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The life of Jeff: a series of digitally animated experiences addressing the anxieties and joys of a generation

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The life of Jeff: a series of digitally animated experiences addressing the anxieties and joys of a generation

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THE LIFE OF JEFF:
A SERIES OF DIGITALLY ANIMATED EXPERIENCES ADDRESSING THE ANXIETIES
AND JOYS OF A GENERATION

by

Lu Chen

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSKI SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
(DESIGN)

May 2022

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures iii
Abstract v
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: “The Life of Jeff” Creation Background 2
Design Inspiration and Conception 3
Youth Group Characteristics Analysis and Character Design 9
Psychological Characteristics of Contemporary Youth 12
The Emotional Needs of Youth Groups 14
Chapter 2: “The Life of Jeff” - Story Content Description 16
Extraction of Illustration Elements 17
Chapter 3: Why Dynamic Illustration and Characteristics of Dynamic Illustration? 31
Analysis of the Advantages of Dynamic Illustration 32
Spatial Dimensions 32
Emotional Dimension 33
Multiple Sensory Technologies and Fusion Experience 33
Narrative and Visual Expressiveness 35
Dynamic Illustration that Meets the Emotional Needs of the Young People 35
Conclusion 37
Bibliography 39
iii
List of Figures
Figure1 The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts 3
Figure2 The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts 4
Figure3 The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts 4
Figure4 The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts 5
Figure5 Satirical illustration OWNED, by Steve Cutts 6
Figure6 Satirical illustration OWNED, by Steve Cutts 6
Figure7 Satirical illustration, by Steve Cutts 7
Figure8 Satirical illustration, by Steve Cutts 7
Figure9 The initial and final changes to Jeff, by Lu Chen 11
Figure10 From left to right are Jeff, and Pierce’s characters designs, by Lu Chen 11
Figure11The character design of the animated film ROADS, by Lu Chen 12
Figure12 Publication illustrations PERDA, by Lucas Wakamatsu 19
Figure13 Movie posters The Shining, by Laurent Durieux 19
Figure14 Cartoon Tom and Jerry, by Gene Deitch 20
Figure15 Calendars, by illustrator New Beee 20
Figure16 Illustration in food packaging design, by Depot Design Studio 21
Figure17 Split screen script WORK, by Lu Chen 22
Figure18 Illustration of Hot pot in the story of Life, by Lu Chen 22
Figure19 Illustration of breakfast in the story of Life, by Lu Chen 23
Figure20 Goethe’s symmetric color wheel with associated symbolic qualities, by Goethe 24
Figure21 Illustration modification in the story of Environmental pollution, by Lu Chen 24
Figure22 Polluted part of illustration in the story of Environmental pollution, by Lu Chen 25
iv
Figure23 Illustration Scene modification in the story of Family, by Lu Chen 25
Figure24 Explain the relationship between Laura and Jeff, by Lu Chen 26
Figure25 Cut-out& Multi-plane for story Roads, by Lu Chen 27
Figure26 The ending scene of the story Roads illustration, by Lu Chen. 27
Figure27 Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen 28
Figure28 Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen 28
Figure29 Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen 29
Figure30 Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen 29
Figure31 Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen 30
v
Abstract
The rapid development of the Internet along with its reliance on visual communication
has created a virtual network environment that has gradually become the "second living space"
for many people. Young people are significant consumers of dynamic illustration and internet-
based animation. Their shared characteristics and reading methods, as well as the unique visual
appeal of illustrations, make them the main audience of dynamic illustration. My design practice
and research explores how to make better use of dynamic illustration to express various stories
vividly, interestingly, and efficiently.
I produce stories that document young people's experiences by combining illustrations
and new media technologies in ways that feel real— to address the emotional and psychological
stresses felt by people of this age. I use the life of a fictional character named Jeff as a vehicle for
observations about the world around us. Jeff is not a simple character, the world he inhabits is a
parallel to our own where he exists with his friends, family, strangers, and even animals. What
happens to Jeff are things we all experience or empathize with. He has the same pressures of
work, parents to take care of, life decisions to make, and constant anxiety about life.
My use of dynamic illustrations brings together the audiences' visual experience,
interactive experience, and their emotional transmission characteristics. This combination relies
on a stop-motion-like “movement” that has unique advantages in connecting with the emotional
psychology of young adults. The work I produced provides new ideas and methods for
alleviating the negative emotions and anxiety experienced by young people today who are living
with the dual influence of an Internet-based reality and a cultural environment which creates
sometimes extreme social fear and anxiety manifesting in problems such as mood disorders and
other emotional distress.
vi
This research and my work examine the technical, formal, and creative components of
dynamic illustration as well as its ability to speak to and address the concerns of a generation
uniquely attuned to online visual material. I also document to development of Jeff as a character
and the world he lives in.
1
Introduction
Illustration is a unique art form in visual expression. As a product of the rapid
development of digital technology, dynamic illustration, is an extension of traditional illustration
and animation that deforms traditional visual expression by using dynamic effects to combine the
characteristics and advantages of both.
1
In an era of information explosion, people's demand for
humanized experience and aesthetics is higher than stimulating sensory experience and novel
expression. The effect of dynamic illustration also keeps visual information in the viewers' eyes
for a longer time. Young people now live under the dual influence of internet-based reality and
cultural environment, sometimes creating extreme social fear and anxiety. Hence, I hope to
address these issues through a series of dynamic illustrations centered around the life of a
fictional character, Jeff, who moves through the word encountering the ups and downs of
contemporary life. My “Life of Jeff” is a series of works that reflect the real-life problems of a
character, Jeff, the whole series can be divided into five short stories, which are also the five
stories that everyone will encounter in their lives. What happens to Jeff are things we all
experience or empathize with. He has the same pressures of work, parents to take care of, life
decisions to make, and constant anxiety about life. But Jeff can still find the joy of life and the
direction of the future in the pressure and anxiety, just as we can forget the temporary troubles
through the fun brought by animation and regain the confidence of life like Jeff.
1
Jon S. Krasner, Motion Graphic Design: Applied History and Aesthetics (Burlington, MA:
Focal Press, 2013), 10-11.
2
Chapter 1: “The Life of Jeff ” Creation Background
With the rapid development of society and the economy, information transmission has
become more diverse. In information transmission, the transmission effect of images is much
higher than text, and visual elements such as graphics can attract people's attention more. Under
the dual influence of the current social environment and the Internet, young people are in such an
environment for a long time, indirectly leading to high intensity of study and work pressure. As a
result, young people begin to show psychological problems such as emotional loss and emotional
distress. During my lifetime, the proportion of young people who suffer from depression or
anxiety has increased. We usually relieve the difficulties and pressures we face in our lives by
watching entertainment videos. Many excellent cartoons or illustrated books are designed to
make the audience feel relaxed and also to reflect life philosophies.
For example, in an episode of Tom and Jerry, the cartoon series in which Tom is
infatuated by beautiful cats, a cat with a spontaneous personality, a big city sexy white cat. Tom
trys to please every cat of his affection, but he never get’s the girl's heart. One day, Tom falls in
love at first sight with an elegant white cat. He would do anything to please her and even empties
his fortune. No matter how hard he trys to be nice to her, he can not compare with his rival in
love, a cat who sends diamonds, perfume, and flowers to the white cat.
Tom does not have any of that. Even if he lost everything, he still was not the "man"
white cat wanted. Tom is so discouraged that he wants to end his life, but at the end of the
cartoon when he wakes up, he is glad to find himself at home. Everything has been just a bad
dream. This little story tells us to believe in love but protect our dignity. Therefore, I use the life
of a fictional character named Jeff as a tool to observe the world around us. Jeff is not an easy
character, what happened to Jeff is something we've all experienced or felt. I hope to create a
3
parallel world through Jeff's stories and use dynamic illustration as the medium. Through these
simple stories, I can reflect on some social phenomena, interpersonal communication problems,
and even mental and emotional problems to provide some new ideas and methods for alleviating
the negative emotions and anxiety of young people.

