Motion graphic designing is becoming increasingly popular in the creative industries. There is a high demand for motion graphic animations among the studios that produce content for TV, streaming websites, ad agencies, YouTube channels, etc.
For motion graphics to be of high quality, designers must have both creative and technical skills. As a designer, you can stay on top of the ever-changing creative sector or get more projects if you learn the following skills.
These skills will also help you become a more productive motion graphics designer.
1. Expertise in Traditional Art
Traditional art is the principal knowledge behind every graphic designing role. Through motion graphic design, every creator is conveying some message to the target audience. If you possess in-depth knowledge about traditional art, you’ll know more than one way to communicate that convinces the viewers.
It’s also easier to brainstorm on paper through rough sketches. Experimenting with your ideas through traditional art on paper is cost-effective. Before jump-starting the motion graphic design work on the computer, sketch your thought process on a piece of paper. You can draw multiple ideas in one place to perform a comparison.
The paper sketch approach also speeds up your design process workflow. If you need to discard the design idea, it won’t cost you much of your productivity hours.
2. Ability to Overcome Procrastination
Procrastination could become a significant challenge in the path of a productive motion graphic designing career. Many professionals hesitate in kick-starting their motion designing projects due to the fear of an imperfect design.
Therefore, without holding yourself back, start with a small task of the entire project. It’s okay if you end up creating not too good-looking content. You can always rework your designs till you and your client think that the content is perfect for the viewers.
3. Time and Task Management of the Project
The commercial motion graphic designing projects will ask you to deliver the final content within a particular time limit. Therefore, you need the ability to manage your time and project tasks efficiently.
There are many online apps available that will help you to automate the time and task management for your projects. However, you should carefully assess the project to find out the minimum work required for high-quality content that matches the revenue.
4. In-Depth Knowledge of Animation
Being a motion graphic designer, you bring life to 2D elements through the movement of frames. It is widely known as animation. Animation in motion graphic designing projects is a lot more than fixing or tweaking a few frames.
To become a highly acclaimed and productive motion designer, you should know the fundamentals of animation. Animation basics will help you to understand how the graphical frames should move to create some powerful content.
5. Keep the Users Focused Through Right Timing
Your target is to keep the audience focused on your content. Nowadays, anything can distract your audience away from your content. However, through proper motion graphic timing, you can keep them engaged.
You need to avoid too many non-moving elements in your content. Also, you need to adjust the pace of animation as per the ongoing standards. If you make your content too slow, the user will feel bored. If your content is too fast, the audience won’t catch the message you want to convey.
You need to constantly refine your motion design content to master the pace and tempo of the graphics’ movements.
6. Practice the Art of Emotional Storytelling
You need to acquire and practice storytelling through your motion graphic content. Whether you create a tutorial of an app or introduce a product to the viewers, you need to tell a story that will connect the user to your content through emotion.
Focus on the positive emotions of your target audience to drive content engagement, ultimately leading to sales or app subscriptions. Successful brands value user emotions like interest, hope, gratitude, serenity, joy, love, peace, altruism, satisfaction, etc.
7. Advanced Knowledge on 3D Design
Many content-producing studios nowadays demand advanced 3D design elements. Therefore, you should broaden your area of expertise in 3D designing through practice. If you’re a 2D motion designer, you need to upskill yourself to stay relevant in the creative industry.
Content creators are sparingly using 3D elements in logos, intro to entertainment shows, video tutorials, commercial ads, video resumes, and game apps. If you start learning to create such 3D elements, you’ll be able to get more projects to grow your freelance or professional motion design career.
8. Deep Understanding of Color Theory
It’s evident that you’ll utilize multiple colors in your motion graphic designs. Therefore, you need to possess a strong knowledge of color theory. You also need to understand which color represents which feeling and mood.
Make sure to carry out a lot of research before choosing the final color or a set of colors for the design project. Consider the message that you want to communicate to the audience. You may want to mean any of the following emotions or moods through corresponding colors:
- Red conveys a message of love, excitement, energy, determination, strength, passion.
- Focus on feminine, nurture, and care through pink.
- Offer affordability, stimulation, creativity, and food through orange.
- Pick a green palette to express reliability, luxury, optimism, well-being, safety, etc.
9. Communication and Soft Skills
Though your work profile demands in-depth technical knowledge, you can’t be too robotic when it comes to interpersonal communication. You have to efficiently communicate while dealing with your client or a creative director.
You’ll also find communication skills helpful while presenting your creative ideas to the client or supervisors at work.
Also, to adjust with the client or workplace, you need to possess soft skills like attitude, personality, motivation, flexibility, and etiquette.
10. Creativity and Imagination
What you do as a motion graphic designer is introduce life to a graphical element. You need to know multiple angles of portraying an art through animation.
In most cases, you should expect limited information and idea from the client. Some clients may only tell you about the product and ask you to create a convincing ad that sells.
Your creativity and vivid imagination will help you transform the simple idea into some attractive motion design content. You’ll be able to master this art through constant involvement in design projects.
Also, keep your mind open to inspirations that could come from the most unusual place that you can imagine.
Be a Brand Among the Motion Graphic Designing Professionals
You should now know which skills will turn you into a successful and highly productive motion graphic designer. Following these, you’ll also get more projects from global clients to build a great portfolio.
Additionally, such projects would also bring you more revenue, and you would be well on the way to establishing yourself as an impressive graphic designer.