This was one of the most productive weeks since I began the thesis. After a prolonged period of uncertainty, I finalised my corpus: four case studies selected not by preference, but by useful contrast. This shift in approach — thinking relationally rather than individually — was key to moving forward.
The first pair consists of two title sequences by Elastic: The Crown and Lessons in Chemistry. Both operate as paratexts that signal quality and frame audience expectations, yet they diverge formally. The Crown emphasises grain, serif typography, and material texture, while Lessons in Chemistry relies on kinetic type and visual clarity. This allows for a controlled comparison within the same format and studio context.
Suggested visual evidence: Side-by-side frames or short clips highlighting typographic treatment in each sequence (e.g., textured serif vs. kinetic type).
The second pair, in advertising, sharpens this contrast further. Hermès’ It’s Time for a Joyful Show (2023) largely avoids typography, communicating through line, motion, and restraint. Nike’s .SWOOSH (Territory Studio, 2022) does the opposite, using kinetic typography to convey energy and brand identity. This establishes a clear analytical axis of type versus no type within the same format.
Suggested visual evidence: Contrasting frames showing Hermès’ minimalism versus Nike’s typographic density, ideally annotated.
Alongside this, I organised all case study material in Notion — including production background, credits, and sources — and began structuring the proposal. Two key tasks remain: confirming the animation credits for the Hermès film and replacing placeholder access dates in Harvard references.
The main insight this week is that defining a corpus is not a preliminary step but an analytical one. By prioritising contrast that generates dialogue between cases, I have set up a stronger foundation for the argument. Moving forward, I need to maintain this level of critical framing in the analysis itself, ensuring comparisons reveal meaningful structural differences rather than surface-level variation.