Motion Design Online · Alexander Catanese · Summer 2021

Motion Design
Online

Motion Design is a design approach and process being utilized globally at an increasing rate, both in the fields of design and communications. In this online course, students will explore various types of motion design, focusing on foundational principles, concepts, contemporary practices, and software.

This is an exercise and discussion based online class and will challenge students to actively create hands-on work in order to learn the various stages of the motion process. Students will also have the opportunity to learn industry-standard software such as Adobe After Effects and Photoshop.

To get started, click each section below to open it.

Getting Started

Each Unit below will generally follow the same structure. 

1) Watch the Lecture
2) Watch Available Tutorials
3) Submit Your Lecture + Tutorial Notes
4) Work on The Exercise and Get Instructor Feedback

As a general note, some exercises and lectures may reference Google Classroom from previous classes. For the purposes of this section, please feel free to ignore those parts of the video.

Read the Syllabus

View the Project Rubrics

Join the Slack Channel

Unit 01 · July 6–9

Intro to Motion: Applications, Processes, and Principles

This unit will focus on gaining an introduction to Motion Design, including the many mediums used to create motion design and its practical applications. Students will begin to work with the processes, prototyping techniques, and principles of motion design through creating a storyboard and flip-book.

Watch the Lecture

Exercise 01

Storyboarding became popularized through the animation process of Walt Disney Studios in the 1930s. For motion designers today, they’ve become an invaluable tool and an essential part of the design process. Flipbooks can be traced back to the earliest animation devices such as phénakisticopes, praxinoscopes, and zoetropes. They highlight the transitions which occur from one image frame to the next, and serve as a foundational tool for understanding and creating motion. This project combines methods both as a means of getting started with exploring the motion design process.

Read the entire brief below and get started. Post your progress on Slack at least one time during the process.

Unit 02 · July 12–16

A Brief History of Motion Design

This unit provides a historical foundation for motion design, and encourages students to use the basic concepts of film animation to create their own stop motion animation.

Watch the Lecture

Exercise 02

Étienne-Jules Marey and Edward James Muybridge are credited as pioneers in the early days of creating motion pictures. Their work set a precedent for creating the illusion of movement through fast-paced photographs. Today, stop motion animation is still a common method employed by motion designers.

Read the entire brief below and get started. Post progress and questions on Slack. Submit your exercise when you're finished.

Unit 03 · July 19–August 6

Motion & Metaphor + Intro to After Effects

This unit will introduce After Effects. This section of the course will introduce students to a common challenge in motion design: creating metaphors with typography and movement.

Watch the Lecture*

*This lecture includes instructions for Exercise 3.

Exercise 03

When we add motion to graphic design elements, we decide how they move, behave, and transition. During this design process, we attach expressive qualities to them, creating analogies and metaphors to express their movement. Motion itself is inherently symbolic.

Read the entire brief below and get started. Post progress and questions on Slack. Submit your exercise when you're finished.

Student Examples

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