Dogtown Lights is an initiative in the Dogtown area near Drake University's campus to engage pedestrians and encourage them to visit the local businesses in the area during the winter months when it gets dark early in the evening. My task was to create an animation to be played on the lights in alignment with this year's theme: 8-bit Dreams. Key ideas with this theme were warmth, community, light, and local. My final design was inspired by lava lamps and utilized the Dogtown Lights brand colors to connect to the brand. I liked how lava lamps connected to the retro feel 8-bit Dreams evokes while also tapping into sleep, dreams, light, and warmth through the name, nature, and uses of lava lamps.
Below are process images including initial ideas and storyboarding.
For the final animation, I wanted a really smooth transition. Considering the programs I knew how to use and the skills I have, I decided that learning a new software would give me the best chance of producing my desired result. First, I tried Adobe Animate, however, I wasn't achieving the desired effect and look for my animation. Then, I learned Adobe Aftereffects. I was able to produce the animation with the effect I was seeking, and I created the final animation in Aftereffects. The Aftereffects animation was then was applied to the lights in Dogtown.
The Aftereffects animation can be seen below.
