Social Assessment of Sargassum in the Caribbean
A motion graphic overview of a government-funded research project.
Dates: June-October 2024
Organizations: University of Rhode Island Department of Marine Affairs, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Grant: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Scope: Motion Graphics and Design
The Social Assessment of Sargassum in the Carribean (SASC), a research group receiving grant support from NOAA, needed a way to communicate a summary of their work in an engaging and. concise manner
A research group consisting of faculty and students based out the the University of Rhode Island’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences studied the effect of Sargassum, a sea-based seaweed, in areas of the Carribean.
Research
To effectively communicate the results the researchers found, I first had to understand both scientific and social context surrounding the issue. My initial discussions with the team focused around what Sargassum is, and how this seaweed affects the quality of life for people living in the Caribbean. This also included reading and reviewing scientific articles related to the issue.
Then, I discussed with the team the work they did while in the Caribbean, which included questionnaires and interviews with local area people.
Storyboard
A script and voiceover recording was created by the research team. Using the lines from the script, I then began to storyboard different scenes for the motion graphic on paper. This process included multiple sketches.
Illustration
Based on the storyboard, illustrations were then developed with the planned motions in mind. These illustrations are based on references, such as real images of sargassum and its effects on the coastline.
When creating graphical illustrations of people, a special emphasis was placed on diversity of skin tones to accurately depict the people who participated in the research.
Special attention was also given to the appearance of animals, ensuring accuracy while also keeping the illustration style consistent.
Motion
After completing the illustrations, the graphics were then animated using After Effects. The motions used throughout the video engage the viewer, emphasizing certain elements of the illustration in-line with the voiceover.
A Spanish version of the video was also created, which included adjusting motion speeds to coordinate with the Spanish voiceover.