Takeshi Murata: SHIFT cover, issue 085 (1 left), Melter 02 (2 right)

The veteran Japanese webmag SHIFT has impeccable taste in cover designs. Every issue has a commissioned piece by a designer or artist, who is interviewed for the magazine. Typically, they focus on digital media or motion graphics, so the covers are usually web-friendly animations or interactive pieces.

While searching for images by Takeshi Murata, I just stumbled over this gem: SHIFT cover, issue 085. It’s from December 2003, and it’s lovely. Murata made the cover in connection with his animation Melter 02 being selected for the .MOV festival in Tokyo, using the same (non-programmed) technique.

Based in LA, Murata creates “experimental and psychedelic animations” by his own description, somewhere between the disciplines of art and design. This kind of hybrid approach is typical of the LA motion graphics crowd, with some spectacular results. Designers like Geoff McFetridge, Logan, Geoff Kaplan etc. experiment with personal work and use it to develop eclectic styles. (Which then gets them hired by big companies, so it’s not all love and flowers…)

takeshimurata.com is a little thin on info, so be sure to read the SHIFT interview with Takeshi Murata and watch the Melter 02 clip.