motion graphics

What is Motion Graphic | All things to know about it

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You must have heard or read somewhere about Motion Graphics. If you’re looking for the answer to the question of what is motion graphic? then you have come to the right place. So here we go:-

What is Motion Graphic?

Motion Graphics (MoGraph) is a type of Animation, which has text, abstract shapes, forms, and logos or logo elements as main components. Basically, they are Graphic Designs with animation. John Whitney was the one who made the term “Motion Graphics” popular by founding a Company named Motion Graphics Inc. in 1960. One of the most famous animated works done by him in collaboration with Saul Bass was the title sequence of the movie “Vertigo”.

Types of Motion Graphics

Being a type of animation there are a lot of different uses for motion graphics. Thus, there are different types according to the desired result of the animation made. Following are the types of mograph:-

Emotive Videos:-

As the name suggests the main goal of emotive videos is to evoke certain emotions in the audience may it be negative or positive. Emotive videos rely upon the fact that emotional responses will trigger actions such as liking or disliking the video etc.

Explainer Videos:-

It’s all in the name again explainer videos work as the bridge between the product or idea and the audience. These types of videos are made for the purpose of conveying statistical data or difficult information in an easier and simple way. Such as product use, business performance data, etc.

Promotional Videos:-

Converting a potential audience into a customer is the main goal of any business and promotional videos are the means to achieve it. The main purpose of these videos is to drive up the sales of the promoted product or service by creating an appeal to the audience.

UI Animation:-

With the rise in UX/UI design, UI animation has become a thing as it can provide the feel of the finished UI through animation. Thus, providing insight into the problems that can arise or adding or making certain changes to the design.

Skills

If you are looking forward to learning Motion Graphic there are certain requirements to learn it. Below is the list of Skills used in the creation of these animations.

Traditional Art:-

All the design processes start by getting the ideas on paper, sketching out the idea first helps with making changes beforehand. Drawing is also helpful in trying out different design approaches before starting the work on the computer.

Animation Knowledge:-

Being a type of animation mo graph requires fundamental knowledge of animation. If the animation work is not good or lacking the whole design will fall flat.

Typography:-

In Motion Design, typography is very heavily used and can be considered to be the driving force. Because a design contains information about the product or service provided by the company. Thus, having good knowledge about typography is a must. For example, what makes up a typeface, what complements a design, and what is easy to read for the audience.

Color Theory:-

Colors have the power of setting up the mood and conveying certain feelings. Thus, having a good knowledge of color theory is very helpful in making a motion design. Knowing what, which, and when to use a certain color in the design is very important.

Production

We have talked about the types and skills required for making a Motion design. The making process consists of many steps which are essential for a great design. Now let’s take a look at the creation process of the mograph.

Brainstorming:-

Every project starts with a brainstorming session searching for ideas, and design approaches, and making decisions regarding the mood and feel of the end product.

Scripting:-

During this step, a narrative is created for the video. And decision regarding the use of Voice-Over or Onscreen text in the video. The scripting process serves as the outline and the backbone of the project.

Storyboard:-

After the completion of the narrative for the video, a Storyboard is prepared. The storyboard consists of the keyframe or main scenes of the narrative in drawing form. At this stage decisions regarding the color theme, fonts, illustration, and animation style are made.

Artwork/Illustration:-

Creating illustrations for the design is one of the most time-consuming steps of the process. The main part of this step is making Artwork according to the script and storyboard. Making changes to the artwork later in the production directly affects the animation process.

Voice-over:-

These steps directly reflect the decisions made during the scripting process. For example, does the script consist of a voice-over or mute video with text onscreen.

Animation:-

The final phase of the creation/production process, Animation. During this step animation of the illustrations/artworks is done according to the storyboard and script.

Sound Design:-

During sound design voice-over, background score, and sound effects are added to the finished animation. Thus, concluding the making of the Motion Design.

With the advancement in technology, during the production process, various types of software come into play for designing. For example, for storyboarding Photoshop, and for animation After Effects.

Other than traditional animation techniques, designers also use stop-motion animation, frame-by-frame animation, and sometimes a combination of both.

Frequently Asked Questions:-

Question:- What is motion graphic used for?

Answer:- Motion Graphics provides a way to communicate with your target audience and add more value and depth to the message. They are used for creating advertisements, title sequences, intro, outros for videos, and so on.

Question:- Is GIF a motion graphics?

Answer:- GIFs are used in a variety of ways and the most popular one is social. It is not necessary for the GIFs to be considered motion graphics but they can be motion graphics.

Question:- Is motion design hard?

Answer:- In short, Yes. Motion Design is hard as requires a lot of time, dedication, and patience along with the in-depth knowledge of tools and software used for producing motion design. It takes a lot of practice to master motion design.

Question:- Who invented motion graphics?

Answer:- John Whitney (1917-1995).

Question:- Is motion graphics 2D or 3D?

Answer:- Motion Graphics are generally associated with animation and is mostly 2D. But in certain events, 3D elements are used in it to enhance the animation, visual interest, and quality.

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