Last week in class, we discussed the idea of design as a conversation. To me, this means that design is a concept that sticks in people's minds as unique; anything that provokes an interesting discussion. It is also a communication between the designer and the observer, because the designer produces something that they hope will stimulate a response from the people who interact with it.
Music videos are a perfect example of design. The average length of a song is about three to four minutes, so the artist only has a finite amount of time to create the experience he or she wants to convey to the viewer. The video needs to be visually appealing and to-the-point, avoiding long, complicated narratives. It is a delicate balance between not enough information and too much information. If the video is a white screen with the lyrics of the song flashing across the page with the singer's voice in the background, people grow bored very quickly. But if the video tries to accomplish multiple plot twists within a small time period, it achieves the same effect of boredom because people get confused by copious details and become distanced from the visual experience of the video.
In this music video of the song "Cosmic Love" by Florence + The Machine, a current British song artist, the design concept is well-executed throughout the entire video. The viewer is first presented with the title "Cosmic Love." It seems to be a metaphor for being so deeply in love that the feeling spreads throughout the universe; the cosmos. Before even clicking the play button, a sense of awe and vastness is infiltrated into the viewer's mind. This feeling is carried throughout the music video. The way the singer is filmed makes her seem like a small part of a big universe, as if she is being controlled by an overwhelming sense of love. In every scene of the music video, she is either surrounded by falling leaves, sparkling lights in dark spaces, or rooms full of mirrors. Her outfits correspond with her environment, making her fit into the overall design of the visual experience instead of being emphasized as an individual human being. When she's in the dark, her outfit is black with dramatic cutouts, and at other times, her outfit is white and flowing with bright white lights integrated into the fabric. The mirrored walls reflect her large waving arm movements hundreds of times, portraying a false sense of depth, suggesting that the universe, or her love, is never-ending.
This music video raises an interesting design conversation. In making the design so omnipresent in the video, the human quality of the singer is somewhat reduced. Some people might argue that she is being objectified as something beautiful to look at, but I think that her seamless integration into the overall design of the music video accents the individuality of the singer and the way she chose to convey the message of the song. The fact that this video could stimulate discussion connects back to my original idea that the conversations of design feed off of unique, provocative projects such as the "Cosmic Love" music video. For another visual design experience, watch the Florence + The Machine, "Hurricane Drunk" music video. Her flowing outfits and dim lighting reflect the mood set by hurricanes, or in this case, emotional despair.
In this music video of the song "Cosmic Love" by Florence + The Machine, a current British song artist, the design concept is well-executed throughout the entire video. The viewer is first presented with the title "Cosmic Love." It seems to be a metaphor for being so deeply in love that the feeling spreads throughout the universe; the cosmos. Before even clicking the play button, a sense of awe and vastness is infiltrated into the viewer's mind. This feeling is carried throughout the music video. The way the singer is filmed makes her seem like a small part of a big universe, as if she is being controlled by an overwhelming sense of love. In every scene of the music video, she is either surrounded by falling leaves, sparkling lights in dark spaces, or rooms full of mirrors. Her outfits correspond with her environment, making her fit into the overall design of the visual experience instead of being emphasized as an individual human being. When she's in the dark, her outfit is black with dramatic cutouts, and at other times, her outfit is white and flowing with bright white lights integrated into the fabric. The mirrored walls reflect her large waving arm movements hundreds of times, portraying a false sense of depth, suggesting that the universe, or her love, is never-ending.
This music video raises an interesting design conversation. In making the design so omnipresent in the video, the human quality of the singer is somewhat reduced. Some people might argue that she is being objectified as something beautiful to look at, but I think that her seamless integration into the overall design of the music video accents the individuality of the singer and the way she chose to convey the message of the song. The fact that this video could stimulate discussion connects back to my original idea that the conversations of design feed off of unique, provocative projects such as the "Cosmic Love" music video. For another visual design experience, watch the Florence + The Machine, "Hurricane Drunk" music video. Her flowing outfits and dim lighting reflect the mood set by hurricanes, or in this case, emotional despair.
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