Research
Our group’s research included researching the anatomy, conducting surveys, how the Longbranch whale came to SPU, and what whaling means to Native Americans, specifically the Makah tribe in Washington State. We also explored audience profile needs, and what a potential viewer might need/want to know about gray whales.
Moodboard & Sketches
I tried to focus on colors commonly found in traditional Native American artwork. I wanted to pick a bold sans serif font for the title, and a complimentary font. Sketching out the infographics helped me focus on what I wanted to communicate.
Digital Sketches
After creating hand-drawn sketches, I brought these visuals into illustrator and began experimenting with color and graphing. I found that there needed to be more consistency in the visual language, especially with the illustrations. I also needed to find a way to chart the more extensive data, so that it was clear and easy to track the changes in numbers.
The Longbranch Whale Info Boards
Final Mockup
Storyboards for Informational Video
These storyboards helped me plan out what I thought my animated video should convey to the audience. Of course, working with so much information, I had to take out much of the planned content in the end production in order to make the information easy to take in and make the required time limit.
The Gray Whale + Makah Tribe Animation
The final animation follows some interesting facts about the gray whale, the anatomy, and the history of whaling within the Makah tribe. I wanted to make sure I kept consistent visual language within the video transitions, and that it tied in with my infographic boards.