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If you want to cut through all of the noise online and grab an audience’s attention, action is what you need!
That’s why motion graphics are such a powerful tool for captivating audiences. Whether it’s on social media, in an engaging explainer video, or a striking title sequence, motion graphics have become an indispensable tool to marketers everywhere.
So, if you’re a budding motion graphics designer looking to get in on the action, then you best hone your skills!
Luckily, we’re here to help! Understanding common pitfalls that can derail your projects is a great first step toward creating more polished, professional work that stands out in a crowd and gets the attention that you or your clients or are looking for.
Today’s blog is going to walk you through the top 10 mistakes to avoid in your next motion graphics project so you can kick your skills up a notch and start netting more clients with your work!
Why is Motion Graphics Design in Such High Demand?
Motion graphics have transitioned from a novelty to an essential tool in visual communication.
The reason for motion graphics being so popular is driven by several key factors. Let’s explore some of those below:
- Increased Engagement—Motion and 3D graphics capture attention much more effectively than static images or text. Your audience is constantly being flooded with content, so the dynamic nature of motion graphics stands out, leading to higher engagement rates.
- Many Uses —Motion graphics can be easily adapted for a variety of different platforms, like websites, social media, presentations, and more.
- Storytelling —With the combination of visuals, motion, and sound, animated graphics are an incredibly powerful medium for storytelling. They allow complex ideas to be communicated clearly, which makes them a favorite for content like explainer videos, product demos, and brand narratives.
- Cost-Effective Animation—Compared to traditional animation or live-action video, motion graphics can often be more cost-effective and quicker to create, while still looking polished and professional.
- Visualizing Data— Data plays a big role in decision-making and marketing. Since motion graphics make it easy to present complex information in a visually appealing and easily digestible way, this makes them extremely useful for bringing to life content like infographics, charts, and statistics.
- Digital Marketing—The rise of video marketing has naturally made motion graphics more in demand for eye-catching ads, social media content, and website visuals.
- Shift Towards Video Content— More and more viewers are consuming video content on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. That’s where the audience is, and that’s where marketers have chosen to use motion graphics to connect with their audience in a fun and dynamic way.
10 Mistakes Motion Graphics Designers Should Avoid
Because good motion graphics designers are in such demand, we feel that you should know exactly what makes for good motion graphics design!
Below are the top 10 mistakes that graphic designers make and that you should take extra care to avoid in your creative process.
1. Rushing Through Planning
As with any project, if you rush into it without a plan and a strong foundation, your results are going to suffer.
So, before you even fire up Adobe After Effects or Cinema 4D, take some time to answer the following questions:
- What is the goal of this motion graphics project?
- Who is the target audience?
- What is the overall message you’re trying to convey?
Once you’ve got that narrowed down, then create a storyboard. This is a crucial step for helping you visualize the flow and sequence of your animation and will help you avoid wasting time and eliminate the chance of inconsistencies as you work.
Be sure to also set a realistic timeline for yourself. Creating motion graphics is a labor of love that takes time. Rushing through it because you set an unrealistic deadline could result in subpar work, which you definitely don’t want!
2. Overloading Your Visual Effects
As dynamic and engaging as motion graphics are, there is a limit to what the human eye can take in.
When too many visual effects are packed into a single project, the result can be overwhelming instead of having the impact you’re looking for. Plus, they can make your entire project harder to render.
To avoid this, use effects that serve a specific purpose and enhance your narrative, like a subtle fade-in transition that guides your viewer’s attention to a new scene or a text sequence that takes the viewer through the most important information.
Every visual element should contribute to the overall story or the emotion you’re trying to convey. Effective motion graphics are all about striking the right balance and using your effects to draw attention, not to distract!
3. Ignoring the Principles of Animation
The fundamentals of animation are extremely important for creating smooth and professional-looking motion graphics.
When you ignore these principles, your results will feel unpolished and …off.
To get the best results out of your motion graphics, be sure to stick with what works! In case you need a refresher, here are some key principles of animation to keep in mind:
- Easing In and Out — Objects in motion don’t start or stop all at once; they gradually accelerate and decelerate. Easing into it adds a natural flow and makes movements feel more realistic and less mechanical.
- Arcs — Most natural movements follow a slightly circular path or arc, rather than a straight line. Animating along arcs helps to create more fluid and realistic motion.
- Follow-Through and Overlapping Action — When one part of an object stops moving, other parts continue to move (i.e., if a character comes to a sudden stop, their hair might sway, or their hat might fall off). Overlapping action, where different parts of an element move at slightly different times will make your results more realistic.
- Secondary Action — Adding smaller, complementary movements, like a character’s clothes swishing as they walk, gives depth and complexity to the animation, making it more engaging and fun to watch.
- Squash and Stretch — This principle conveys weight and flexibility. For instance, a bouncing ball should compress (squash) on impact and stretch as it rebounds to add a sense of realism.
4. Not Telling a Story
Ideally, this should be taken care of during your planning phase!
Remember, without a clear narrative, your motion graphics can seem disjointed and confusing to your audience, no matter how good they look!
