EMDD Final Project

For my final project in this course I had to learn a skill related to design and then implement it in a project. I chose to learn how to create motion graphics with Adobe After Effects to make a YouTube Intro. Here is a timeline of the steps I had to take to do this…

Final Project Pitch

1.) The design skill that I intend to develop is to learn how to use Adobe After Effects. Specifically, I want to learn how to create motion graphics that can help me with my YouTube career. I would like to design an intro that I can place at the beginning of all of my YouTube videos as an introduction. I am interested in this because a lot of YouTubers that I watch have cute intros. They usually pay someone to make them for them, but I think it would be a beneficial skill to learn how to do it myself. I also have no idea how to work in AfterEffects and have never used the software, so this is perfect for this project.  

2.) After searching for some research methods, there are a lot out there! AfterEffects is a well-known software so there is not a drought of materials out there. I learn best visually, so I found a few video tutorials that I will watch. I will start out by watching this tutorial titled, “Learn After Effects in 10 Minutes! Beginner Tutorial.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb2bbfiNBXA) I have also been following a girl on Instagram for a while that specializes in making motion graphics for YouTubers. She has a couple tutorials on her Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/typehayley/channel/ . I will for sure be watching her IGTV about how to make a handwritten effect! She has the exact style and aesthetic that I am going for so I will be stalking her page a lot. Then the last thing I will use to help will be LinkedIn Learning. They will be what I turn to when I have any questions or need help with smaller tips that I am stuck on!

3.) I intend to create a YouTube Intro. This is basically a 5-10 second video/motion graphic that usually shows my name, says subscribe, or has a quote/saying. I will then use this for my own YouTube videos, and maybe if I get better at it over time, I will open my own free-lancing shop where I sell custom made intros for YouTubers. I will also add this to my academic portfolio as something I was able to create during my college years, as well as be able to add this software to my resume!

My low-fidelity prototype will be a rough sketch of the types of illustrations I want to be in the motion graphic and what words I want it to say. It will also have arrows of what movements I want to make. Then my medium-fidelity prototype will add in the colors and timing of the graphic movements. I think this is a perfect blueprint to be able to create this as a prototype.

Research & Development

My topic of research is learning how to create motion graphics. I am doing this by learning how to use Adobe After Effects. My first step in this process was to purchase a Creative Cloud Subscription through Ball State. Ball State offers it for $50 a year, which is amazing! After downloading, I then took the chance to do all of the introduction tutorials. I chose to do these so that it would walk me through it on the software itself. I have also never even touched this software, so I had no idea where to even start anyways. The first task that the training gave me was to create an animated logo. Through doing this, I learned what all of the panels do, how to set keyframes, how to add effects, how to render and save my projects, and more! It was a great introduction course. I loved doing it on the actual software because it knew when I would finish a step and would give me hints whenever I was stuck. I liked this a lot better than I would have liked watching someone’s video tutorial. I still need to learn how to make handwritten text move. Then I need to learn how to get quicker with making my keyframes. It is still a little hard for me to wrap my mind around, so practicing more will be beneficial. Adobe has another intro tutorial that I will do next so I can get more practice while also learning more elaborate skills within the software. Within my prototypes, I still need to decide what colors I want and what movements I want to be made within my intro. I intend to proceed in developing my skills through watching @typehayley’s tutorial on Instagram!

Low Fidelity Prototype

Mid-Fidelity Prototype