Design Inspiration and Conception
By chance, I watched an animated video by illustrator Steve Cutts. His works expose
social reality using visual language in a very graphic way. Cutts utilizes simple colors and simple
images, mostly related to environmental protection and animal rights. His famous work is the
animation MAN, which shows how human beings "came" to the earth, destroyed the
environment, and eventually extinguished themselves. Figure 1-4.

Figure 1. The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.

4

Figure 2. The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.

Figure 3. The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.
5

Figure 4. The visual style of the animated short film MAN, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.
Cutts illustration works are varied in style and satirical. Most of his work has nothing to
do directly with technology. However, in his few works related to science and technology, he
also viewed technology products with a critical eye—for example, the "OWNED" work in
Figure 5. This illustration depicts a phone walking a man with a leash around his neck, the man
is walking a dog and the dog is walking a cat. We think we are in charge of our lives, but we are
just used to being controlled by our phones.
6

Figure 5. Satirical illustration OWNED, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.

Technology has become a favorite Christmas present, but it could come from a sweatshop
run by Santa Claus. Figure 6.

Figure 6. Satirical illustration, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.
7
Do we really know where we're going in life? Figure 7.

Figure 7. Satirical illustration, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.
Cutts works also reflect the social reality, satirizing the great pressure people face and the
causes of anxiety in our rapidly developing society. Figure 8.

Figure 8. Satirical illustration, by Steve Cutts.
Source: Steve Cutts Personal Website.
8
Cutts's work fully demonstrates that art is not always a fairy tale but a reflection of
reality. Cutts implies that many things need to change in the world. Work is not everything in
life, and money is not everything. Life should not be tied to consumption, social media is no
substitute for human contact; Sometimes, we put too many restrictions on ourselves. Constant
repetition of work lets people lose passion and fun. Although his works are realistic and
somewhat ironic, he is a real hero who still dares to face life after knowing the truth. Although
Cutts's works have no words or language, they are easy to understand through visual elements,
which is also the advantage and characteristic of dynamic illustration. His story content and
creation form have deeply influenced me and interested me in creating a dynamic illustration.
My work pays more attention to the psychological problems of young people, so the stories I
create mainly take place among young people and look at society from their perspective.
However, both Cutts and I hope to reflect social reality through our work and we both hope that
the audience can think about the problems and difficulties in society through art while having
fun.
My “Life of Jeff” is a series of works that reflect the real-life problems of a character,
Jeff, and his close friends through small stories. They are like people living in a parallel world,
who also need to face the pressures of work and life and take care of their parents. In addition,
they need to pay attention to their planet's environmental and pollution problems, and they also
face anxiety about life choices and the unknown future. In terms of creative content, the whole
series can be divided into five short stories, which are also the five stories that everyone will
encounter in their lives. These five stories are work, life, environmental pollution, affection, and
life choices. The whole series is presented in the form of a tunable TV relay, and the five stories
are connected in the form of TV channel selection, and the audience can choose the short story
9
they want to watch by theme. This interactive process is also like putting ourselves into the role
of the characters. The audience is Jeff, we are making life choices, and we can also call it
reviewing our life clips.

