Definition of motion design

Hi there,

I hope I got the right forum for this.

I'm currently working on some kind of thesis centered around motion design. To start off it seems logical to first investigate the definition of motion design. Thing is, online sources going into this are scarce and those that do usually have different ideas on what the definition would be.

My question is: what is the definition of motion design? Is it the same as motion graphic design or is there a difference? If so, what the difference in your opinion?

Any replies will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Ben van H.

"...look at movie titles for recent films and you will see some amazing complicated work. Then look at some of the great titles of not that long ago and watch how simple they are. Technology has come a long way in a short period of time." - Stephen Smith

Complicated high tech work doesn't automatically equate to good design. Saul Bass was creating amazing title designs with motion graphics long before After Effects or any of the other modern day tools existed.

Regarding Motion Design vs. Motion Graphic Design, they are not necessarily the same thing. Some metal sculptors create huge structures that are designed to move with the wind. The motion is part of the dynamic of the artwork. Are these sculptors also considered motion designers? Was Rube Goldberg a Motion Designer?

Your post made me curious, so I did a little digging around to see if I could find a definition I liked. So far, I think Wikipedia's article on motion graphic design has the best definition:

Motion Design is a subset of graphic design in that it uses graphic design principles in a film or video context (or other temporally evolving visual medium) through the use of animation or filmic techniques.

I specifically like that it ties traditional graphic design and traditional animation/film technique together, but it's still broad enough to encompass Rube Goldberg.

Like Gary said, if you haven't seen any of Saul Bass's work on film title design starting in the 1950s, you should check it out. His optical work was incredible, and defined the state of the art at the time.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog - What I'm thinking when my workstation's thinking
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This is a topic that has fascinated me throughout two decades of film and video work. Many times, over the years, I have been invited to facilitate video making workshops.

The biggest obstacle for people I have observed is a general confusion between "thinking" and "tools". This is why people often spend large sums of money for what they think is the best hardware and software available and then produce crap. No amount of money and technology will help you if you are illiterate in the language of motion pictures which is another way of saying motion graphics.

The beautiful thing about being literate in film language (motion graphics) is it transcends existing technology and often generates new technology as it evolves. Mind you this language is just over one hundred years old and it is evolving rapidly. People have discovered very consistent elements of this language that are a kind of visual grammar. It can be applied in any medium - live action, animation, abstract, realistic, large screen or small. It will serve any artist or designer no matter how technology evolves. Think "story showing".

It is great to be able to feel this form of expression in your body as much as possible. Get away from the computer, go out doors with some friends and play with it. All you need is a video camera to begin the practice. Here are some games... http://www.moviegames.ca