Forever USA

This motion piece describes the struggles faced by the United States Post Office during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also offering ways for anyone to help. Using a combination of images from the Library of Congress and original illustrations, the piece imitates the textures associated with paper mail.

AIGA Flux Award Winner

To begin ideation, I brainstormed historical events pertaining to my interests. Eventually, I developed two possible topics, both of which have affected me personally. The first idea was the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, while the second was the recent Post Office crisis. I decided on the latter, as it provided the opportunity for a call to action.

Because the USPS crisis was a current and politicized issue, I made sure to cross-check multiple sources while researching. I also looked into some historical information about the USPS so that I could provide a bit of background for the audience.

For thumbnails, I planned out frames visualizing the most important points. I began to consider how the various elements would animate and how one scene would transition to another. I also thought about ways to tell the story through mail-related iconography. When fitting, I used items like stamps and letters as a medium to communicate supplementary information.

While developing the style for this motion graphic, there were several qualities that I wanted to convey. My goal was to express a positive and hopeful tone, while also connecting to the paper textures and Americana aesthetic associated with the USPS.

I decided upon the use of textured vector shapes combined with vintage photographs and a modernized red, white, and blue color scheme.