Youth Group Characteristics Analysis and Character Design
1. Character Positioning
Jeff's characters are based on my friends. Under the influence of the general social
environment and Internet media, young people have been controlled by this high-pressure
environment and the Internet public opinion for a long time. The high intensity of working,
studying, and living environment result in feeling physically exhausted and uncomfortable
psychologically. As a result, they start to show sign of emotional deficiency and emotional
distress. These may even give rise to more severe anxiety, depression, and other psychological
disorders in the long run. Therefore, to make Jeff's character image and personality more vivid
and complete, I combined the distinct characteristics of my friends with Jeff when creating the
character. Hence all the stories take place during a person’s younger years and are told from a
youth group's point of view. In this way I can objectively look at my friends' problems as an
outsider. Similarly, as a young person, I can also understand and feel their inner world from a
subjective point of view.
On the other hand, most young people grew up in an environment of rapid development
of online media. They are very skilled in the use of the Internet and electronic products. In
Community Treatment for Youth, the author Barbara J. Burns says that dynamic illustration is
different from the traditional illustration in terms of content presentation and communication,
10
which makes the younger people become the main force to promote the development of dynamic
illustration.
2

2. Character Design
As the main character in my work, I put the focus in Jeff's image design on the head of
the character. The characters are ordinary and straightforward because Jeff is like an average
person around us. In order to ensure the consistent style of the characters throughout the series,
the structure of the facial features of the main characters remains consistent, while differences of
clothing, accessories, and hairstyles define individual characters. The heads of the figures are
large, and the limbs are small. The eyes are relatively large, and the eyeballs are tiny. Big heads
and big eyes make the character look adorable and approachable. As an illustrator, I choose to
use these characteristics because in my opinion such characters can shorten the distance between
the audience and the characters, give better play to the entertainment of the work, and reduce the
psychological burden and pressure faced by the audience in real life. Figure 9 shows the
modification and refinement of Jeff's character in the early stages of creation. More details have
been added to the figure, giving the character more personality.

2
Barbara J. Burns and Kimberly Hoagwood, Community Treatment for Youth: Evidence-Based
Interventions for Severe Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2009), 32.
11

Figure 9. The initial and final changes to Jeff, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration work.
Figure 10 and Figure 11 are the other characters in Jeff’s life. All the characters in the
work have little change in their facial features, and they remain consistent with the final image of
Jeff. I only add or subtract clothes, accessories, or hairstyles according to the character. This
method can help the audience obtain in a deeper character image of Jeff.

Figure 10. From left to right are Jeff, Laura, and Pierce's characters designs, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration work.
12

Figure 11. The character design of the animated film ROADS, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration work.

Psychological Characteristics of Contemporary Youth (The Audience and
Subject of The Life of Jeff)
1. Independent Thinking to Seek Innovation
With the influence of social environment and peoples physical and mental development
level, young people gradually break away from some behavior’s peculiar to the adolescent stage
and begin to look for a new self. Their behavior habits, lifestyle, and social style also gradually
change.
3
In terms of behavior, young people like to think independently, analyze, and solve
problems on their own. They have a critical spirit and creative passion and are willing to try new
things. Young people are pursuing spiritual and spiritual resonance.
4
The virtual network society
has become a “second living space” for young people, and various social media platforms have

3
Burns and Kimberly, 28.
4
Burns and Kimberly, 40.
13
become the quickest way to show themselves and find soul mates.
5
The networked living space
has shaped a network society lifestyle for young people.
2. Strong Emotional Fluctuations
Most young adults are in stages of transition—college graduates, for example, are
moving from campus to society. Their level of psychological development is a maturing but has
not yet reached full maturity. On the one hand, they begin to show a more rational and mature
side, trying to integrate themselves into the social environment better; On the other hand, youth
wants to get more attention and gain a sense of identity and belonging. In order to achieve this
goal, young people often bear more pressure from themselves, the outside society, family,
school, and other aspects.
6
Once these pressures accumulate to a peak, many negative emotions
break out, which may lead to depression or even violence. In Behavioral and Cognitive
Psychotherapy, Howels and Rose point out that the psychological adjustment ability and
cognitive level of young people are still unable to help them face and solve the problems and
contradictions they encounter.
7

3. Self-Awareness is not Fully Mature
Although young people have an independent outlook on life, worldview, and values, their
self-awareness is still gradually maturing. Nevertheless, these concepts are still relatively limited
and imperfect. They are still easily disturbed by the external environment. They cannot

