Motion graphic design has gained significant popularity in recent times, being utilized in television commercials, movies, and various forms of entertainment. For individuals unsure about the type of video to effectively convey their message to their audience, leveraging motion graphics can be an excellent idea. Video formats incorporating motion graphics are not only visually entertaining and captivating but also hold considerable marketing potential. Through motion graphics, complex concepts can be easily conveyed and memorably presented to the audience.
What is motion graphics?
Video content is a powerful tool for any marketing strategy, regardless of the type or size of the business. If you aim to effectively convey your message to a wide audience, videos offer the most engaging platform. Among the various types of video animations available, motion graphics stand out as the most popular due to their formal style.
This animation technique allows for easy manipulation of images, transforming static elements into dynamic visual content. Motion graphics excel in both entertainment and informational contexts, offering an elegant approach to presenting content. They can transform dull information into captivating content, especially when accompanied by supporting figures or statistics. Motion graphics keep viewers engaged and offer an effective means of communication.
Role of a Motion Graphic Artist
To pursue a career in motion graphic design, it’s crucial to grasp the responsibilities of a motion graphic designer. These professionals are tasked with crafting various digital artworks for television, films, and the web. They create commercials, trailers, explanatory videos for products or services, marketing pitches, and more. By infusing motion into graphics, they breathe life into films, making them cost-effective and resonant with the audience. Given that motion graphics require less time than traditional animation, they have become a popular choice for visual storytelling.
Experienced designers possess extensive expertise in crafting captivating videos that resonate with audiences. They leverage various aspects of motion graphics to enhance the visual appeal of videos. Motion designers excel in creating compelling layouts and implementing diverse typography to effectively showcase a client’s product or service. Moreover, there’s a growing trend among marketers and filmmakers to allocate larger budgets for integrating cutting-edge technology into their animations.
Choosing Graphic design as a career
The field of motion graphics is experiencing significant growth, with a rising demand for graphic artists. As more individuals recognize the potential of this career path, there is a notable increase in people pursuing it seriously. Despite being a relatively new profession, the opportunities for growth and advancement are tremendous.
There is a wide array of graphic design software available for various purposes, making it easy to create high-quality animations. As IT and other technologies continue to advance, the field of graphic design is experiencing growth. There is an increasing demand for graphic designers capable of enhancing the appeal of movies, websites, TV shows, and other media to captivate audiences.
Becoming a motion graphic designer is a good career option for many individuals who have an interest in this field. This job gives you to challenge your creativity and provides you with ample opportunities too.
10 Aspects of Motion Graphic Video
Are you considering a career in motion graphic design? If so, it’s essential to understand some fundamental aspects of this video format. Here are 10 key aspects of motion graphic videos that you should be aware of. Read on to learn more about them.
Knowledge of the Creative Arts
For individuals looking to begin a career in motion graphics, understanding the basic principles of art is essential. This forms the foundation for a motion graphics artist. Having a strong grasp of traditional art is crucial as it fosters creativity in your work. Before transitioning to digital tools and software, it’s important to sketch your ideas on paper. While utilizing software is advantageous, mastering fundamental art skills is paramount.
Sense of Motion and Animation
Motion graphics is more than just a form of 2D animation. It involves animating graphics with a keen eye for attractive motion. As an artist, you have to animate the graphics, requiring a distinctive understanding of animation and how to create appealing motion.
In character animation, human characters aid in the audience’s comprehension of the video content. However, in motion graphics, the artist must achieve everything using various graphic elements. The artist is responsible for determining where the video should fade in or out, or where it should ease, among other considerations. Even if the storyboard has excellent design, if it doesn’t translate well into the video, the artist’s efforts will be wasted.
3D Modeling and Design Skills
While motion graphics is commonly associated with 2D video formats, it shouldn’t be limited to just that. The field is evolving, and motion designers may incorporate new techniques to enhance content appeal. In such cases, having 3D design skills can be highly advantageous. 3D art is extensively utilized in various domains such as commercials, movies, and brand logos. It’s projected that the future of motion graphics will heavily feature 3D animations.
Understanding interconnected lines or points in 3D space is one of the fundamental aspects of 3D modeling programs. Mastering these skills can lead to greater professional success.
