N/A INVITE
Client: N/A Graduation Exhibition // TAFE SA
Developed as part of a small team during my time at TAFE SA, this invite features a unique effect to illustrate the shifting states between before and after the graduation exhibition.
Version 1
The first version was made out of sketchbook paper, simple cartridge paper, transparent acetate and packaging tape. While it was crudely assembled and there was no development of copy at this stage, V1 proved to us all that the concept works.
The words shifted into each other, and those who hadn’t seen scanimation before were fascinated with it. The first person that was shown this was shocked, saying; “Wow! It looks like a screen!”
Perfect.
Version 3
The thickness, and how flat the invite could be made also proved to be an important aspect. Through testing, it was discovered that the effect worked the best when on a flat surface, or held flat by the operator. Perhaps reducing the window would fix this problem, while also directing the attention to the main subject, which was the scanimation itself. This could also give us space to perhaps put information on the outer holder, yet we did that, what was the point of the audience even pulling the inner card out?
Version 5
It wasn’t until we reached version 5 that we had addressed some of the issues that had come up during development. The biggest of these was that even if we figure out how to assemble it, what size it needs to be, how the acetate is printed… where are we even going to get these holders made?
Some ideas that were thrown around were to cut them by hand. This would allow the team to save some money, and to maintain a hands on approach. However human hands aren’t perfect, and that is exactly what these invites needed to be.
What about with a Cricut? Haylee and Ash both had access to a Cricut each, but it was discovered that it might be quite time consuming, and the unfolded holder may not fit onto bed of the Cricut. We needed somewhere that would cut out our holders almost as a die cut, to our exact dimensions, without breaking the bank.
What do?
Assembly + Creation
I had been working at a road sign manufacturer for a few months. While my workplace primarily cut aluminium, there was a lot of corflute signs that needed to be cut for roadworks. So instead of a CNC cutting corflute, if I could get it to cut paper stock instead, it would give us the millimetre precision and automated process to meet our needs.
So late one night in October, I stayed back and watched the CNC cut through donated paper stock with a super fine knife, cutting out over 100 invite holders, which folded clean, were exactly the size we needed, and most importantly, were done quickly and for cheap.
Assembly was carried out during the October break by myself, Ash, Emilie and Haylee. This took longer that we all anticipated, with the entire process taking a few days to assemble and pack.
Final Product
After a long process of trial and error, of assembly and testing, we finally reached the end of the process. Packed in black envelopes, the invite has been crafted with care and precision. The scanimation creates a unique effect, capturing the viewer’s attention as they interact with it, perfectly capturing the essence of the event. When the invite card is removed from the outer holder, all the event details are easily visible and read.
This was one of the most interesting creations I have been a part of, and I am glad to be able to share it with you.
Version 2
The outer component (or the “screen” as we took to naming it) needed to be bigger, or the text needed to be slightly smaller. It was here that we discovered that there is a fine balance between the two. By making the scan lines on the screen smaller, you run the risk of the lines being so small that ink splatters over the screen, creating a dirty look.
However this meant that the text could also be made smaller, thus increasing the negative space around the titles. In this example, the outer holder was covered in black marker, with the inclusion of a tab on the right hand side.