5
Lawrence Howells and Alice Rose, “Evaluation of a Non-Diagnostic 'Psychology of Emotions'
Group Intervention within a UK Youth IAPT Service: A Mixed-Methods Approach: Behavioral
and Cognitive Psychotherapy,” Cambridge Core (Cambridge University Press, June 24, 2019),
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioural-and-cognitive-
psychotherapy/article/evaluation-of-a-nondiagnostic-psychology-of-emotions-group-
intervention-within-a-uk-youth-iapt-service-a-mixedmethods-
approach/CF92FEBE02C9EECE73C9549BC9062C36.
6
Burns and Kimberly, 23.
7
Lawrence and Alice, 34.
14
accurately judge the contradiction between ideals and reality. Although adults are also
susceptible to environmental influences compared to young people, but adults are more
emotionally stable regardless of their life experience, ability to learn or mental maturity.
Therefore, the younger people need more agile thinking, a deeper understanding of their
situation, with a critical spirit and creative passion. The authors of Behavioral and Cognitive
Psychotherapy, mentioned that the youth stage is a critical period for the formation and
development of self-awareness. The youth group should make their own statements based on
their perception of society and objectively.
8

The Emotional Needs of Youth Groups
Youth group mainly produces some negative emotions or behaviors in response to
school, relationships, and employment pressure. According to Burns and Kimberly's research
and analysis, youth groups generally have self-expression needs, and aesthetic, affective needs in
the process of generating these emotions.
9

1. Psychological Needs of Resonance
Empathy psychology mainly refers to the psychological activities of a similar situation,
consistent content, and isomorphism when people are affected by external thoughts, emotions, or
other stimuli consistent with their own.
10
For example, “loneliness” has become a common living
condition among urban youth. In some cases, proper loneliness is a state of mind, a spiritual
connotation. However, not everyone can endure loneliness for a long time, especially the youth

8
Lawrence and Alice, 36.
9
Burns and Kimberly, 18.
10
Kevin P. Stoddart, Children, Youth and Adults with Asperger Syndrome: Integrating Multiple
Perspectives (London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005).
15
group, who are in the stage of vigor and vitality. Sometimes, to get rid of this status quo, they
will choose some relatively light-hearted and pleasant ways to activate the atmosphere.
11
For
example, social media, games, or various music videos, in the entertainment can at the same time
can also produce emotional resonance and appropriate venting emotions allowing temporary
relief from psychological pressure.
2. The Need for Self-Expression
Self-expression is a way to communicate with others. With the development of
technology and the rapid changes of new media, social media platforms, a new type of
information and emotional communication has emerged. Unique characteristics of relative
privacy and openness have begun to let youth groups experience the pleasure of communicating
their ideas, opinions, and attitudes to others through such a forms of media communication.
12
For
example, sometimes, when they encounter problems or are under too much pressure because of
work or other reasons and do not want to share with their families, young people at the same
time post these emotions on social media to express their inner depression. This process also
indirectly brings people closer to each other, and youth group sometimes experiences a sense of
belonging while their emotions are cathartic.
3. Aesthetic Sentiment Demand
Stoddart mentioned in his article that young people like to pay attention to details in life
and find simple aesthetics in life. This kind of aesthetic compound nowadays young people's
yearning for a better life and reflects the real soft side of their heart.
13
This also helps me better
determine the style of my works, which is mainly based on original and straightforward hand-

11
Stoddart, 33.
12
Stoddart, 21.
13
Stoddart 18.
16
drawn illustration style, making the overall style of works warm and healing. Moreover,
according to the psychological needs of young people, effective psychological intervention in the
most acceptable way or form can help young people better grasp their deep emotions and carry
out self-emotional management and regulation.

Chapter 2: “The Life of Jeff ” - Story Content Description
1. Work
The frame is square, and I use only black, white, and gray, giving a sense of balance and
efficiency. The story content of the whole animation segment is mainly about Jeff's daily work
and life. The TV without signal, the lover who left, the bank card without deposit, the ongoing
work, and the race against time, all these ordinary and detailed stories are very similar to the
daily life of ordinary people. We are all under the pressure of the high intensity and rapid
development of society, so there are many times when we want to shout, want to let ourselves
relax.
2. Life
We relieve emotions and stress by eating well and living well. Take a trip, eat a delicious
hot pot, walk down the street, drink a good cup of tea. These are all good moments in life. Life is
supposed to be bitter and sweet. If happy or unhappy is the choice of their own emotions, we
should learn to adjust their mindset and find the beauty in life.
3. Environmental Pollution
Jeff had a dream on the beach when he was on vacation. He dreamed that he was a fish
swimming in the colorful sea. However, as he swam, he found that the gorgeous sea floor was
turned into all kinds of waste and garbage, and many Marine creatures lost their lives because of
17
this garbage. Suddenly, a shark started chasing Jeff, a fish, but it was not a shark on closer
inspection. Instead, it was a giant garbage bag chasing him. At that moment, Jeff woke up from
his sleep and thought it was all just a dream. However, when Jeff looked around, the beaches and
the ocean around him were full of garbage. So, is this still a dream, or is this horrible scene in his
reality. I hope all the audience can have deep thinking with Jeff about the earth and environment
we live in.
4. Family
Laura is Jeff's best friend, and they go to the amusement park together for fun. Laura
watches a circus performance when a father and daughter beside her suddenly catches her
attention. The girl's father lifted his daughter and put her on his shoulder, which reminded Laura
of when she was a child and was lifted by her father to watch the fireworks. Laura realized she
had not been home with her parents for a long time, so she immediately took out her cell phone
and contacted her father, telling her father she would be home with them on the weekend and
that she loved them and was no longer ashamed to express her love for her parents.
5. Roads
As Jeff makes his way through the forest there is a fork in the road and the first choices,
he faces in life begin to emerge. His life keeps changing, college, career, marriage, family until
the end of his life journey, by then he is already deeply content with the sweetness of life. In fact,
many times people often look back and doubt their choices, but often end up accepting them with
a calm mind.

