What is Motion Graphics?
Definition and how to make your own
What is Motion Graphics?
Motion Graphics can be best defined as Graphics in Motion. If anyone where to ask, “What is motion graphics?”, that would be the simplest motion graphics definition you can give them.
Motion Graphics involves creating graphics and moving them in time and space to achieve an intended goal or tell a story. The motion graphic elements are placed in a sequence of frames to create an illusion of motion. Unlike other forms of animation, animated motion graphics primarily use graphics and type.
Animation is a broader term used to describe graphics and characters movement non-live action videos. Motion graphics animation in the form of explainer video content is used in a diverse range of industries for storytelling and effective communication.
Graphics In Motion
History of Motion Graphics
The usage of motion graphics animation began as early as the 1800s. Walter Ruttmann, a German cinematographer experimented in abstract film making using shapes and forms, and produced the first known film that used moving graphics.
Other creating geniuses such as John Whitney created motion graphics title sequences for Alfred Hitchcock movies. Saul Bass also contributed to the development of motion graphics with title sequences that were known to communicate the mood of a film effectively. Saul Bass was the person behind some of the most iconic opening titles such as Vertigo.
Over the years motion graphics has become a common art form used in Movies, TV, Educational Content, Sales and Marketing videos.
Motion Graphics In Explainer Videos
Most TV shows, movies, video Ads, and explainer videos, use motion graphics animations. Just like one of our own video productions below, you’ll find extensive use of motion graphics throughout, which complements the character animations.
Motion Graphics Engage Your Audience
The rise of digital motion graphics is mainly because of its ability to clarify a concept and visualize in the most aesthetically pleasing manner. Though ‘concept’ and ‘visualization’ connect the dots back to the notion of telling an invigorating ‘story’.
Since more than 92% of shoppers are influenced to make their final purchase decision through online videos – you should root for the option that can capture their attention instantly. Besides, motion graphic videos are perfect for posting on social media and you always find them in most TV advertising videos.
In this article, you will learn the functional ingenuity of creative animated motion graphics and how any organization can utilize animated infographics in numerous styles.
Here are some examples or motion graphics we created for some of our amazing clients. Each video is unique the industry and the message they’re communicating. You can find more motion graphics examples on our YouTube Channel or take a look at our portfolio.
Blockdaemon
Dr. Bill
CoPilot Ai
Need to Make A Motion Graphics Video?
Need to make an animated motion graphics video? Well, Creamy Animation is one of the top motion graphics makers in the industry. We’ve worked with organizations in USA, Canada, United Kingdom and around the world. We create explainer videos, training videos, corporate videos, and other motion graphics animated videos for business and non-profits.
Our combination of creative writing and story-driven videos help you connect with your audience on a personal level and deliver your message in a clear and concise manner. Check out our portfolio, this work review, or our video below.
Do Motions Graphics Work?
With the advent of the digital revolution – you invariably perceive visual learning in every aspect of your life. Motion graphics animation can result in higher ROI and fundamentally complement infographics because of higher retention value and captivating a brand’s image.
Additionally, the cost of making an animated graphics presentation is comparatively less than that of a live action video.
Businesses can create a positive image of their brand through an effective animated video. But most people fail to pay attention to the production value of their videos. Remember, your consumers are smart enough to distinguish between an amateur and a professional video.
Hiring the best animated video companies is a great start. A good team of producers, videographers, and script writers who know how to attract the best customers, is crucial to creating hard-hitting videos.
Best Motion Graphics Software
The best motion graphics software programs on the market will help you create amazing animation videos. Look around and you’ll see that some of the best marketing videos use the motion graphics animation style. With motion graphics, the reality could be stretched and segmented into endless possibilities.
Some of the best motion graphics software is used to create high-end animation for movies and tv spots.
Motion Graphics Software List
- Adobe After Effects
- Cinema 4D
- Autodesk Maya
- Nuke
- Blender
Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects is by far the best motion graphics software for creating animated videos. It has a short learning curve and takes just a few lessons to understand how the animated motion graphics software works. At Creamy Animation, this is our go-to software for creating motion graphics video you can see in our portfolio.
