Digital Illustration, Motion Design
November, 2020
NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti
Brief
Create a motion graphics opening credits sequence of a new Netflix jazz documentary about Charles Mingus.
Project
The opening credits scene is a dynamic sequence of coexisting shapes and texts that best describes the many-sided personality of Charles Mingus, jazz musician and composer.
In the moodboard I arranged three main references that inspired the visual style.
First, the vinyl covers from Blue Note label, made by the designer Reid Miles who succeeded in depicting all the personalities of the jazz artists of the time. Bold colors, geometric shapes and a well balanced use of space make his layouts unforgettable.
Another inspiration for the project is Saul Bass: noteworthy his poster for Anatomy of a Murder (1959) by Otto Preminger, where he made a spectacular cutout animation.
Last but not least, Futurism posters by Fortunato Depero who focused on speed and dynamism.
The main colors are black and white, followed by three split complementary colors, blue, purple and orange, widely used in jazz posters. I decided to use these colors because they reflect the vivid, heterogeneous and sparkling sound of jazz music.
Logo alone and with the double bass, the musical instrument brilliantly played by Mingus.
Font used: Fino Sans bold and Adelle thin.