Extraction of Illustration Elements
1. The Concept of Illustration
18
The word illustration is derived from the Latin word “Illuminating”, which means bright.
An illustration is a visual form that clarifies obscure words and helps readers understand the text
more clearly. In China, Ci Hai has a corresponding explanation for illustration which “refers to
the pictures attached to books and periodicals. Some illustrations are printed in the middle of the
text, and other forms are inserts, which play a supplementary role in the text content or artistic
appreciation.”
14
Traditional illustration is a static expression as seen in newspapers, picture
books, and other publications. Illustration is no longer just a textual foil. It can highlight the
theme and meet people's aesthetic needs. Therefore, illustration is a visual language separated
from the text to convey information and aesthetic significance.
15
With the development of
science and technology, the primary communication medium of illustration has gradually
evolved into the Internet, which has become the primary medium of illustration information
transmission.
Up to now, illustration design has been involved in many fields of modern design,
including Figure 12 publication illustrations, Figure 13 movie posters, Figure14 cartoons, Figure
15 calendars, Figure 16 packaging.

14
Xincheng Shu, Ci Hai (Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Book Company, Limited, 2003).
15
Huang,
19

Figure 12. Publication illustrations PERDA, by Lucas Wakamatsu.
Source: Creative Gaga.com.

Figure 13. Movie posters The Shining, by Laurent Durieux.
Source: Pinterest.
20

Figure 14. Cartoon Tom and Jerry, by Gene Deitch.
Source: YouTube.

Figure 15. Calendars, by illustrator New Beee.
Source: Dribbble.
21

Figure 16. Illustration in food packaging design, by Depot Design Studio.
Source: Designboom.com.
Although today's illustration art has already broken through the traditional meaning of the
illustration category, we should also understand modern illustration art from a more diversified
perspective.
2. Illustration Scene Design
(1) Work: In this story, the overall picture is set as a rectangle. Visually, rectangles give
people a sense of balance and efficiency. The whole picture is black and white, indicating
Jeff's stress and anxiety in life and work and how to strike a good balance between life and
work. The begins with an image of the TV, which is also a rectangle. There are two meanings
here. The surface meaning means that Jeff is watching TV, and the deep meaning means that
we may also play a role in the TV program, representing the significance of Jeff's existence.
Figure 17.
22

Figure 17. Split screen script WORK, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
(2) Life: In the story of life, I strive to convey a relaxed and warm state of being for the
audience. Therefore, I used many bright colors, and the overall picture effect was in great
contrast with the frames in the story of Work. Figure 18-19.

Figure 18. Illustration of Hot pot in the story of Life, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
23

Figure 19. Illustration of breakfast in the story of Life, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
The color perception is of great significance to human beings, it is the core of visual
aesthetics and profoundly affects our emotional state.
16
In Goethe's color theory, his analysis
is more human centered, advocating the expression of people's perception of color. As shown
in Figure 20, Goethe's color theory divides colors into positive (or active) colors (yellow,
orange, yellow- red) and negative (or passive) colors (blue, blue- red). Vibrant color can
express a positive, vitality, and hard enterprising attitude. I think color can convey emotions
and behaviors that can affect the audience. Bright colors are easy to create a sense of vitality,
vigor and nobility for the audience. Therefore, I use a lot of bright yellow to express the
warm and comfortable environment, giving the audience a sense of vitality, which is also in
sharp contrast to the first story of black and white.

16
Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things (New York, NY: Basic books, 2013), 28.
24

Figure20. Goethe’s symmetric color wheel with associated symbolic qualities, watercolor pen,
and ink drawing by Goethe, 1809.
Source: Freies Deutsches Hochstift – Frankfurt Goethe Museum.
(3) Environmental pollution: The story's first half uses mainly high saturation color
effects to show the beach scene. The second half uses darker colors to deliver the problem of
environmental pollution. There is a sharp contrast between the front and back. In comparing
environmental pollution before and after, in addition to using specific elements to explain the
scene, I also chose to show pollution by reducing the saturation of the picture's color. This
overall picture effect will not produce a sense of disharmony but also account for the frame's
meaning. Figure 21- 22.

Figure 21. Illustration Scene modification in the story of Environmental pollution, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
25

Figure 22. Polluted part of illustration scene in the story of Environmental pollution, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
(4) Family: In expressing affection, I think old fashion way of giving attributes to females
can highlight this theme. Therefore, I chose to create a female character, Laura and explained the
relationship between Laura and Jeff at the beginning of the project. Figure 23- 24.

Figure 23. Illustration Scene modification in the story of Family, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
26

Figure 24. Explain the relationship between Laura and Jeff, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
The use of warm tones allows the audience gradually shift from negative emotions to
positive emotions, from anxiety to pleasure. Positive emotions broaden people's thoughts and
behaviors and encourage them to find clues in their thoughts or behaviors. Positive dynamic
illustration brings pleasant experiences to alleviate the audience's negative emotions and anxiety
and can combat psychological pressure.
17

(5) Roads: In the story Roads, I use the combination of two creation media: cut-out multi-
plane, and digital. I used different media to complete this work, so how to connect content in
different media through elements in the illustration is a significant factor. In my work, I use
falling leaves to connect the other pieces. In my story, the falling leaves represent the direction of
life and the choice of life. Figure 25- 26.

