Rhymes with Orange
Motion Graphics, Illustration, Typeface Design 2022 | Advisors: Jennifer Cole Phillips, Ellen Lupton, Bobby Joe Smith III
Rhymes with Orange explores identity in order to break stereotypes and seek an inclusive world. Pixel art and motion graphics are vehicles for a series of short videos. These videos tell a story about how an orange ball goes through a binary pink-and-blue world and explores her own identity, presenting an idea that gender stereotypes lead to misunderstandings, bias, and even discrimination. This project encourages audiences to develop their empathy and to think about ways to build an inclusive world.
The Blue-Only Activity
Jumping stairs is considered as an activity that only blue citizens can do. The orange ball loves this activity, so she starts to jump the stairs. However, when she arrives at the very top of the stairs, the blue citizens reject her being there and start to punch her off the edge. She feels excluded by the blue citizens.
The Pinkmaker
There is a machine which is called the Pinkmaker. It stamps and forces citizens to convert to triangular pink citizens. However, the orange ball doesn’t want to become another color or shape. When the orange ball is forced to move through the pink machine, she crouches down so that she avoids the stamp and still she is orange and circular.
Pink Can Only Love Blue
There is a love station that offers each couple a beautiful heart to celebrate their love. Blue and pink couples successfully grab the heart from the love station. But when the orange and pink couple comes to the love station, the station gives an orange cross mark to show they don’t identify this orange and pink couple. The pink runs away and the orange looks very upset.
Feels Good to be Myself
The orange ball decides to try to be another color. She jumps into a blue dye pool and turns into a blue ball. However, she doesn’t feel right in blue. She shakes the blue dye off her body. Then, she tries the pink dye pool, but still feels bad about it. In the end, she shakes the pink off and realizes orange, her original color, feels the best for her. She starts to dance happily.
The Non-Binary Door
The orange ball follows a bunch of blue and pink to the very end of the hall. There are only two exit doors: one is for blue, and the other one is for pink. The orange starts to use her body to punch the wall. The hall starts to shake, and finally she creates a black door for all colors to go in. She walks in the all-color door and exits the hall.
