The Bad Boys of Motion Design

There’s something infinitely beautiful about graphics in motion. The poetry of the movement infuses static visuals with new life,  reflecting the culture we live in. Below is a sampling of the best out there in contemporary motion graphics and the visual themes they share.

Theme: 1960s Nostalgia

Echoing a time when Saul Bass was the master of his medium, the 60s inspired opening credits for Mad Men, bring the classic era of title design into contemporary perspective.  Creative Directors Steve Fuller and Mark Gardner talk about the process for creating this instant classic for Imaginary Forces.

Kyle Cooper's iconic studio, became legendary after creating the title sequence for the movie Se7en in the late nineties.  Influenced in great part by his teacher and mentor Paul Rand, Cooper’s title sequences continue to inspire wild praise from artist and audiences alike. It was Rand who once said “…a work of art is realized when form and content are indistinguishable�.  Rand too, was a product of the optimism and adventurous spirit of the 50s and 60s.

Is it the economic climate that makes us long for a bygone era? Or the current digital revolution that makes us nostalgic for the golden age of space travel? Whatever the reason, this throwback style is here to stay.

Theme: Amorphous Liquid

Liquid seems to be a favorite theme of motion designers in recent days, echoing the trend in photography toward the capture of liquid forms, as with water droplet photography.

This piece from Psyop created for Fage Yogurt is a perfect example of this trend and the interplay of art, poetry and brand. The folks at Psyop have the rare ability to play at the intersection of creativity and commerce, creating commercial work with the nuance and fluidity of painting.  Their work transcends the limitations of the tool and pushes the industry to new horizons.

 Theme:  Illustration and Street Art

Illustration in motion is nothing new, but with an increasing trend toward natural themes and the continued evolution of the medium, there is a push to include the flaws that evidence the artist’s hand in the forms generated by animators and 3D artists alike.

In this vain, Umeric’s work is highly illustrative and imaginative. If street art could jump off the walls and bounce around, this is what it would look like. 

 

Theme: Natural Forms and Alien Organisms

There is something inherently beautiful in natural forms.  Think of the nautilus or ivy.  So, it’s no surprise that designers draw from these forms to alien proportions in motion design, especially as algorithmic animation techniques continue to allow artists to quickly render organic randomness in animated forms.   The flora and fauna of Avatar’s Pandora may have magnified this trend and while her sanity may be questioned, even Bjork leveraged the beauty of hair in past and recent work. Similarly, technology and nature merge in the work of Ayhan Cebe and others in the above examples of visual yum yum inspired by nature.