17
B. Mikellides, “Color Psychology: The Emotional Effects of Color Perception,” Color Design
(Woodhead Publishing, March 27, 2014),
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781845699727500047.
27

Figure 25. Cut-out& Multi-plane for story Roads, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.

Figure 26. The ending scene of the story Roads illustration, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
Sketch drawing of story Roads. Figure 27- 31.
28

Figure 27. Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.

Figure 28. Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
29

Figure 29. Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.

Figure 30. Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.
30

Figure 31. Split screen script of the story Roads, by Lu Chen.
Source: Lu Chen’s Illustration.

31
Chpater3: Why Dynamic Illustration and Characteristics of Dynamic
Illustration?
Dynamic illustration is composed of static and dynamic parts. It is an illustration that
produces dynamic effects by switching visual elements of multiple layers according to the
specified frame rate. The design of dynamic illustration includes the movement of characters and
scene atmosphere elements. Puts the direction of the lens and the transformation of the scene in a
secondary position, putting the dynamic effect and the audience’s visual attention on characters,
can satisfying the design requirements most simply.
18
Dynamic illustration and animation are
also different. The dynamic illustration is a part of visual space in a recurring motion picture.
Animation is a richer dynamic effect jump between multiple visible spaces, composed of moving
images in series with a shot conversion of motion fragments.
The characteristics of dynamic illustration are enhancing the picture's narrative, the
intuitiveness of information transmission, and the flexibility of information transmission.
Dynamic illustration can show richer and more diverse content. It can show what happens in a
period through the local movement of the picture and show more picture information so that the
audience can view a certain sense of time and space.
19
Adding the element of sound can also
have an immersive experience.
20
The dynamic part of the picture can intuitively show the theme
of the work and convey the author's feelings to the audience, making the transmission of
information more vivid and accurate.

18
Katharina Scheiter, “Design of Effective Dynamic Visualizations: A Struggle between the
Beauty and the Beast? Commentary on Parts I and II,” Learning from Dynamic Visualization,
2017, pp. 233-251, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56204-9_10.
19
Scheiter, 240
20
Scheiter, 243
32
Analysis of the Advantages of Dynamic Illustration
Dynamic illustration is the development and extension of static illustration. Dynamic
illustration makes complex information more intuitive and more accessible for the audience to
understand. In addition, the moving part can quickly attract the audience's attention and add
vitality to the picture. Therefore, dynamic illustration has become an important developmental
direction in visual communication design. Compared with traditional illustration, novel design
methods can let the audience get more profound visual information from ordinary things and
leave a deep impression.
Spatial Dimension
The spatial depth of traditional graphic illustration is mainly achieved by comparing
perspective, size and proportion, and context. Sometimes these visual elements will also create
some spatial illusion so that the audience's judgment of the depth of space becomes blurred. The
application of moving symbol elements to illustrations can create spatial depth through the
perspective of visual elements themselves and show spatial depth more clearly by using the
movement track of elements and the deformation of objects.
21
Compared with general animated
short films, the dynamic illustration does not consider the camera's motion more than
animation.
22
The movement of selected visual elements is also relative. The audience will not
have unnecessary information interference due to extreme symbolic elements and only select
specific parts to move. Compared with animation, dynamic illustration is shorter in length. More

21
Armin Vit, Graphic Design Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and
History of Graphic Design (Gloucester, MA: Rockport, 2012), 68.

22
Mü ller-Brockmann Josef, A History of Visual Communication. Geschichte Der Visuellen
Kommunikation. Histoire De La Communication Visuelle (Teufen: Arthur Niggli, 1971).
33
importantly, dynamic illustration can save more time, human resources, and expenses in
production cost.
Emotional Dimension
Dynamic effects enable the audience to interact with the author. It can quickly enter the
public's vision, attract the audience's interest and curiosity, and interact with them.
23
This way of
transmission achieves the purpose of information transmission and gets good feedback, which is
the maximization of the value of illustration. Dynamic illustration design transforms complex
information into easy-to-understand visual language utilizing dynamic and static combinations.
24

Multiple Sensory Technologies and Fusion Experience
In today's fast-paced society, a large amount of information is being transmitted into our
lives, but static illustration is a single visual sense to convey information. The emergence of
dynamic illustration makes information transmission break through the limitation of a single
sense. It can be integrated into visual, auditory, tactile, and other senses to stimulate the viewer.
With the advent of VR and 5G technology, we can experience virtual scenes and have an
immersive feeling. The pleasure psychology that dynamic illustration can bring to the audience
can be divided into three categories: sensory pleasure psychology, social pleasure psychology,
and thought pleasure psychology.
25