Understands Color Psychology and Theory of Shades
Having a good understanding of color psychology and how different colors affect the human mind is very important for a motion graphics artist. Motion graphics involve adding motion to static graphic content. Hence, if the color scheme is not ideal, the audience will not engage much with the video. Having an idea of how colors affect humans both positively and negatively is very helpful. The aim of the artist must be to catch the attention of the audience with the video. If there is any unwanted color, then the concentration might be interrupted, distracting the audience and reducing engagement with the video.
Good Understanding of Surfacing, Texturing, and Lighting
The target audience who will see your video will just see moving images and shapes in the video. However, for the motion artist, this is not so simple. The artist must go beyond the shapes and also get the texturing correct. If the texture is not of good quality, the graphic will have a bland look. Having a good understanding of texture is a must-have quality for a motion artist. The artist must also understand surfacing, as this enables the 3D graphic image to look realistic. As an artist, one must possess the skills of proper surfacing, which include shine, refractive, transparent, rough, reflective, and translucent.
Having a good knowledge of lighting effects is also a valuable skill. Without proper knowledge of lighting, you will create an illusion for your audience. However, with proper lighting, the graphics will be vibrant and realistic.
Mastery in Anticipation
This is another aspect of motion graphics that must be taken into account by an artist in this field. With this technique, one can make movements look realistic and also prepare the audience for that particular movement. If there is no anticipation behind the action, then it will lack force. So the artist must have a good understanding of the level of anticipation and how much they can use in their videos. One can determine the correct amount of anticipation only after considering the speed that follows it. Anticipation is lessened when the subsequent action is not as swift as expected.
Knowing your level of anticipation will help you make the video outstanding and also convey it effectively. This is especially true when you have to use text and typography in the video.
Sound Knowledge of Typography
With the help of Typography, a good motion graphic design is built by an artist. This is one of the important elements utilized by motion graphic artists. These are employed in videos where statistics are displayed or brand messages are conveyed, among other purposes. Such texts are fundamental to any video that promotes a product, or brand or explains a concept. A thorough understanding of typography ensures the success of the video and makes it easy for the target audience to comprehend the video’s purpose.
Importance of Establishing Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is also crucial when it comes to motion graphics. A successful video establishes a connection with the audience. Without this connection, the video will not be effective. Your task is accomplished when the message resonates well with the target audience. As a motion graphic designer, your role extends beyond creating animations and graphics; you must also effectively convey the message to the audience. This is where interpersonal communication skills come into play. Mechanical communication will not engage the audience, even if the animation is remarkable.
Good Knowledge of Staging
Staging involves directing the audience’s attention to the focal point of the video. In any motion video, the artist must discern which element requires the most emphasis. It’s crucial to have a clear understanding of these elements to guide the audience’s vision towards the intended focal point. Otherwise, viewers may focus on the wrong element and miss the intended message of the video.
Staging also entails presenting ideas clearly and comprehensibly to the audience. This is essential for motion artists as it gauges the quality of the video from the audience’s perspective.
Various factors, such as lighting, object placement within the frame, and camera positioning, contribute to the staging process. It’s imperative to understand the purpose behind each shot and what message it aims to convey. Once the artist comprehends this, staging can be executed effectively, ensuring that the audience perceives what is intended in the video.
Creative and Innovative Thinking Capabilities
Creativity and innovation are fundamental qualities for a motion graphic designer. These qualities set them apart and define their role as the creators of visual experiences for the audience. As the showman, the motion graphic artist determines what the audience sees, making creativity indispensable.
Clients often provide basic concepts, leaving it to the motion graphic artist to expand and enhance them into captivating visuals. Breathing life into graphics requires skill and imagination, enabling the artist to tackle complex concepts and produce remarkable results.
Therefore, these are some of the crucial aspects of motion graphics that every artist in this field must be acquainted with. These skills serve as the foundation for distinguishing oneself and producing exceptional videos.
Motion graphics professionals has the freedom to unleash their imagination, making this profession not only creatively fulfilling but also financially rewarding. With approximately 87% of online marketing conducted through videos in recent times, and an anticipated 80 percent of internet traffic projected to be via video content by 2021, the demand for motion graphics continues to surge.
Apart from the above-mentioned qualities, it is very imperative for a motion graphic video creator to continually keep pace with the times and evolve with the times. In that way, they will be able to understand what trends are going on and incorporate them into the videos to make them very successful. Without noticing the changes happening in this field, the artist will lag behind the others. Hence, it is advisable to keep track of the technological advancements happening in the field.
