Design in 2019 – what will animation and motion graphic design look like?

What do you think 2019 will hold for animation and motion graphics design?

This year we’re going to experience a mass adoption of motion graphics design and animation, perhaps more than ever before. As more brands look to use motion design to stand out on their social and digital channels, they’ll need to define their unique voice and stylistic approach. That brand-level need for differentiation will translate into more brands taking their motion identity seriously by clearly defining their personality through animation – whether graphic or using illustrative techniques.

In many ways, this will be a first for brands that are moving beyond the traditional static visual identity systems that they relied on in the past. On the trend-conscious and experimental side of motion design, we are going to see a lot more play with responsive typography and real-time type integrations into video using AR and VR frameworks. But these applications of the newer technologies aren’t for everyone’s taste or appropriate for most communications needs, so I expect these will stay on the fringes with a few notable and exciting breakthroughs.

What was your favourite animation or motion graphics project in 2018 and why?

I don’t have the words to express how taken I am with the creative animation techniques that went into making Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Every designer and animator that I’ve spoken to – regardless of their personal aesthetic – feels the same. It was a hugely entertaining movie, but from a design perspective, the film represents a stunning culmination of all of the technical disciplines and styles that were directly born from the motion design industry. It’s simply an incredible achievement.

On the other end of the motion graphics spectrum, I absolutely love Google’s Material Manifesto. Beyond the elegant animation of the piece itself, the robust systems thinking and clean design are so wonderful. It sums up just about everything that I aspire to in my work and sets a high bar for all brands which value the power of design systems.

Material Manifesto — Development Reel from Adam Grabowski on Vimeo.