mayjunepreview2014

COMMUNICATION ARTS ILLUSTRATION ANNUAL 55

Turnstyle curb Media Connie Zhou Exhibit

Prologue

May/June 2014 Twenty-Four Dollars commarts.com

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by Julie Prendiville Roux

n The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, there’s a journey to be taken. Daydreams to drift in. Adventures to spin. Whether in the original 1939 short story by James Thurber, the 1947 movie starring Danny Kaye or the recent globe-spanning turn by director and lead actor Ben Stiller, a man’s journey through his imaginary life to find wholeness and authenticity is compelling. And it’s the perfect vehicle for artist/muse/ main-titles guru Kyle Cooper.

Blending the grit of actual conveyance, shown in sharpedged subway bridges and trash-swept, tar-colored streets, with the figurative conveyance of dreams and imagination— swaths of complementary colors move like ribbons, stretching out—Cooper gives us the tone of Stiller’s movie, positioning type in places that surprise and delight. In the streetscapes, type cuts its own path across buildings, overpasses, along highways. In dreamy sections, type hides and then reveals itself, like the ebbing thoughts of a mind.

Of Cooper’s work, Ben Stiller has said, “His mind works in a way I can’t quite comprehend. I am astounded at how he is able to interpret an idea that is expressed with words on a page, or by an inarticulate filmmaker, and create something better, that is always visually bold, stunning and unexpected. He constantly strives for originality, and while he is ego-less as a collaborator, his insane talent elevates any of us who are lucky enough to work with him.”

Cooper, co-founder of Prologue in Venice, California, has distinguished himself for having a sixth sense for getting under the wrappings of a film. His titles don’t just set a tone or summarize the action; they evoke feelings. Directors have commented that his titles are often better than the film itself. Cooper is part of a tiny, elite group of masterful title creators whose openers and closers are self-contained, fleeting jewels, revered works of art that set the stage

for what’s to come, or in the case of main-on-end titles, finesse the story just told. And like niche artisans of all trades, the trajectories of these artists have overlapped again and again. Cooper and noted director/filmmakers in other titles houses, including Garson Yu, Michael Riley, Karen Fong, Michelle Dougherty and Jakob Trollbäck, have all spent time together early in their careers, in cramped spaces, creating work, at points hiring one another and then peeling off.

Nowadays they meet in fancy boardrooms, competing for the same projects.

What Cooper finds most meaningful about this band of peers is how they have made “a conscious decision to create a movement or school of thought, so that desktop animation and titles could go to a higher level, to raise the bar.”

For his part, Cooper has been credited with causing a sea change in motion arts, forever informing its direction in title design with his seminal sequence for SE7EN, the chilling thriller by David Fincher. The work is disturbing and haunting—and doesn’t leave you. You feel as though you’ve crawled into the mind of an evil serial killer, because Cooper most certainly did, as far as is humanly possible. A devoutly spiritual Christian, Cooper has written that he believes evil exists, and he often explores its themes. His visuals for American Horror Story and the recent TV series Sleepy Hollow delve into shadowy places that are authentically terrifying.

Cooper is able to commit to a visual theme and stick to it until you feel the demonic horror seep into you.

Equally visceral, in a different way, was Cooper’s impelling opener for Marvel Entertainment films, which debuted with the first Spider-Man. An amped-up “flip-book” of actionpacked scenes delightfully sets the audience up for the epic adventure about to begin. Cooper’s titles for Iron Man 3 were similarly driven by the film’s energy. He says, “We

Captions were supplied by Prologue founder Kyle Cooper.

Right: “Tired of ‘interface porn’ and the fetishization of all the graphic and holographic interfaces previously created by Prologue, director Shane Black pointed us in another direction for the main-on-end sequence of Iron Man 3. He had really enjoyed the title sequence from the TV series It Takes a Thief— especially the way Robert Wagner stops in the middle of the sequence and has a dialogue moment, so we went with something similarly lighthearted and fun, using ’90s-style drop-shadow type, TV-like wipes and split-screens. Marvel wanted the audience to not only relive the ride of Iron Man 3, but to complete the journey of all three Iron Man films.” Ilya Abulhanov/Nadia Tzou, designers; Danny Yount, design director; Kyle Cooper, creative director/visual effects supervisor/executive producer; David Nitzsche, editor; Sam Edwards/Chris Payne, compositors; Akemi Abe/Ben Hurand/Ader Husseini/Joe Kutilek/ Stephen Schuster/Byron Slaybaugh/Yongsub Song, animators; Ian Dawson, producer; Walt Disney Studios, client.

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EDITORIAL 1 Andrew Zbihlyj, illustrator Siung Tjia, art director Bloomberg Markets, client A portrait of South Korean president Park Geun-hye, for the cover story “Grand Ambitions,” about her desire to unleash South Korea’s entrepreneurial spirit. 14 × 17, acrylic, mixed media on board.

2 John W. Tomac, illustrator Marianne Seregi, art director The Washington Post, client Image for the newspaper article “In Obama’s war on leaks, reporters fight back.” The federal government uses its surveillance powers to monitor and prosecute journalists and whistle-blowers who release classified information. The article looks at how reporters are protecting themselves and shielding their sources. Digital.

