10 Tips to Strengthen Your Motion Graphics Skills

Motion graphics are essentially the animated images and text we see in movies, television shows, and advertisements. The creative field of motion graphics is fast-growing, with the job outlook anticipated to grow over 16% through 2030. This equates to nearly 7,800 openings each year, which is faster than the national average for all occupations.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the job market growth for Motion Graphics Designers is due to consumers demanding “more realistic video games, movie and television special effects, and three-dimensional movies.” It’s essential for Motion Graphics Designers to ensure their skills are sharp and ready to help them stand out from the crowd in this competitive field. This article will cover ten helpful tips creative professionals can follow to help strengthen their skills and improve as Motion Graphics Designers.

Revisit Design Principles

One of the best ways Motion Graphics Designers can boost their skills is by revisiting and studying the basic principles of design. Great visual content has a set of fundamental components that work together to create a cohesive final product. Design principles include elements like color theory, textures, typography, and balance. Looking at motion graphics specifically, some of the specialized design principles are timing, spacing, and rhythm, staging, and secondary action. Revisiting the basics of design principles is an excellent way to help motion graphics artists create more convincing animated content.

Refresh Software Skills

Even if you have experience working with motion graphics, staying up-to-date with industry software and relevant updates is crucial for keeping your skills strong. All forms of digital art rely on technology to compose a final product, but this important element is constantly changing and evolving over time. Taking a class like After Effects in a Day or After Effects Advanced is a great way to brush up on standard practices and learn about any updates. Some of the most prominent software Motion Graphics Designers should stay current with include:

• Adobe After Effects
• Cinema 4D
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe Animate
• Maya
• Blender

Learn Typography

Essentially, typography is how graphic artists make text and any form of written language legible. These creative designers focus on elements such as text size, tracking, and kerning to help their target audience successfully understand the ideas of the project. Kinetic typography, which is more specific to motion graphics professionals, ensures that any animated moving text is visually appealing and easy to interpret. Learning and mastering typography skills can help motion graphics professionals show they can clearly present information to the audience, which can help them stand out from others in the field.

Experiment with 3D Animations

While 2D is still a fundamental skill, learning 3D can help design professionals truly enhance their skills and boost their resumes. The industry is constantly changing and developing new processes, many of these designed to meet the increasing demand for 3D animation skills. If you want to enhance your 3D skills, consider signing up for a live online After Effects Bootcamp to learn software like Cinema 4D Lite to create 3D models.

Work on Personal Projects

It’s not uncommon for creative professionals to be so focused on clients’ requests and building their portfolios that they forget to work on personal projects. Taking the time for your hobbies and personal work is an excellent way to boost design skills and keep the creative spark ignited. Adding some examples of your unique style to your portfolio can also help prospective clients better understand your design range.

Enter a Competition

One often-overlooked way to boost your motion graphics skills and gain feedback on your work is to enter a design competition. These competitions are a great way to gain exposure, experience presenting your work, and hear an outside perspective on your style. Some popular design competitions with a solid reputation in the industry include the D&AD Awards and Design Week Awards. D&AD is an education charity that strives to showcase work from the creative design industry, while Design Week Awards has covered nearly every area of commercial design for over 30 years.

Strive to Build a Portfolio

A solid portfolio is crucial for any creative Designer, as this is often the first thing a potential client will see when looking through potential candidates. This is why Motion Graphics Designers must have a portfolio that accurately represents their unique skills and previous experience while also aligning with their client’s creative vision. Keeping your portfolio current and organized is a great way to ensure your fundamental design skills are sharp. If it’s been some time since you’ve updated your portfolio, try researching the top portfolio hosting platforms to see if there is an option that better aligns with your unique style and creative vision.

Focus on Timing

Timing is one of the basic principles Motion Graphics Designers should master and strengthen throughout their careers. If the timing of a piece is off, it can cause the objects or text to take on an unrealistic or incorrect appearance. This is also true with text in motion graphics, as the audience must be able to read and interpret any information without it moving too fast or presenting too small. One of the best ways to work on timing skills is to focus on this principle when working on projects and updating portfolios.

Take Time Away from the Screen

While this tip may seem counter-intuitive, it can be helpful for creative professionals to take time away from the screen and look for design inspiration in other areas. If you are dealing with a creative block or feeling frustrated with a project, try stepping away from your computer and the work for just ten to fifteen minutes. Changing your scenery and getting away from the screen for just a small amount of time is a beneficial reset and can help you gain a fresh set of eyes for your work.

Research Industry Trends

Another efficient way to strengthen your motion graphics skills is to research and stay relevant to industry trends. With how fast technology and software advances, taking live online motion graphics classes once or twice per year can help keep your skills sharp. You can choose one of these courses for a more in-depth curriculum or faster an option like Cinema 4D in a day. If you are ready to get started with additional training in motion graphics to keep your skills up-to-date, try searching for motion graphics classes in your area.