Beyond Static

Tracing the Evolution of Motion Graphics

For those of us paying attention to the world of animation, it has been amazing to witness the mind-boggling boom of creative output coming from the animation industry in the last seven or so years. ??

When retracing the steps that brought us all this goodness, it is fair to give credit to 3D engines such as Octane and RedShift , which have majorly simplified production, and significantly progressed both realistic and graphical daily expressions . In fact, speaking more broadly, it is glaringly evident that motion design evolves largely in synchronicity with creation tools. From the pixel art of the mid-80s to the low-fi grunge aesthetics of the mid-90s, and the lush vector illustrations that dominated much of the following decade, what these and other aesthetics have in common, is the direct connection with the tools that were popularized in those times.

Today, we are demystifying all kinds of creative processes via detailed YouTube and Patreon tutorials and bit-sized Instagram reels that give a peek into the daily rhythm of the makers we idolize. Equally, the tools that once felt out of reach to those without a PC have now been widely popularized on phones and tablet, both of which come paired with powerful sensors and a seemingly infinite app store.

However, it is AI that appears to be the biggest force guiding the direction where everything is headed. I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate all of you who have propelled motion design to where it is at today, and to wonder a little about what is likely on the near horizon.

Creative Rivalry & Mutual Empowerment

One of my favorite things about being part of the animation community, is how people naturally support and push one another to do better. Much of what I have learned over the years is thanks to my experiences with other digital artists. ??Looking over people's shoulders, asking questions in person, and to the broader community online, helped me advance by leaps and bounds. Yet, there has always been a kind of unspoken competitive atmosphere in the space of motion that I have found to be motivating and inspiring. Something which I have yet to find in the UX space.

Speaking of inspiration, one of my first sources of incredible content was MTV Brasil, which launched in 1990. Aside from the rare local animation festival, MTV was my window into the world of innovative animation and live-action storytelling. Music videos such as Daft Punk's "Around the World" by Michel Gondry, Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" by Spike Jonze, Bjork's "All is Full of Love" and Portishead's "Only You" by Chris Cunningham, as well as Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" by Jonathan Glazer, all made a big impact in the way I look at moving pictures.

Now, with my mind expanded, I began seeing films, special effects, and title sequences under a whole new light. In this space, I was excited about the work of Kyle Cooper , especially the title sequence for David Fincher’s film "Se7en" in collaboration with R/GA , and later of Danny Yount 's opening for "Six Feet Under" . Both of which I felt were equally unmatched, but eventually came together at Prologue .

Once I had finally begun creating moving images of my own, the internet was already the De facto new window into the world of motion. Around 2000-01, it was embellished with experiments that blended unrefined 3D shapes, photography, typography, pixel art, and early visual effects. A mixture that Gmunk mastered in those days. ????

Personally, I was attracted by the simplicity of vector art, and how expressive it could become when intricately animated in Flash or After Effects along with music. I had fallen in love with the limitations that illustration in motion had given me. In that respect, the work of Psyop , MK12 , Buck , Lobo , The Designers Republic , and many more were all strong inspiration. This phase seemed to last a while with a batch of new animation studios emerging at the blink of an eye.

As years followed, I noticed a reduction in illustrative executions, and a rise in popularity across the mediums of photography, stop-motion and live-action. I had the opportunity to experiment a bunch in this direction, including this music video for Modest Mouse. This shift into a more photographic execution carved space for talented independent creators like Patrick Clair of Antibody to step into the spotlight with the forever elegant "True Detective" and "Westworld" title sequences.

It wasn't much longer before animated graphics popped back into the forefront. The Nike ID campaign by ManVsMachine for instance still stands as one of the pieces that inspired us all for years. From that point on forward, studios like Tendril , The Mill , Blur , Buck , and others took front stage, and showing their craft was worthy of not only our TVs and our mobile devices, but also of the big silver screen, with Ash Thorp 's work as my favorite example worth citing. ????

As I reflected over the latest tools and aesthetic trends, it occurred to me that a film I had recently watched, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" ???, was the perfect example of how far animation has come. The film itself shows off a multitude of 2D and 3D techniques that are expertly woven into an aesthetically cohesive, groundbreaking, and mind-blowingly beautiful story.

AI and Spatial in Motion

It is now 2023, and we live in a world where designers have become accustomed to the dazzling speeds of GPU-powered rendering engines that stretch stylization and realism like never before. At the same time, two new technologies enter the scene with a promise to disrupt visual arts of all kinds: Generative AI and Apple's Vision Pro .

On the AI front, it is easy to see how new tools like Adobe's Firefly and Runway's Gen-2 are offering entirely new ways to create. The former, preserving the artist's role as the driver by framing AI as the co-pilot, and the latter tries to re-think it entirely with a more unpredictable result as we have all seen from Dall.e and Midjourney to mention a few.

The latest example of how AI can change how we create comes in the form of Method Studios ' opening titles for Marvel's new series "Secret Invasion" , which was created using generative tools (it reminds me of Midjourney V2 ??). From what I can tell, there was plenty of animation and post-effects done to a series of stills and animated clips. Regardless, it received an avalanche of criticism once the use of AI was confirmed by the director.

The story behind the series is about aliens that come to Earth and take the form of humans to wreak havoc. So, at a conceptual level, I would agree that using AI as a tool would be a valid extension of the show's story. However, as exciting these tools may be, it is needless to say that it was still a poor choice given the current Hollywood writer's strike , which is happening in part to reign in regulation of AI use in entertainment. To watch the whole thing in high-quality, head over to Disney+.

I'm surprised that it took this long for artists to experiment on such a prominent show, but I'm confident it won't be the last. As I proposed earlier, we are all using the latest tools at our disposal, and Generative AI won't be left out.

Now onto Spatial, or Immersive Design: For decades, artists, designers, and film makers have been using digital installations, projection mapping and other techniques to experiment with the medium. I still remember some of the first Bill Viola exhibits I was able to attend. He has an innate talent for making you feel immersed in each piece, despite how simple it may technically be. The international art collective teamLab typically goes extra mile, leveraging every single inch of a space to tap into each visitor's senses, altering their state of mind, and giving a feeling of having been transported to a different world.

I like to think of these kinds of experience design along the same lines of what is possible in virtual reality and, having worked on HoloLens and in VR , I have for long dreamed of applications that leverage the tech for immersive art rather than productivity or entertainment.

As Apple enters the medium of spatial design, I feel re-energized by how it may create a new storytelling platform for digital artists, and how it can be powerful catalyst for motion designers willing to make the leap from video to interactive. Along with this newfound space for digital art, I also believe Apple's participation will raise the bar for UX and visual design across the entire medium. The artworks "Poiesis" by Future Deluxe and "Artificial Spaces" by Someform and SixnFive , both created using Unreal 5, give me hope that we may soon experience some beautiful things on the Vision Pro. This is an opportunity that goes beyond the vanity of creating for a device that will, for some time, still be inaccessible to most. Instead, I see it as one of our collective first steps to eventually making the latest art expressions more accessible to all, with animators, tech artists, designers as the bunch that paves the way.

Regardless of these technological trends, it is worth remembering that it is the way we see the world and how we choose to express it that ultimately matters, not the tools themselves. Despite my love for what digital can afford us, I recently began drawing once again, and am taking on ceramics as ways to have a more tactile connection with what I make.

Where do you think animation is headed? In the age of digitization, do you also see in the horizon a greater valuation of art that is tangible and handmade? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. ????

Thank you for reading.