The big hitters for animation and motion graphics in 2022…

Early in May we reported how the motion graphics industry is becoming an increasingly important player in the advertising world. But that’s not the only sector these skills are sprinkling fairy dust on. So we thought we’d take a quick look at the top stars in animation and motion graphics, including the best techniques that are trending right now. 

Animated Logos  

This is a biggie as it attracts attention right away. There are a range on offer, the most popular being hand-drawn animated logos, hiding & revealing logos, rotating logos, morphing logos, 3D animation logos, and expanding logos. Loud or elegant, the logo is the first thing we see on a website. If it ain’t revealing the brand’s personality within a second, you might as well forget it. 

Thin Lines in Animation 

This is the motion graphics come-back kid of 2022. The key is for it to look hand-drawn via skilled manipulation of clear lines and shapes. Traditional crafts are hot right now, and so the fresh approach is to bring sketching skills to screens, creating moving lines that come to life through doodles. 

Seamless Transition 

This one adds a blur effect as our eyes leave one clip and pass on to another. This gives website visitors a smooth ride through the sequences, whilst creating an overall calming effect. 

Mix and Match of Styles 

Another hot trend this year is mixing 3D, 2D and stop-motion animation. The most successful blends create a hybrid animation video that wows visitors with constant surprises to the eye. 

Animating in Virtual Reality  

This is the star of the show in the gaming and entertainment industries right now. Virtual reality has become a mainstream tool in a lot of animators’ kits, mainly because it allows them to create everything to scale while they’re immersed in the digital environment. These scenes and animations can then be transferred to other 3D programs. It’s the thoroughly useful real-time changes in VR that make this an absolute must have for designers right now. 

Morphing and Liquid Motion 

This frame-by-frame technique takes the animation back to its roots. Morphing and liquid motion gives shapes a liquid appearance, which blends these elements with a fluidity that fascinates the viewer. Liquid motion is a 2D animation style that provides an illusion of never-ending motion. It gives a seamless transition from one frame to the next, with this fluidity maintaining the audience’s attention.