If you’ve ever worked on videos as a designer or as part of a marketing team, you’re probably familiar with the importance of motion graphics: animation with text as a major component. From television sequences to brand awareness videos, motion graphics have become one of todays’ most relevant design aspects. To break down this feature of design, we asked Associate Creative Specialist, Allen Clair, to share today’s top 5 Motion Graphics trends. 

Animated Characters

From the Geico gecko to The General auto insurance, animated characters help brands create a less serious and more inviting tone. Characters make ads more relatable, easier to understand and can help establish stronger brand awareness. Most often seen in informational and educational ads, these characters keep things visually appealing, engaging and dynamic with their blocky, simplistic style. 

Morphing

Morphing graphics help brands add life to their content and keep viewers visually engaged while being subtle. The “Navy Seal” of visuals is a detail that can be easily missed but should never be ignored. The visual can create a moving hierarchy that constantly leads the viewer’s eye where we want it to go, like when typography transforms from one thing to another. 

Kinetic Typography

When animated objects and characters won’t do, designers may resort to using type as expression: stretching or squeezing type, making it larger or smaller, rotating it, making it move, replication and more. Kinetic typography is probably the most popular of this year’s Top 5 Trends in Motion Graphics. 

Paper & Texture

More and more brands are using paper texture to peak visual interest, add grain to footage, and add a light touch of grunge to their advertisements. Most often overlayed or as a background to the subject, the texture may appear crumpled, as a moving texture or as a ripped graphic element to create a focal point, as a transition, or to reveal something. Paper texture is seen most often in sports and children’s ads. 

3D

Brands set themselves apart by using 3D motion elements that are more memorable than the competition’s common 2D effects. 3D has become more and more popular. It creates depth and atmosphere and allows for more dynamic use of space. Accessible 3D modeling and creation tools can help almost anyone learn how to incorporate this element into their work. 

Overall, we are starting to see motion graphics become an industry standard when it comes to advertising and entertainment. They are a great way to keep a viewer engaged and their eye traveling across the page. The element of movement when watching a commercial or scrolling past an advertisement tends to catch our attention more than your standard static image. Trends are always changing but one thing that won’t is the way motion graphics have affected the marketing and design industry. Next time you see a motion ad or graphic, see if you can spot one of these top 5 trends.