A strong story gives your animation direction and purpose and guides your viewer through the content in a way that’s engaging and memorable. It’s not just about moving elements around a screen; it’s about creating a sequence that communicates a message or evokes an emotion in your viewer.
Whether it’s a product demo, an explainer video, or a brand story, create a narrative around it. This will not only make your content more relatable but guide your design and help your viewer connect with the message on a deeper level.
5. Overcomplicating Your Design
You may be tempted to flex your motion graphics designer skills by adding multiple elements, intricate details, and complex compositions to your project.
Which can definitely work if your project calls for it!
But remember, overcomplicating your design can sometimes do more harm than good.
In motion graphics, adding too many elements and details can easily overcomplicate your design, leading to confusion for your audience and causing them to miss the key message you’re trying to convey. The more components you include also increase the risk for errors like misalignments or timing issues that can take away from the overall quality of your work.
To avoid this, keep things simple and clean to make sure every element serves a purpose and aim for an impactful and clear user experience.
6. Bad Timing and Pacing
Timing and pacing are crucial elements when it comes to any kind of animation or video and can make or break your viewer’s experience!
If your animation is too fast, your viewers might not have enough time to absorb the information you’re presenting, leading to confusion and diminished impact. Too slow can be even worse, creating sequences that drag on forever and causing your audience to lose interest and check out.
Striking the right balance with your pacing and timing will keep your viewers connected with your content without feeling rushed or bored.
And while we’re on the subject of timing and pacing, another huge element of that is syncing up your audio.
Which brings us to our next point …
7. Overlooking Your Audio
While, yes, your visuals are the most obvious part of motion graphics, remember that audio and video play an equally important role!
Neglecting your sound design can cause even the best, most visually stunning work to fall flat with your viewers. Without the right audio elements, like background music, sound effects, or voiceovers, your animation can feel off and incomplete.
Be sure to carefully consider how your audio complements and enhances your visuals. You want your audio and visuals to sync properly to keep your viewers immersed and engaged.
You should also pay attention to your sound mixing and balance your audio levels so that no single element overpowers the others (unless it’s supposed to, of course) and your animation is flowing smoothly.
Giving your audio the attention it deserves elevates your entire project and will create a more engaging and well-rounded final result!
8. Not Keeping Your Style Consistent
This is true for all motion graphics projects, but especially true when working within a brand’s identity.
Not keeping your style consistent can result in a confusing final product that weakens a brand’s identity and makes it harder for the audience to recognize and connect with.
Branding aside, when mixing too many different visual styles within a single project, you can create a result that’s fragmented and harder for an audience to follow. This lack of cohesion can make a project feel amateurish and disjointed, reducing its impact and leaving your viewers unsure of what message you were trying to convey.
Maintaining a consistent style throughout your motion graphics project will work to create a positive and engaging experience that boosts your connection with your audience and gets your message across!
9. Creating For Only One Platform
These days, audiences engage with content through a variety of different platforms and on a variety of different devices.
So, if you focus your final product to work on a single platform during your design, you can significantly limit your content’s potential reach and effectiveness.
Instead, try to find out in advance where your work will be featured and design with these multiple platforms in mind, making sure that your motion graphics are adaptable and optimized for multiple platforms. Start by understanding the technical specifications and user experiences that are unique to each platform and design flexible, scalable elements that can be easily adjusted for different formats and screen sizes.
Consider also making multiple versions of your final product, varying content length, and optimizing file size to keep up the quality across all different platforms your work will be used. Be sure to test your graphics on each platform too, to make sure they look and perform the way you want them to!
10. Not Gathering Feedback
Don’t be afraid to share your work with others before you turn it in to your client or use it for your own purposes.
Getting feedback from others can help you identify issues you might not have noticed, like technical glitches or design inconsistencies, or just give you a fresh perspective on your own work from an outsider’s point of view.
So, send your work around to other motion graphic designers or even to some friends. You never know! This could be just the opportunity you need to refine and enhance your work and come up with the creative solutions that lead to a more polished final product!
Looking for an Outlet for Your Motion Graphics Skills?
We hope you’ve found this list of motion graphics design mistakes helpful to you as you continue on your journey to be a pro designer!
And if you’re already a pro designer and looking for a career in motion graphics and a place to put your skills to good use, then we have a suggestion for you.
Why not join your talents to the Designity community?
Designity is made up of the best of the best in fields like graphic design, video production, web design, copywriting, digital marketing, and more, and we’re always looking to add new talent to our ranks!
As a Designity motion graphics expert, you’ll enjoy a wide range of perks, like competitive pay, a consistent workload, a variety of different clients from different industries, a flexible work schedule, and a 100% remote environment!
Best of all, you’ll be able to work with and learn from top designers and Creative Directors to keep your skills sharp and continue growing as a professional!
So, if Designity sounds like a gig you’d enjoy, then don’t wait! Put your skills to the test with our one-of-a-kind application process and let’s see how far you can go!
Are you ready to jumpstart your creative career?