1. Sensory Pleasure Psychology

23
Shige Wang and Lei Jiang, “Analysis on Visual Art Design Based on Visual Psychology,”
Rvista argentina de clinica psicologica, 2020, https://doi.org/10.24205/03276716.2020.154.
24
Wang and Jiang, 83
25
Kenya Hara, Designing Design (Baden: Lars Muller, 2017), 20-23.
34
Physiological pleasure includes visual, auditory, olfactory, taste, and tactile pleasure, an
instinctive response level. The sensory pleasure brought by dynamic illustration is one of the
most direct physiological feelings, and vision is its primary source. Dynamic illustration uses
many visual elements such as colors, graphics, and texts. As far as the effect is concerned, the
expressive ability of colors is even better than graphics and texts.
2. Social Pleasure Psychology
Social pleasure often comes from interacting with other people. Many communication
technologies, such as mobile phones, iPad, and laptops, can be used as communication vehicles
for dynamic illustration. These social media can help communicate content more visually,
speeding up the delivery of information and allowing dynamic illustrations to be disseminated in
a conscious effort to bring audience groups closer together.
26
The function of reposting and
commenting also enhances discussion and interaction, through which people can gain
satisfaction and a sense of belonging.
3. Pleasure of Thought Psychology
In the process of thinking, the designer wants to convey feelings that will naturally lead
to the audience's thinking, transfer a positive emotion, and to some extent, can improve and
alleviate the mood. It is also the difference between dynamic illustration and other hand-drawn
illustrations.
27
The dynamic form of expression makes the picture more delicate and fuller,
highlights the theme, and it is easy to establish an emotional connection with the audience, feel
what they feel, and understand what they understand.

26
Jordan ，35
27
Norman ，44
35
Nowadays, people are living in the digital era. With the sharp increase in smartphone
users, people acquire information and knowledge and share their moods through various
applications, making mobile Internet and media platforms gradually become essential
information dissemination. This fast and convenient way of information transmission has also
gradually promoted the development of many new industries, among which we media short
video is one of them.
28

Narrative and Visual Expressiveness
Dynamic illustration breaks the way static illustration conveys single information.
Dynamic illustration adds time and multi-dimensional space, becoming a new form of
expression, is the sublimation of static illustration. Dynamic illustration enhances the visual
impact and makes people associate the content through the change of picture elements. This
allows the audience to understand what the designer is trying to say and add emotion and
interest.
29
Dynamic illustration can describe events according to the timeline and design the
elements into dynamic and exciting forms to present them to the audience's eyes. This kind of
narration and expression ability improves the transmission of information more logically and
intuitively.

Dynamic Illustration that Meets the Emotional Needs of Young People
1. In the Form of Creation

28
Norman, 46
29
Hara, 38
36
According to Maslow's Hierarchical Needs Theory, people will have material needs when
material resources are scarce.
30
After their physiological needs are satisfied, they will have
higher self-needs. Under the premise of the great abundance of material resources nowadays,
young people have gradually developed the psychology of seeking new and different things.
31
To
meet their material and psychological needs, many related designs have emerged. In order to find
a shortcut to release their stress, innovative, exciting, and life-like designs have become their
preferred target. The "new" form of dynamic illustration is embodied in dynamic picture effects,
focusing dynamic elements on several vital parts. Dynamic illustration combines graphics, text,
color, and other visual elements in symbols. Static visual elements and dynamic visual symbols
form a sharp contrast in the picture. This dynamic cycle breaks the monotony of traditional
pictures, attracts viewers' attention, and focuses on the active part of the picture.
2. In Content Expression
In addition to more colorful and exciting forms of design, young people also pay more
attention to content innovation. Whether content can truly move their hearts is crucial. Therefore,
it is necessary to pay attention to the psychological needs of the audience when designing. As a
new visual symbol image, dynamic illustration is also the carrier of information content and the
cognitive language of visual communication.
32
Therefore, it is necessary to complete effective
communication between communicator and audience. It must convey the most evident theme
that the designer wants to express quickly and concisely. Only when the audience accepts and
truly understands the work can the value of the work be realized.

30
Or Oved, “Rethinking the Place of Love Needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” Society 54,
no. 6 (2017): pp. 537-538, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-017-0186-x.
31
Oved ，534.
32
Burns and Kimberly, 45.
37
Conclusion
Through reading the literature on dynamic illustration and viewing other designers works,
I discovered that dynamic illustration is an exploration of new forms of expression with greater
tension and creativity. Dynamic illustration continues the advantages of traditional illustration
simultaneously, but also through artistic expression techniques to convey information more
accurately and effectively. Therefore, it has been gradually spread and promoted widely and
received more and more popularity. In the process of “The Life of Jeff,” I discovered the
pleasure of creating dynamic illustrations, whether in the design of the characters, the choice of
music, or the use of colors. The design of the characters can attract the audience's attention
faster, the music can help the designer convey the emotion better, and the use of colors can
provide more layers to the visual experience of the work. In addition to the study of dynamic
illustration, this paper is also committed to exploring how to play the advantages of dynamic
illustration better to adjust a series of emotional problems caused by the current youth group and
genuinely meet their emotional needs.
With the advent of the emotional era, the fast-paced and high-intensity social
environment has gradually made young people feel more and more pressure and difficulties.
Many fields are actively seeking ways to relieve stress and negative emotions, and I created “The
Life of Jeff” because I found that many of my friends were experiencing stress and anxiety in
their lives, work, and studies. Therefore, my purpose of creating these dynamic illustrations is to
contribute as a designer to through their profession, visual language, and visual art so that people
can feel healing and warmth by watching short dynamic illustration videos after their busy study
and work.
38
Finally, dynamic illustration research based on the emotional needs of young people also
conforms to the trend of the development of the present age. At the same time, I hope my
research can also provide some suggestions and references for developing a short video industry
and dynamic illustration. In addition, I hope that the public will pay more attention to the
psychology of youth groups through the form of self-media platform dissemination.

