Type on Wheels
The phrase Type on Wheels has a somehow sarcastic, and perhaps even derogatory, connotation. The term is often applied to the work of programs that teach motion typography as a means to an end — animated type that lacks a broader context of the language of motion and communication design.
The phrase was coined more or less a decade ago during a period of explosive demand for motion graphics programs at colleges and universities across the United States. The trend continues to this day. Unfortunately, such curriculum does not reflect the current situation in the professional motion graphics industry. While the industry is fracturing, which has led to a chilling impact on motion graphics studios, why does there remain so much demand for higher education programs to teach motion graphics and motion typography?
In the past few decades the communication design profession and its supporting educational programs have been required to shift their focus — and vocabulary — to remain relevant and appropriate in the context of new technologies. Fixed became fluid, passive became responsive, and what was once composed must now be choreographed. In the same spirit of these Platonic dichotomies we should recognize the necessary shift from Motion Design to Dynamic Media Communication.
Most design educators agree that the subject of motion should be taught. The real question is how to integrate the language of motion into the wider eco-system of design education. For those of us who have labored to make communication design programs broad and multidisciplinary, the rise in importance and popularity of motion design and motion typography can be seen as a rejection of the very real need for curriculum covering multiple aspects of dynamic media communication, including interaction and experience design.