Most professional 2D and 3D animation softwares are complex and have a steep learning curve, while the easier ones will only let you produce amateur looking visuals. The best motion graphics software is just a tool, and the tool is as good as the person using it.
Motion Graphics Trends
You can experiment with gradients, various typography, incorporate grains, use transitions, glitch effects, and combine traditional 2D and live-action footage. The use of Layered and Kinetic typography, for instance, has become popularized in major Hollywood blockbusters.
Although this is just the tip of the iceberg – the market is filled with retro, virtual reality, minimalist, explorative, logo-oriented, and interactive uses of motion graphics.
Similarly, this has expanded and altogether revolutionized the way we communicate. This appeal of motion graphics is a testament to how it can select the basic elements of cartoonish and rudimentary animation and turn it into a visual marvel.
Motion Graphics Uses
Motion graphics ultimately amalgamates the movement and animation of the graphics to create a unique narrative style of storytelling. The underlying purpose of a narrative is to evoke emotional resonance.
The internet is filled with countless motion graphics examples and innovative templates to create online videos. And at the end of the day, video content is viewed as a visual aid that can simplify the complexity of a product or service such as SaaS businesses.
Church motion graphics are used for displaying information during church services. Concert motion graphics displays are used to create a desired mood at events.
Motion Graphics and Infographics
Advertising agencies are now facing the same problem what tech giants once encountered. To put it bluntly, it takes an awful lot of time and energy to read manuals full of statistical information.
Therefore, plain infographics can come alive by integrating animated graphics in the content.
You can create a diverse range of infographics using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.
The addition of motion and image in a typical static infographic inevitably results in an augmented presentation that manages to intrigue amateurs and professionals alike.
Moreover, in the span of just three years, video content creation has increased more that 10 times. This continuous standardization has significantly boosted motion graphics inspiration among creators.
The artist should be able to style and compartmentalize each aspect of the project.
Styles of Animated Infographics
Your animated infographics can be tailored depending on the extent of available data. You can use a number of options to visualize, compare, create a timeline, pyramids sections, interactive, instructional, numbered, or map-based animated infographics.
That said, an animated infographic can be used to create educational, entertaining, corporate or awareness videos. Also, the rhythm of the style can be paired as a slow-motion or fast-paced. Consequently, your interaction would be slow with the excessive amount of data.
How to Make Great Motion Graphics Videos
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Create Realistic Goals
Create goals that are realistic and measurable. Focus on the social media outreach instead of internal parameters set within your campaign. It means you should measure your content length, expectations, and align budget.
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Find a good Motion Graphics Studio
Need help creating animated graphics? Visit any animator’s website and you’ll find that there’s a unique style they’re synonymous with. If you’re hiring talent from a motion graphics company like Creamy Animation, you’re not limited to one style of animation to tell your story.
You can use animation styles like cartoon animation, whiteboard animation, or stop motion, to create different video content types.
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Participate in the Creative Process
The major perk of selecting one of the best studios is that they allow you to be part of the solution to brainstorm more insightful and attractive concepts.
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Make a Quick Assessment
Make a brief outline of your product or service data that can be passed. It would help executives and creatives to get the first impression of what you want out of your motion graphics animation.
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Be Open to New Ideas
You should be open to new ideas that are creatively better suited and you’ll be able to capture a wider audience. No matter how much preparation you may have done beforehand – a professional animation studio will help create a more effective video for you.
Motion Graphics for Marketing
In the world of digital marketing, video reigns supreme. However, video is ubiquitous and in marketing, you need to make yourself ring out through the white noise, motion graphic videos are the way to go.
Use of Motion Graphics in Marketing
This kind of motion media was a preserve of the movie industry. Opening titles and the closing credits featured graphics into which life had been injected. Fast forward decades later, they are now very much being used in video marketing material.
