Final Post

Putting design into motion opens up so many doors for new opportunities and means of expressing an idea. It was critically important to learn AfterEffects; it is such a powerful tool – although the application also has its own limits in terms of manipulating truly 3D objects. But learning this app starts putting my mind into a different frame of thought when trying to move things with the illusion of depth (ie depth cues, focal point, etc etc).

The print half of the design world is focused on capturing a still shot of something well composed and visually appealing. Motion design is more about creating a string of well composed and visually appealing objects that the viewer can remain fixed upon. However, it still builds upon the basic principles of what good design would look like, and many of the elements in motion parallel the design elements in print, whether it be good typography or a compositionally strong screen.

Although the concept development behind the 3-minute sequence wasn’t new – brainstorming, creative brief, storyboarding, etc. – things definitely played out differently once the graphics were built on screen, rather than paper.

I definitely found this course as an eye opener. In fact I can confidently say that I’ve learnt more new things (designing in motion, learning new applications) in this course alone than I have all year. It was worthwhile!