Kinetic typography - figuration and technology
Authors:   University of Zagreb, Faculty of Graphic Arts, Zagreb, Croatia, Stanić Loknar Nikolina , Bratić Diana ,   University of Zagreb, Faculty of Graphic Arts, Zagreb, Croatia, Agić Ana ,   University of Zagreb, Faculty of Graphic Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Published: November 2020

Kinetic typography - text in motion is an animation method of characters that has a video form instead of some "static" form such as picture, poster or book. The most important element for figuration of kinetic typography is the choice of font. Furthermore, one should think about the letter cut, the size and color of the characters, and the background color on which the animation takes place. It can be created in various ways, most often using software that applies a multitude of effects to the text or letter character, creating dynamic solutions. The effects vary from the simplest such as "fade-in" and "fade-out" (entering and exiting text in and out of the frame). Static characters can expand, narrow, move slowly or rapidly, grow and change in a variety of ways to very complex ones in which the author builds an entire story or promotional video by carefully combining software capabilities. However, each software has its limitations and for this reason the kinetic typography presented in this paper is programmed using codes. In a wide range of available programming languages due to the simple interface that does not require advanced programming concepts and gives exceptional results in the field of kinetic typography, Processing was chosen. The Processing programming language is intended for generating and modifying graphics and is based on the Java programming language. The most important difference between Processing and Java is that Processing offers a simple programming interface that does not require advanced levels of programming such as classes, objects, or animations. It also allows advanced users to use them. Processing uses a variety of typography rendering approaches such as raster and vector solutions and allows typography to be programmed and displayed on the Web independently of the user's Web browser and font database. Processing enables the use of visual elements in animation, including typographic ones, by introducing interaction to the user. The user is no longer a passive observer but actively participates in the performance of the application whose final appearance is not predefined but arises from the actions of each individual user. For the purposes of this paper, individual letters were created in a font-making program. The letters made are of various written classifications and cuts, which with their variety contribute to the attractiveness of the animation. In the creating of motion typography in this paper, the programming language Processing was used. Written program codes that manipulate words, letters, or parts of characters to create interesting visual effects for the viewer that aim to hold the viewer's attention and convey the desired message or emotion. There are no strict rules and patterns when making kinetic typography. In kinetic typography, each author determines his own rules, method of production, and there are no same solutions.