VISUAL DESIGNER
CHARLEY WILLERTON-MCKEE
The Concept
As a song about the greed and the disconcertion that Rihanna is beginning to face about becoming rich, the lyrics use many metaphors and symbols to represent what she is singing about. The song feels very dystopian which was represented using retro-futuristic graphics such as the idea of neon and grain.
type as imagery
Using the idea of entering a new and unfamiliar world, the lyrics are floating out in space, flashing by as she sings them. The symbolic language is represented literally by using the type as imagery such as the word “mind” being in the shape of a brain, or a “train of thought” driving by.
The how
The type was designed in Adobe Illustrator to create the lockups and to turn the type into imagery before importing it into After Effects to animate. The background was created using the camera tool after rendering an infinite space of balls floating in the air, which by using different camera techniques as well as layering background gradients turned them into the stars.