Last month I had the opportunity to write an editorial article for Media Inc. magazine—an industry leading Northwest marketing and advertising publication. I wanted to examine a topic that was not only relevant but that provided opportunities for fellow industry members. Here at HB Design, we’ve experienced a drastic increase in motion graphics work throughout the last few years. I was excited to share with others the benefits and value of digital multimedia as an educational and awareness building device.
Below is the article.
Motion Graphics’ Rise as the Communication King
More and more clients are realizing the value of digital multimedia as a means to communicate complicated messages and concepts. This area of design has moved at an incredibly fast rate over the last decade due to advances in technology and software. At HB Design, our work in motion graphics has tripled in recent years. With so much hype surrounding this industry, it’s advantageous to examine the driving force behind motion graphics’ success.
Motion graphics encompass everything from highly-produced effects for movies, to basic animated charts. Essentially, motion graphics are used to communicate. Sometimes this communication is for entertainment value, but more frequently we’re seeing them used for educational and informative purposes.
Motion graphics enable data, hierarchy, chronology, and processes to be communicated clearly and concisely. They typically incorporate multiple multimedia assets such as video, audio, animation, illustration, and typography. This is why motion graphics are such a powerful and valuable tool for communicating. Additionally, multimedia software has dramatically improved in quality and decreased in price throughout the last decade.
Due to the broad spectrum of motion graphics needs and technologies available, various niches have emerged throughout the industry. Some agencies focus solely on 3D rendering, illustrations, or special effects. At HB Design, the majority of our work is within educational, informational, brand recognition, and awareness building segments of the market. Our clients typically approach us with a specific communication problem. We’ve found that motion graphics are an incredibly powerful tool that can solve multiple communication challenges with one solution.
The ability to communicate several messages and achieve numerous objectives via one piece of collateral makes motion graphics a cost effective solution for many clients. Additionally, these pieces can have a huge customer reach thanks to social media and networking sites. Increased impact is another advantage of motion graphics. Animated visuals depicting data are more compelling and easier to comprehend than text-based information. Copy and audio can be incorporated to enhance messages and make dry statistics feel powerful and dramatic. Furthermore, the combination of audio, visuals and text appeals to various learning styles. This allows a larger number of people to digest and retain information, compared to only utilizing one or two learning models. Higher retention rates mean higher awareness and brand recognition as well as better training and educational results.
With so much excitement and so many possibilities in the motion graphics market there is a huge opportunity for the design industry to provide valuable and compelling materials to clients.