Department of Design’s Newest Full-Time Faculty Luke Gibson Shares His Work with Motion Design and Gallery 1313
For the Department of Design’s newest full-time faculty and 1313 gallery director Luke Gibson, there is much to love about motion design. Motion design is a mixed-media discipline that “makes great use of whatever you throw at it,” said Gibson. “I love its flexibility and that there are so many ways to play with it; I love seeing a still image come to life and become a world; and I love using motion design to tell stories.”
Motion design is visual communication through movement. While this includes animation, it is not limited to cartoon style narration; rather, it is most often found in commercial or experimental applications. Examples include opening titles, product commercials and animated logos.
Gibson explained that decades ago, different aesthetics required different processes. This established divisions between creative fields. Advancements in technology have mended these divisions and now differences in aesthetics can be achieved with different tools within the same software. Companies expect designers to be able to “express their messaging in whatever attention-grabbing, multimedia, fun-to-watch ways that will attract audiences,” said Gibson.
To this end, cross-disciplinary design has been a major part of Gibson’s education and career. His designs made a splash in New York City when he created a piece for Saks Fifth Avenue that was screened at the Ziegfeld Theater on Broadway and he had the opportunity to meet and receive praise from the CEO of Saks. More recently, Gibson has illustrated and animated a GIF that will be published in 3x3 Magazine that features two undead characters running goofily past a spooky house. He is also working on an opening title for a documentary about one of the greatest Baroque violinists in the world.
Gibson’s role within the Department of Design includes both teaching and directing 1313, the gallery in West Campus that features work from design students. Gibson works on all things related to branding, marketing, admin, tech and installation for the gallery. “I have amazing colleagues and would be totally adrift without them,” Gibson said. “My TAs Jadyn, Emmie and Milan; my committee members Justin Kunz and Linda Reynolds; and our PR rep Rachel Hatch.”
Design students can submit work to be displayed in 1313. Some curation is involved, especially for specific, yearly shows, but the purpose of the gallery is primarily to celebrate all student work. “We want the space to feel clean and meditative, but also fun and fascinating,” said Gibson. “Our goal is mainly to ensure that everyone who wants an exhibition gets a chance for their work to be shown in its best possible light. In this sense, it’s more of a community asset than an exclusive space.”
An important part of a designer’s educational experience is getting to display their work in a gallery. “By its nature, the creative industry is business. Our work is intended to be seen, often by as many people as possible,” said Gibson. “I have learned that, for better or for worse, this business model values how something is presented at least as much as its actual substance. Even when a project appears finished, a huge amount of work can be done to enhance an audience’s experience.” Having their work displayed in 1313 gives students an important opportunity to consider presentation and what elements go into a viewer’s experience.
Interested in viewing student and faculty work in 1313? Check out this roundup of galleries on display during November 2024.
Gibson feels God’s presence as he works and creates. “God is the original Creator; I know He likes it when I am creative and He sends me His creativity when I am stuck,” said Gibson. “That doesn’t mean I don’t have struggles. On the contrary, it means that when I put my faith in Him during crunch time, I can trust Him to help my work turn out well.”
Gibson hopes that his work is edifying for those who experience it. He is inspired by the scripture Doctrine and Covenants 50:22 which says, “Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.” Gibson said that he doesn’t equate his work with “preaching” per se but rather, “the way in which I [create] can give, and not take away from, folks’ spiritual well-being. I want people to feel nourished in the brief time they spend with my work.”
Gibson has this same goal when teaching his students. “I hope my students feel empowered knowing that they can do anything,” he said. “I hope they feel loved and know that I am really happy to simply know them. I also hope they come away from class more excited that they are able to make fascinating, functional and beautiful things.”