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Motion Graphic Trends

Adding sound to moving images back in the 1920s brought us the ‘talkies’ and revolutionised the movie industry.

Motion graphics could be likened to talkies when it comes to how we present information. Trends in design and marketing continue to grow and evolve changing how we create and consume digital footage.

One of the biggest trends is animation. Animated documentaries, logos, and typography are just some of the developments we are seeing. Thanks to social media, we’ve seen an explosion in the use of GIFs (Graphic Interchange Format). A GIF is simply an image file that moves. Often used to show amusing animal antics that are widely shared across social media platforms, they are also being used to make logos fun like this, this and this.

Animated illustrations and stop-motion animation are other popular techniques. As is whiteboard animation, which is a great forum for explainer videos.

Hybrid animation integrating 2D and 3D adds depth to flatness and bring your images alive. This method has moved on from traditional animation to mainstream uses.

A fantastic animation example is the 2014/15 annual report from Danish Crown, a global meat processing company. Titled When Pigs Fly, it was a 2017 nominee at The Webby Awards in the category Best Use of Animation or Motion Graphics. If you’ve ever wondered how to get more people reviewing your annual reports, you might want to check it out. Gone are the days when corporate documents had to be dry, boring and 2D.

Then there’s the cinemagraph where motion is added to a still photograph making one small element move repeatedly. Think steam rising from a cup of coffee, a flickering fireplace in the background or a car driving down a street. It’s a subtle way to draw attention to a select element of your image.

Meanwhile, the demand for video is not abating. There are myriad ways to incorporate video in your marketing mix. Use it to demonstrate products. For example, create a short time lapse video to show how to put together a furniture flatpack easily. An architectural firm might like to bring a building to life demonstrating the construction process from drafts to completed project. If you have a service, you can film a relatable introductory video to attract clients.

Adding movement to your marketing mix is becoming easier with Flash having been abandoned for HTML, CSS and JS. At the same time, viewer expectations are growing and they want to see seamless and professional productions.

Are you ready to move your marketing?

You might also like to read our blog posts:

• What Are Motion Graphics and What Can They Do for Your Business?
• Which Digital Design Trends Will Make Your Brand Even Stickier in 2017?
• What Makes a Great Video?

If you’d like some help adding movement to your marketing, get in touch with the team at Ideaseed. We are a full-service design agency and we can make you look amazing across all applications and platforms.