Mingus in Motion
The goal of this motion graphic was to capture the effortlessly cool, nonchalant energy of Mingus’s “II B.S. - Edit” with a limited color palette and only three shapes. The color palette consists of a teal, a plum purple, a bright pink, and a punchy orange, with the aim being to strike a balance between vibrant pops of color and darker hues that nicely contrast.
The motion graphic starts off with only using circles, to reflect the supple, smooth plucks of the standup bass that introduces the first pattern in the song. Triangles are incorporated into the short second act to match the rhythmic cymbals that grow in volume as the song builds to the introduction of the main brass themes. After the brass is introduced, circles are entirely absent from the rest of the graphic, and replaced by exclusively squares and rectangles. This is done to represent the loud, dynamic energy created by the brass melodies that dominate the song. The third act primarily squares, and the intermediary fourth act only triangles. The two shapes are combined in the final act to represent the culmination of the two differing brass melodies, and the climax of the motion graphic.
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