Motion Graphics: Value in Video Marketing

In a world where attention spans are fleeting, and competition for engagement is fierce, you can't underestimate the power of eye-catching visuals. Motion graphics are the tool you need for your digital marketing! Motion graphics allow businesses to quickly and efficiently reach potential customers with bold, moving advertisements. This simple yet powerful form of animation is a fantastic way to grab and hold your viewer's attention without breaking your marketing budget. From subtle movements to captivating animations, motion graphics have the power to spark interest, convey clear messages, and leave a lasting impact.

In this article, we'll explore motion graphics and how to utilize this style to elevate your brand, capture customer attention, and take your videos to the next level!

Why Should You Use Motion Graphics?

Your target audience is already saturated with visual content, so when it comes to enticing new customers, video is the way to go. In fact, 85% of marketers say video is a powerful way to garner online attention. But people today rapidly consume vast content across different platforms and channels. As a result, they are more likely to move on if the content doesn't immediately pique their interest.

That's why using eye-catching motion graphics in your content marketing strategy is brilliant! Video content incorporating graphics and animation is a perfect way to increase your brand awareness and attract viewers. This creative style of animated videos surpasses the confines of ordinary static images by blending bold graphic design and movement. And motion graphics are incredibly versatile in terms of style application. You can use this type of animation for anything from explainer videos to product demos and include them in blogs, websites, social media posts, and more.

Motion graphics enhance communication by combining captivating visuals, effective use of color and composition, and well-timed movement. Partnering with a reputable motion graphics company can elevate your video content to the next level. These professionals specialize in creating eye-catching animations and graphic designs that will help you deliver precise information and convey even your most complex ideas concisely yet engagingly. In fact, according to Wyzowl, 94% of video marketers said using video helped increase user understanding of their product or service!

What Exactly Is A Motion Graphic?

A motion graphic, sometimes called motion design, is a form of video animation that creates immersive visual experiences that capture the viewer's attention. More specifically, motion graphics artfully combine graphic design, animation, and visual effects to produce dynamic visual content with motion. Simply speaking, it's a moving visual aid. These animated videos have kinetic text, shapes, and images that illustrate complex information but don't usually follow a narrative. You use motion graphics in situations where elaborate storytelling isn't necessary, such as:

• showcasing product features
• event branding
• illustrating concepts
• guiding users through interactions

You'll find motion graphics in a wide range of mediums, including film, television, advertisements, video games, websites, and social media content. They are frequently used to create title sequences, logo animations, explainer videos, user interface animations, infographics, and more.

Watch this excellent example of a motion graphic video made for Conductor.

How Are Motion Graphics Made?

Motion graphics designers use typography, shapes, icons, images, stock footage, overlays, and textures, to convey information, tell stories, and evoke emotions through motion. They employ digital software like Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, or similar applications to create and manipulate these elements, adding movement and effects to bring them to life.

This specialized software allows them to manipulate properties such as position, scale, rotation, opacity, and timing. Using keyframing, masking, and transitions lets the graphics move, change shape, morph, and interact with each other. This animation style has vast possibilities- limited only by imagination and technical skill.

The Rise of Motion Graphics

While 2D and 3D animation traditionally focused on long-form character-driven films, the introduction of online video and social media created a growing need for short-form video content. This was a perfect opportunity for businesses to advertise and promote themselves! That's where motion graphics came in.

Featuring moving fonts, overlays, and other graphic elements, motion design was the solution businesses were seeking to adapt to the digital world. Rather than conforming to those cinematic narratives produced by big movie studios, motion graphics created a space for moving advertisements. A dream for those in video marketing!

As explainer videos began to dominate the space of motion graphics, the demand for character animation began to grow. Artists began employing simplified character animation for their videos to fill this need and accommodate tight timelines and budgets. This created the world of motion graphics as we know it today!

Types of Motion Graphic Animation

A variety of animation styles make up motion graphic videos. Several techniques can even overlap to create a unique and memorable video. Some of the animation techniques used to create these videos are as follows:

2D Animation: 

This type of animation is the one you're probably most familiar with. 2D (or two-dimensional) animation forms the illusion of movement in a two-dimensional environment. Drawings of objects, characters, and backgrounds are sequenced together rapidly to give the appearance of motion.

Read Levitate's article on 2D animation here.

3D Animation: 

Unlike flat images in 2D animation, 3D (or three-dimensional) animation uses height, width, and depth to bring graphics to life. The perception of depth creates more vivid and realistic images. 3D animation lets you move and rotate characters and objects and view them from unique perspectives and angles.

Learn more about 3D animation here.

Motion Capture:

Motion capture, also known as mocap, is a technique that analyzes and maps the movement of objects or humans in real-time or through recorded data. It captures physical movements and gestures using specialized sensors, markers, or cameras, translating into digital animations or for use with virtual characters.