In simple terms, motion graphics are graphic elements that have been animated. Marketers use motion graphics for various purposes, including explainer videos because they easily clarify a concept. Additionally, they make for an attractive aesthetic, making them suitable for sharing on social media. Now that we have covered what motion graphics are, read on to find out why they should be a part of your marketing and social media content strategy.
Benefits of Motion Graphics
Per data from a report by the Content Marketing Institute, close to three-quarters of marketers consider video production as the top task in their content strategy. Nevertheless, a majority of them don’t create anything out of the ordinary. Incorporating animated graphics into this strategy is a great way to climb head and shoulders over the competition.
Below we find out just why motion graphics are the way to go when it comes to marketing content and handling social media.
1. Motion graphics make boring content more interesting
The current overly digital era contains way too much content for most people to lack what to watch. So, if you offer content that the audience considers boring, a more interesting thing is just a click away. You, therefore, need to make sure that individuals in your target market perk up when they come across your content. Using motion graphics is a great way to do that.
Now, consider this. You’re in charge of marketing an appliance or machinery. The unique selling point of this product requires technical explanation. The obvious approach would be to get an expert to explain this. And not to paint technical experts with the same brush, but that video is very likely to induce several yawns. However, animated graphics make it more interesting, and crucially, they explain the concept much better.
2. Motion graphics create and increase brand awareness
In a saturated market, having a strong brand identity increases the slice of market share in your business’ favor. If potential customers are aware of your brand, they are more likely to proceed through to the last stage of the sales funnel. With conventional video production, you can craft an identity. However, the overhead attached to producing live-action content that fully incorporates your brand’s voice and ethos can run up to where it’s not profitable anymore.
When it comes to animated graphics, however, you can deftly include several hints that point to your brand. The audience can easily pick up these identifiers in any subsequent productions that you green-light. Every time someone comes across your video, they will instantly recognize the brand and pay more attention to it.
3. Motion graphics makes your content more engaging
This video animation content lends itself well to social media. Motion graphic videos are short and get straight to the point. Add that to the fact that they are visually appealing and you have a recipe for success on social media platforms. Share ability also taps into another prominent aspect of video marketing – mobile. According to the IAB Video Advertising Spending Report, a third of digital marketing budgets are allocated to mobile advertising.
This is no surprise given that the majority of people interact with their social media platforms via their mobile devices. Tailoring motion graphics to dovetail with mobile devices is a great way to move your marketing strategy ahead.
Check out this piece of video marketing content and note the length. It packs all the important information in just a minute and a few seconds. This makes it easy for people to understand and share it with families, friends and colleagues who they feel are interested in the product or service in the video.
4. Motion graphics videos are efficient and cost-effective
As we have alluded to before, motion graphics package complex information and present it in a form that ordinary members of your target market can easily understand. This cuts out the expense of having to get someone to explain something that a few graphics can easily illustrate.
Live-action video production is quite expensive. It requires securing a location or studio and an entire crew. Furthermore, the process requires hiring talent and equipment like cameras.
On the other hand, motion graphics cut down costs considerably. All the work can be done on a computer with the help of motion graphics software like After Effects. It also consumes less time to complete.
Another aspect that puts motion graphics ahead is the fact that they can be made without any sound. Many people watch videos on mute when using their mobile devices. This can be because they are at work or in a public place.
Although live-action video might employ subtitles, they can be a strain on the eyes. They also require concentration to keep up with the message of the video. With animated graphics, however, the text itself is animated to both pass on the message and also keep the audience engaged. In this example, the video animation has sound but one could also understand it when the sound is off.
Make Motion Graphics Work For Your Business
Creating visual content makes it easier for people to understand your business, what you do and why they should buy from you. If you’re a Nonprofit and need striking visuals to connect with your audience, animated graphics would be an ideal tool to use. Find a video making company to help create your video content.
Illustrate complex statistics and explain sophisticated concepts in an attractive and engaging medium.
Wrap Up
Now that you understand what motion graphics are and how to use them, let’s go out and make one. As video is fast accounting for the most internet traffic, creative people are finding ways to make more video content faster and cheaper.
If you need a professionally produced motion graphic video, check out our portfolio or request a free consultation.
