Charlex and SS+K: MSNBC.com

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Charlex recently posted a new spot for MSNBC.com that sports some elegantly seamless transitions. Stylistically and conceptually, the spot is strongly reminiscent of Lobo’s Dupont spot and draws on a long tradition of what could be called “stream of consciousness” mograph.

For some reason, we as viewers are enchanted by the morphing of one object into another. I suppose it has something to do with the moment of surprise that comes right after each transition. We feel as though we’re watching an elaborate puzzle unfold before our eyes. Moments of chaos or confusion are resolved by carefully timed moments of clarity. The result is a strange vicarious sense of accomplishment. Our observation and silent chronicling of each transformation puts us at the center of the project, making us feel—in part, at least—that our passive participation somehow completes the work.

Charlex collaborated with SS+K on the project.

About the author

Justin Cone

/ justincone.com
Together with Carlos El Asmar, Justin co-founded Motionographer, F5 and The Motion Awards. He currently lives in Austin, Texas with is wife, son and fluffball of a dog. Before taking on Motionographer full-time, Justin worked in various capacities at Psyop, NBC-Universal, Apple, Adobe and SCAD.

3 Comments

TheTofuFactory

I love the transitions in this. Very clean and appropriate yet approached in a way thats almost personal. Love the Lobo spot as well.

Id like to see more design breaking into the environmental area of discussion. Maybe it would trigger people to respond more to problems like this.

monovich

This is nice, but it’s not at the level of the Lobo spot (in my opinion). It just isn’t as smooth, seamless, or clever on some gut level.

TheTofuFactory

@monovich

I agree. Lobo has some rediculous energy to their work. Even so, great intent on this piece.

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