Math… for creatives? Isn't that like mixing cheese and chocolate? Maybe in the past but as part of a modern creative's workflow, mathematics can be an invaluable tool to add layers of interactivity into your work.
This isn't your traditional math class. This is targeted towards people who think visually and want to understand how to mould math to their advantage.
If you work in design, motion or animation you will learn how to break down concepts such as trigonometry, algebra, randomness and noise in a visual, easy-to-understand way that you can add to your own projects.
What you’ll learn
What tools are available to creatives and how we would pick the right tool for the right job
Using trigonometry to draw shapes and waves, calculate distances and point at things
The math behind color and how we can use randomess to create constantly changing sites
What is organic noise and how can we use it to create natural randomness
How to think about easings, timings and speeds
How to use physics within math to create gravity and accelerations
Requirements
A computer (Windows, Mac or Linux) with the latest version of Chrome installed and a broadband internet connection. That’s it!
Target Audience
Anyone who wants to learn how to get comfortable with math in a visual-thinking way.
This is a beginner course with no requirements apart from being comfortable using a computer. If you use programs like Microsoft Word or Photoshop without trouble, you're good to go.
While this course covers Javascript, you don't need any prior knowledge of Javascript at all to start.
In our very first project, we talk about how to draw on web pages using P5.js and how to use vectors to control movement of a ball with boundaries
We extend our drawing tools to make our own custom brushes that use trigonometry to move 'petals' around our brush
We extend our sine wave knowledge to build up additive sines waves to create a generative blob with natural movement
With any kind of randomness we add to a project, we want to make sure that we're making beautiful things. In this project we talk about randomness with boundaries using pure Javascript.
When is random too random? In this project, we talk about an alternative to randomness, Perlin noise, a way to make an interconnected but randomly generated pattern
We jump back to physics in a project all about simulating real world gravity, acceleration and friction to make a site where our words literally jump out of the page
In our final project, we'll use vectors to work out rotations and distance thresholds to make a snake-style page that draws text and lines on mouse movement
Rik (he/him) is a Mancunian coder, teacher and CEO of SuperHi. He was the co-founder of Steer (a code school in London) and has taught several thousand people to code. He is a bit too old to be posting memes on our social media and recently featured as a Sour Patch Kid in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.