39
Bibliography
Burns, Barbara J., and Kimberly Hoagwood. Community Treatment for Youth: Evidence-Based
Interventions for Severe Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2009.
Down, Isa. Illustration Studio a Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Modern Florals in Ink
and Watercolor. Minneapolis: Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2020.
Finzi, Daniela. Dora, Hysteria, Gender: Reconsidering Freud's Case Study: A Sigmund Freud
Museum's Symposium. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2018.
Hara, Kenya. Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller, 2017.
Howells, Lawrence, and Alice Rose. “Evaluation of a Non-Diagnostic 'Psychology of Emotions'
Group Intervention within a UK Youth IAPT Service: A Mixed-Methods Approach:
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.” Cambridge Core. Cambridge University
Press, June 24, 2019. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioural-and-
cognitive-psychotherapy/article/evaluation-of-a-nondiagnostic-psychology-of-emotions-
group-intervention-within-a-uk-youth-iapt-service-a-mixedmethods-
approach/CF92FEBE02C9EECE73C9549BC9062C36.
Jordan, Patrick W. Designing Pleasurable Products: An Introduction to the New Human
Factors. London: Taylor & Francis, 2010.
Krasner, Jon S. Motion Graphic Design: Applied History and Aesthetics. Burlington, MA: Focal
Press, 2013.
Lewis, Cara L. Dynamic Form: How Intermediality Made Modernism. Ithaca: Cornell University
Press, 2021.
Meng‐Jung Tsai, An‐Hsuan Wu, and Yu‐Ping Chen. “Static and Dynamic Seductive Illustration
Effects on Text‐and‐Graphic Learning Processes, Perceptions and Outcomes: Evidence
from Eye‐Tracking.” Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3514.
Mikellides, B. “Color Psychology: The Emotional Effects of Color Perception.” Color Design.
Woodhead Publishing, March 27, 2014.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781845699727500047.
Mü ller-Brockmann, Josef. A History of Visual Communication. Geschichte Der Visuellen
Kommunikation. Histoire De La Communication Visuelle. Teufen: Arthur Niggli, 1971.
Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. New York, NY: Basic books, 2013.
40
Oved, Or. “Rethinking the Place of Love Needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Society 54,
no. 6 (2017): 537–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-017-0186-x.
Scheiter, Katharina. “Design of Effective Dynamic Visualizations: A Struggle between the
Beauty and the Beast? Commentary on Parts I and II.” Learning from Dynamic
Visualization, 2017, 233–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56204-9_10.
Shu, Xincheng. Ci Hai. Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Book Company, Limited, 2003.
Stoddart, Kevin P. Children, Youth and Adults with Asperger Syndrome: Integrating Multiple
Perspectives. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005.
Vit, Armin. Graphic Design Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and
History of Graphic Design. Gloucester, MA: Rockport, 2012.
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REVISTA ARGENTINA DE CLINICA PSICOLOGICA, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.24205/03276716.2020.154.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The rapid development of the Internet along with its reliance on visual communication has created a virtual network environment that has gradually become the "second living space" for many people. Young people are significant consumers of dynamic illustration and internet-based animation. Their shared characteristics and reading methods, as well as the unique visual appeal of illustrations, make them the main audience of dynamic illustration. My design practice and research explores how to make better use of dynamic illustration to express various stories vividly, interestingly, and efficiently.
I produce stories that document young people's experiences by combining illustrations and new media technologies in ways that feel real— to address the emotional and psychological stresses felt by people of this age. I use the life of a fictional character named Jeff as a vehicle for observations about the world around us. Jeff is not a simple character, the world he inhabits is a parallel to our own where he exists with his friends, family, strangers, and even animals. What happens to Jeff are things we all experience or empathize with. He has the same pressures of work, parents to take care of, life decisions to make, and constant anxiety about life.
My use of dynamic illustrations brings together the audiences' visual experience, interactive experience, and their emotional transmission characteristics. This combination relies on a stop-motion-like “movement” that has unique advantages in connecting with the emotional psychology of young adults. The work I produced provides new ideas and methods for alleviating the negative emotions and anxiety experienced by young people today who are living with the dual influence of an Internet-based reality and a cultural environment which creates sometimes extreme social fear and anxiety manifesting in problems such as mood disorders and other emotional distress.
This research and my work examine the technical, formal, and creative components of dynamic illustration as well as its ability to speak to and address the concerns of a generation uniquely attuned to online visual material. I also document to development of Jeff as a character and the world he lives in.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Chen, Lu (author)

Core Title The life of Jeff: a series of digitally animated experiences addressing the anxieties and joys of a generation

School Roski School of Art and Design

Degree Master of Fine Arts

Degree Program Design

Degree Conferral Date 2022-05

Publication Date 04/19/2022

Defense Date 04/18/2022

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag animation,color psychology,dynamic illustration,OAI-PMH Harvest,the emotional needs of youth groups

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Wojciak, Ewa (committee chair), O'Connell, Brian (committee member), Wattenbarger, Trixy A. (committee member)

Creator Email lchen416@usc.edu,luchen0828@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC111014553

Unique identifier UC111014553

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Chen, Lu

Type texts

Source 20220419-usctheses-batch-929 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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