3 Jody Hewgill, illustrator Kory Kennedy, art director/creative director Jennie Chang, designer Entertainment Weekly, client Portrait of the novel and film title character Anna Karenina, which appeared in Entertainment Weekly.

“I chose to focus on the central theme of individual freedom and, in particular, Anna’s female emancipation.

This image depicts Count Vronsky creating a tear in the veil of Anna’s marriage and social standing.” 21 × 19, acrylic on gessoed Masonite.

4 Pablo Lobato, illustrator Juan Ventura, art director Inrockuptibles, client “The magazine asked me to participate in a section called ‘Sentimental Education,’ illustrating something meaningful for me. I chose the album My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello.” 6 × 8½, digital.

5 Luci Gutiérrez, illustrator Françoise Mouly, art director The New Yorker, client Cover titled I love, for the April 1, 2013 issue of the magazine. 7¼ × 10¾, digital.

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INSTITUTIONAL 1 (series) Jonathan Burton, illustrator Guy Marshall, art director Studio Small, client Five program covers illustrating the Best Film nominations for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts: Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Argo. 6¾ × 9⁄, pencil, digital.

2 Anna Parini, illustrator Anne Masters, art director Cathy Kelley, design director Scott A. Davis, creative director AARP, client “This illustration was commissioned for an article titled ‘Choosing the Safest Path’ in AARP The Magazine’s money column, Financially Speaking, written by Jane Bryant Quinn. It shows how to choose the safest path to retirement security.” 6½ × 6, digital.

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2013–2014 Salary Survey Comparison Below is the national median (i.e., the 50th percentile) of total compensation for creative professionals surveyed in 2013 and 2014. While the comparison suggests a downward trend, the 2014 figures align more closely with the results from our 2012 survey, suggesting a relatively flat market.

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Digital disruption is happening too quickly for the talent supply to catch up. Those with these in-demand skill sets are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the job search.

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—Celeste Gudas CEO/founder, 24 Seven Talent

Total Cash Compensation 2014 Change 2013 $65,000

$60,000

-7.7%

Owner/Partner/Principal

$100,000

$120,000

+20%

Creative/Design Director

$104,000

$100,000

-3.8%

Chief Design Officer

$120,000

$104,500

-12.9%

Design Strategist

$105,000

$100,000

-4.8%

Senior Designer

$64,500

$61,000

-5.4%

Designer

$48,000

$45,000

Junior Designer

$40,000

Production Manager

Solo Designer

Freelance Rates Change 2013 2014

$100 $100

0%

$75

-16.7%

$100 $100

0%

$65

$70

+7.7%

-6.2%

$50

$50

0%

$37,500

-6.2%

$30

$35

+16.7%

$65,000

$65,000

0%

$55

$55

0%

Writer/Copywriter

$60,000

$58,700

-2.2%

$70

$70

0%

Information Architect

$80,000

$85,000

+6.3%

$85

$80

-5.9%

User Experience Designer

$85,000

$80,000

-5.9%

$85

$75

-11.8%

Web Designer

$55,000

$53,000

-3.6%

$50

$50

0%

Web Developer (front end)

$65,000

$58,000

-10.8%

$75

$75

0%

Web Programmer (back end)

$65,000

$65,000

0%

$75

$80

+6.7%

Web Producer

$60,000

$60,000

0%

$50

$68

+36% -10.8%

$90

Mobile Interface Designer

$80,000

$65,000

-18.7%

$83

$74

Mobile App Developer

$80,000

$70,000

-12.5%

$85

$80

-5.9%

Motion Graphics Designer/Animator

$63,000

$60,000

-4.8%

$70

$65

-7.1%

Methodology: 46,202 unduplicated individuals from AIGA’s current and past membership and recent contacts and domestic Communication Arts subscribers were invited to participate via e-mail. The data represented is based on 9,191 individuals (20% response rate) who responded to the survey online.

CA QUERIES RECRUITERS

What new skills will creatives need to succeed in the near future?

Katty Douraghy, Artisan Creative, Los Angeles, CA. Developing their own personal brand and profile by being a great networker, subject matter expert, blogger, etc.

Embracing social media and SEO in their own job search by using keywords on résumés, researching companies and being aware of job openings. Building experience with emerging technologies and new platforms, including responsive sites, mobile, tablet and user experience.

Understanding the relationship between form and function, and having knowledge of development nuances in order to collaborate with development teams.

Jadey Ryndak, Paladin Staffing, Chicago, IL. Understanding global markets, consumers and trends. Much of the future creative competition and innovation will be global. Creatives who have a facility with data and its use will be at an advantage. Having a solid grasp of a company’s inner workings, revenue streams and competitive landscape will enable creatives to effectively create and pitch their concepts. Fully integrated concepts across platforms will continue to be in increasing demand.

Augmenting skills with web development, UX/IA or video production is a major advantage.

Mandy Gilbert, Creative Niche, Toronto, ON. They will need to be multidisciplinary thinkers who are committed to learning and keeping on top of business trends, innovation, emerging brands and technology— which inspires their thinking and ability to consistently deliver fresh and smart ideas that advance businesses. They’ll also need to think like CEOs. That means understanding the business goals of their organization and producing creative work that delivers strong bottom-line results.