were allowed, but the group agreed that they should not be used for every sentence because that would make all sections look the same.

MY ROLE

My assigned part was Verse 2. I was responsible for designing the typography and animation for this section and then exporting it so it could be combined with the other parts.

I planned the visuals line by line. For the phone-related lyric, I used a simple phone image together with the text. For another lyric, I tested a pool-related graphic so the visual would connect to the meaning instead of only showing moving words. I also experimented with extra graphic elements, but the group later helped me decide which ones were necessary.

My working file included separate compositions and pre-compositions for the verse. The project used the Knewave typeface and the classic 3D renderer. The main effects listed in the project file were Gradient Ramp, Change to Color, and Liquify. I used these effects to support the bright background, colour changes, and playful movement.

MAKING THE ANIMATION

I started by opening the main composition in After Effects and importing the song audio. Before adding too many effects, I placed the lyrics into separate text layers. This made it easier to control the timing of each line and to move one word without affecting the whole section.

The first stage was matching the text to the audio. I listened to the verse repeatedly and placed the beginning and ending keyframes around the vocal phrases. For the text animation, I mainly worked with Position, Scale, Rotation, and Opacity. A line could enter from the side, grow into the frame, rotate slightly, or disappear before the next lyric began. I tried to keep the most important words on screen long enough to read.

After the basic timing was in place, I worked on the background and colour transitions. I used bright warm colours so the verse would connect with the other sections. I also used pre-compositions to keep the timeline organised. This was important because the group video contained many separate sections, and a messy timeline would make later changes more difficult.

Fig. 2: Timeline work with separate text layers for the lyric timing.

At this stage, the animation was still too dependent on simple preset movements. Some lines moved, but they did not always feel connected to the beat. I therefore went back to the timeline and adjusted the keyframes manually. I also tested small camera movements and 3D positioning to make the section feel less flat. The aim was not to make every word move as much as possible. The aim was to create a clear rhythm between static words, moving words, and short transitions.

FEEDBACK AND CHANGES

The group feedback was the most useful part of the process. On 8 and 9 June, the group watched my progress and pointed out several problems. First, the audio and the text needed to align more accurately. Some lines appeared too early or disappeared too quickly. I corrected the timing line by line while listening to the vocal instead of judging the movement only by the timeline.

The group also felt that the section was still a little static even though the text was moving. Qistina suggested using more camera movement, changing the balance between still and moving text, and varying the typefaces when appropriate. Alicia suggested aligning one section more clearly to the middle line so the composition would feel more controlled. I reduced the use of presets, adjusted the keyframes manually, and added simple 3D movement and easing where it helped the rhythm.

We also reviewed the graphic elements. The pool graphic needed to be larger so that it could be understood quickly. Another discussion was about an ATM icon in the verse. The group felt that the ATM did not add enough meaning and made the frame feel busier, so it was removed or simplified in the duplicate version. The magnifying-glass graphic was kept because it connected more clearly with the lyric. This was a useful reminder that a graphic should support the message, not compete with the typography.

Later, the group discussed the overall video and received feedback that some parts were too fast to read and that some graphics were unnecessary. We agreed to give more attention to the text movement and to keep the supporting graphics simple. After the changes, Alicia said that my updated section was much better and the group agreed that it was ready to be included in the final compilation.

Fig. 3: Verse 2 frame showing the phone-related lyric.

Fig. 4: Later Verse 2 frame showing the colour change and closing emphasis.

TEACHER FEEDBACK FROM THIS WEEK

During this week's review, the teacher gave me specific feedback on three moments in my Verse 2 section. The comments were not only about whether the animation worked, but also about alignment, visual hierarchy, readability, and how the movement follows the music.

1. The “AGAIN” moment

• Layout: align “AGAIN” with the text above it and keep the whole group centred, so it does not look like it is floating separately at the bottom.
• Motion: use the music accent to make “AGAIN” drop down from the top and have a small rebound. This will make it feel like a visual hit and separate it from the earlier text movements.
• Detail: keep the font style consistent with the pink text above. The colour can be made slightly brighter, or a thin outline can be added, so the word is clearer against the yellow background.

I understood from this comment that the word should not just be placed at the end of the frame. It needs to become the visual climax of the sentence and the movement should be timed with the sound.

2. “CHECKED OUT OF / MY ROOM / HIT THE ATM”

• Make “CHECKED OUT OF” smaller and adjust the letter spacing. It should work as a supporting prefix above “MY ROOM” and share the same centre alignment.
• Make “MY ROOM” larger and keep it yellow, so it becomes the visual focus. Together with the smaller first line, it should form a clean small-over-large text block.
• Keep “HIT THE ATM” large and at a similar level to “MY ROOM”. The ATM icon should be reduced to about the height of the text, aligned with the bottom of the words, and centred with the text block.
• Separate the animation rhythm so that all three lines do not appear as one crowded group. The main phrase needs a clearer order and hierarchy.

This feedback helped me see that the problem was not only the size of the words. The three lines were competing with each other. I need to create a clear reading order: a smaller introduction, a strong main phrase, and then the supporting ATM graphic.

3. “HANG / LET'S OUT / IF YOU'RE TONIGHT / DOWN TO GET DOWN”

• Group “HANG / LET'S OUT” and “IF YOU'RE TONIGHT” into one organised main block. The vertical words should line up with the horizontal words instead of looking scattered across the frame.
• Keep “DOWN TO GET DOWN” as a separate focus group with more space around it.
• Let the main group appear together with a simple fade-in or slide-in. After it becomes stable, animate the final yellow “DOWN” with a drop-and-rebound movement that follows the music accent.
• Change the isolated white “LET'S” to an orange or yellow colour, or use a consistent white outline for the words, so it does not feel disconnected from the rest of the palette.
• Keep the font and weight consistent, while using a small size or brightness change to emphasise “TONIGHT” and “DOWN”.

For this section, the teacher's main point was to organise the composition before adding more effects. The animation should be divided into readable beats: establish the main group first, then bring in “DOWN” as the final emphasis.

What I learned from this feedback

The teacher's comments made me look at the section as a sequence of visual priorities instead of a collection of moving words. My next revision will focus on centring, grouping, contrast, and timing first. After those changes are clear, I can add the small bounce, camera movement, and colour details without making the screen feel too busy.

FINAL RESULT

After each member finished their section, we collected the files in Google Drive and combined them into the final group video. My exported Verse 2 section is about 17.72 seconds long and was created in a 1920 × 1080 composition. The final result keeps the same bright and playful direction across the different sections while allowing each member to interpret their lyrics in a slightly different way.

The strongest part of the final video is the energy created by the repeated chorus and the colour changes. The individual sections do not look identical, but the shared typeface direction, saturated palette, and lyric-focused graphics help them feel like one project.

REFLECTION

This project taught me that kinetic typography is not only about making text move. Timing, readability, and meaning are equally important. At the beginning, I focused more on adding movement and effects. The group feedback helped me understand that a simple animation can be stronger when it is placed accurately with the audio and when the graphic has a clear reason.

I also learned that group communication affects the visual quality of the final video. The discussions about the song, fonts, colours, progress, and graphics gave us a shared direction before compilation. When problems appeared in my Verse 2 section, I could solve them faster because the group pointed out the exact issue instead of only saying that something looked wrong.

Overall, I am satisfied with the final outcome. The process was sometimes difficult because every section had to be completed separately and then joined together, but the final video communicates the happy and carefree mood of Good Time. My main improvement for a future project would be to plan the audio markers and graphic references earlier, so the animation can be more accurate from the first draft.