Animated Lottie Logo on Squarespace

I’ve done some updates at this site and created a new logoanimation.

But it took some time to find the right solution, so here’s a short guide on how to set it up.

Add the logoanimation

First we need to add the JSON-file to the site. This is just a placeholder so we have it visible some where. A perfect spot is in the footer, since that is rendered on every page.

So Edit the footer at the bottom of the site and add a </>Code block.

In my case I added this:

<dotlottie-player src="https://lottie.host/f1d113e1-399e-4a5c-a0af-1158553f0418/qXgNIAYkgD.json" background="transparent" speed="1" style="width: 300px; height: 300px;" loop autoplay></dotlottie-player>

And if you want it to link back to your index page (first page), add this before and after the lottie.

<a href="/"></a>

Like this:

<a href="/"><dotlottie-player src="https://lottie.host/f1d113e1-399e-4a5c-a0af-1158553f0418/qXgNIAYkgD.json" background="transparent" speed="1" style="width: 300px; height: 300px;" loop autoplay></dotlottie-player></a>

Add the engine

Next we'll find Website Tools. Go into Website, Pages and scroll down and find Website Tools.

Here you are going to add the Java Script driver so the site understands how a JSON-file from Lottie should be played.

Scroll down to the Footer and add this script code.

<script src="https://unpkg.com/@dotlottie/player-component@latest/dist/dotlottie-player.mjs" type="module"></script>

So this is adding the engine to your site. Every Lottie JSON file will now be played like it was a native solution.

Move it to the header

Then we need to change the position of the </>Code block to the menu.

In the code below, the div#... is the code-block div number and unique name for that div block. This will have a totally different name on your site and will change if you for instance add a new code-block. Use Inspector/Inspect in your browser of choice to pick that name.

The div#... will then switched placement with the .site-title. The Class name, the .site-title, can be different on your site, so change it accordingly. So the code is:

<script>

  $(document).ready(function() { 

		$('div#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1705391194356_4861').appendTo('.site-title');

	});

</script>

Hide the old logo

Then we need to hide the old logo. If you use text only as a logo use .site-title or something similar. If it's an image use .site-title img, and display none will hide the old logo.

<style>

  .site-title img{

    display: none;

}

</style>

That’s it. Hope it works for you too, and comment here if there’s any questions.

Added two new 2018 projects

Happy New Year!

2018 were a really interesting year in business. I had a lot of different kinds of projects and I want to update the site though out January (hopefully if I have time, but who knows).

I made my first book for large scale printing. It’s a handbook about art. Take a look at the page.

I made more web-animation. This time a singing symbol for the app Voisey.

Motion Design, the future of web

See this great interview with Rich Fulcher a thought full speaker with lots of great tips to any designer.

I'm not really a huge fan of Material Design or Google design decisions in general. It's never flawless and to many visible mistakes. Hard to pinpoint a good example, but there's a lot (why isn't there a google image search for iPad?). I know they user test a lot, but hmm, still there's some strange over locked stuff.

Anyway, I like his conclusion, that I also can stand by, is that animation, or motion design is the future on web forward. Still lifeless slides is about to end.

I'm working on new ways of using animation and there will be some work presented in the future. But for now I have two great examples: https://www.filmskolen.no (scroll down and up and look at the logo) and Vibble app intro: https://www.vibble.co (Just download the app and see :)

Rich Fulcher leads Material Design and Engineering at Google. In this episode, he walks us through the story of how Material Design came out, what's involved in building your own design system, and the importance of investing in your design culture and how you grow talent.

Photo by Edho Pratama on Unsplash

Scrolling web-animation for DNF

I've been working with Neue on several projects this year and now a new part of my work has been released. It's logo web-animation to the site Den Norske Filmskolen (DNF).

This project I needed extra reinforcement because it needed java scripting, and my buddy Ola Marvin Leier were up to the task. I made the animation of the DNF logo and he did the scripting trickery to make the logo move and behave as we wanted it. When you scroll it activates the animated sequence, and to add some randomness if you reload or explore the site the animation have different states. And maybe the best part the size are tiny, for the animation around 18 KB.

This is a relative new way of creating flexible and tiny sized animations for the web using After Effects, bodymovin and java scripting.

See the logo animation in action here, and remember to explore the site:

Lottie - The new way of doing web and app animation

Sometimes you get to try a technique that changes the way you ser new possibilities.

This time it's Lottie. A converter tool created by Airbnb. Yes, that Airbnb.

You can create your animations in After Effects, and by keeping it to simple shapes, masks and keyframes for the animation (no effects supported).

It uses the Json creator tool called Bodymovin that are pluged into After Effects, and Lottie is on the other end handling the app part.

I used it on the Vibble app opening animation. A simple logo reveal for the easy DJing app.

The system have some huge limitations that I've came across . Like inverted mask. That's a no go.
In the logo reveal case I needed subtracting forms, but that didn't work, and I ended making tinytiny bridges that connects the different part, and create one single form. This isn't noticeable for the viewer, but adds an extra step to the process. If possible use layered shapes that are overlapping with it's own fill.

So it's early days, but it's new possibilities on the horizon. And the file sizes are tiiiiny. Like 9 kb for this animation. 

You can get the Vibble app in the iOS app store.

I created this short and sweet logo reveal for the Vibble app, an app that simplify DJing