Kinetic Typography: 

Kinetic typography refers to the technique of animating text in a way that visually enhances its meaning and impact. It involves the dynamic manipulation of typography, including movement, scaling, rotation, and other effects, to create engaging and expressive visual representations of written words or phrases.

Stock Motion Graphics: 

Stock motion graphics animation is often confused with live video. Though it does contain live-action footage, it is actually animated graphic overlays on top of stock videos. Unlike live video, which captures real-time footage using a camera, you create stock motion graphics through animation software, combining animated elements and existing "stock" video content. This technique allows for integrating text, icons, or other graphics into the stock footage, enhancing its visual impact and storytelling capabilities.

Watch this example of a Stock Motion Graphics video created for Platform Digital.

What Are the Advantages of Motion Graphics?

By harnessing the benefits of motion graphic videos, businesses and content creators can effectively communicate their brand messages, leave a lasting impression on viewers, and achieve their marketing and communication goals. There are many advantages to using motion graphics, but here are six reasons you should be utilizing them:

1. FAST

Unlike live-action videos that require planning, shooting, and editing, motion graphics are created entirely within a digital environment. Combining that streamlined production process with pre-designed, reusable assets, quick revision capabilities, and faster rendering times, you can expect an overall speed advantage compared to other video production techniques. Motion graphics are, therefore, attractive for projects with tight timelines or when rapid content creation is desired.

2. AFFORDABLE

A big money saver with motion graphics is using pre-designed illustrations, icons, footage, and templates. These can be reused and repurposed across different projects, reducing the need for custom creations. This lowers creative costs by utilizing existing resources. Additionally, reduced physical production expenses, efficient workflow, time savings, and lower post-production requirements make motion graphics a cost-effective choice for video projects. These savings are significant when budget constraints are a consideration.

3. SHAREABLE

First, motion graphics are typically optimized for digital consumption and can be readily shared through direct links or embedded in posts, making it convenient for users to spread them across their networks. Second, they distill complex pictures, ideas, and a great deal of data into short, digestible, visually appealing videos. People are more inclined to share these concise videos. In fact, according to Brightcove, video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined.

4. CLEAR

One massive benefit of using animated graphics is the ability to visualize things that aren't possible in live-action. It opens up the possibilities of what you can show because it operates under fewer limitations than live-action video production. Furthermore, through the combination of animated visuals, text, and sound, motion graphics can effectively convey complex concepts, narratives, and ideas in a concise and compelling way.

5. VERSATILE

Whether it's explainer videos, social media content, presentations, advertisements, or training materials, motion graphics are easily adapted to various platforms and formats, making them highly versatile. In addition, multiple animation techniques can be applied or combined to create a unique video easily customized to suit your specific needs.

6. ENGAGING

These animated videos excel at capturing and maintaining audience attention. For example, tweets containing a GIF gained 55% more engagement than those without. That's because moving graphics are more memorable than static visuals. Potential customers are more likely to remember key messages, brand information, and product details. This keeps them watching, leading to higher retention rates and a fantastic ROI.

Quick Tips:

Regardless of the type or style of video, the overall production process remains the same. However, there are a few tips to keep in mind when creating motion graphics:

• Create intriguing graphics to catch the viewer's eye. Use bold colors, striking graphic images, and unique backgrounds.
• Make sure scenes flow smoothly, without interruptions. Transitions should have an intuitive movement and seamless cohesion and be intricately woven into the narrative.
• Keep your message under 2 minutes (or even shorter). Not only are short videos more economical to make, but they also cater to the demands of fast-paced lifestyles and quick, effortless content consumption.
• Use motion graphics at the right stage of your marketing. These animations work exceptionally well in the awareness and consideration stages.
• Don't stretch your resources too thin by over-complicating things. Keep in mind that a simple, well-executed video greatly outweighs a poorly- executed complex production.
• Use fewer words than you think you need. Motion graphics use design elements to tell your story, so let the design speak for you.
• Utilize a professional video production team. Don't waste your time and money on mediocre motion graphics. Pros possess skills and experience to help you create high-quality videos and get the most out of your marketing budget.

The Final Word

Whether crafting a simple infographic video that breathes life into statistics, an explainer video for a new product, or creating engaging social media content, motion graphics are invaluable in conveying your message effectively. This eye-catching form of animation offers a fast, affordable, and versatile way to communicate your ideas and captivate audiences across multiple platforms. Incorporate motion graphics in your video marketing strategy to spark interest in your viewers, gain new customers, and still have a few dollars left over in your budget!

If you're interested in using animated motion graphics, the experts at Levitate Media can get you started! Our professional team is ready to help you create an engaging motion graphic video. Get in touch with us today!