Choose a format
In this step we will have to make a fundamental decision: What are the exact measurements of the canvas we will use to draw our design on? What is the format of the composition? In most cases it will have the standard aspect ratio of 16:9. This is the most common used format because it matches most of your audience’s screens. If you produce in 16:9 chances are high that your viewers can watch your motion graphics in full screen, with every pixel their devices have to offer. People are accustomed to 16:9 like they are accustomed to the standard format for paper. And that is why changing that format always feels kind of special.
From the beginning of human art (and by that I mean a damn long period of time) artists used the proportions of their format to support the
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message of their paintings. They have not been interested in standardized paper sizes or calibrated formats. That was the birth hour of extremely tall pictures, wide ones, round ones, triangular canvases, … each one edging its contents in the best supporting way.
I think most motion graphic designers underestimate the power of format. But why? Even when you have the guideline to produce in 16:9, you can still choose another format and in the end put it into a 16:9 framing using black bands (or even white or colored bands). Of course, sometimes you have clear orders to obey but if it is you who decides about the format, I would never just go with the 16:9 format just because it is a generally accepted standard.
The proportions of your composition can have an enormous influence on how your final work appears to your audience. The more you go into portrait format, the more dynamic your general look will get. High
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formats are restless. Extreme high formats create the impression that the whole image might fall apart, this suggests a feeling of motion. A lot of professional designers avoid the portrait format in motion graphics because it reminds us of those unprofessional smartphone recordings that emerge when you hold your camera the wrong way. Portrait formats also have the side effect that they leave a lot of blank space on a widescreen device (unless you can hold it vertically of course). However, sometimes the portrait format might be the right choice for your design.
The horizontal formats are the most common used formats in the art of motion graphics these days with 16:9 and 21:9 proportions leading the way. These broad formats have a much more passive character because they seem to comfortably rest on the screen. Today they match most people’s viewing patterns. Formats at about 16:9 have established because they are in harmony with the human eyes and are totally comfortable to
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feeling of an epic cinema screen. Of course you can also create an even broader widescreen than 21:9 like a panorama view. Force your audience to look around and let them discover the details of your design. With panorama formats you can create remarkably complex worlds. But keep in mind that your audience must be able to follow your designs so mind the timing of your animations!
Squarish formats have an extreme balanced and calm character. They represent the stage where portrait formats meet horizontal formats. The classic 4:3 format is nearly a square. If you want to capture, for example, the retro charm of a classic tube TV, 4:3 might be the format of your choice.
And again the question: What is the message and the resulting tone of your motion graphic? Choose your format accordingly!
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Arrange your composition
In the next step we divide our format into several areas and thus establish the basic, static layout of our composition. By doing this you first need to know what kind of graphical elements you have to prioritize in order to give them more space and a better positioning. Are you planning to transport a clear message through mainly text? Then your text needs to be the primary element. Are you going to tell a story with some animated characters? Then these have to occupy the perfect position. A basic design rule is: Layout follows function! So at first you need to know what you want to tell your audience and then you can outline a first sketch of your layout. I prefer to draw these sketches on real paper, but you can of course also use any software you like. I still would not use your motion graphic software at this point, as it distracts too much from the actual task. And at the beginning it’s always a good idea to work with the most basic tools to keep a clear head.
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Again: This process is just for the basic, static layout! We do not position any elements yet. We just make a first consideration about how to split up our screen into different areas in a meaningful way. This arrangement of areas can either lead to a harmonious or a disharmonious impression of your design. If you want to achieve a harmonious layout, which might well be so in most cases, you can follow two common principles: Symmetry and the golden ratio.
When things are symmetrical they are balanced. They occupy the same screen space on both sides of your composition, this leads to harmonic layouts that might even get way too harmonic. In order to build up tension I would recommend to always break up symmetry at some point, but we will talk about developing suspense in a following, incredibly exciting chapter. (See how I actually build up tension for this book? Tension is vital!) Just remember: Symmetry equals harmony!
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Arranging your composition in the proportions of the so called “golden ratio” will also result in well balanced and aesthetic layouts. Two lengths are in the golden ratio if their ratio equals the ratio of both of them together to the longer one (see figure). Many artists and architects have followed the golden ratio for thousands of years. It can be found everywhere: In paintings, in antique statues, in many buildings, in modern design, even in nature! Quantities that are based on that ratio always are aesthetically appealing. The golden ratio is the basis for perfect proportions. Try to use it as often as you can in your designs, and not only when it comes to the basic layout. The sizes of your shapes may profit by the golden ratio or the positioning of your texts and graphical elements. 3. Pr epar ation | Format and C omposition
Playing with elements
“Playing with elements”. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? As if we were able to control the four elements! Hey, this would actually be a great idea for a TV show: Different people control different elements and then they fight against each other! Then a famous director who is known for his great mystery stories with surprising endings would make a movie out of it which will be a massive flop that finally threatens the director’s whole career. That would also be a surprising ending… I want to be part of the fire nation. Where is the lighter I wanna torch something! Just kidding. You know I’m sitting in an airplane, so playing with fire would be rather dangerous. This area is controlled by a pilot who is drunkenly flying through some massive turbulences. We will not play with fire right now. Not yet. In a later chapter we definitely will, so be ready to fetch the extinguisher! For now we will just start playing around with some temporary design elements to get a feeling of where we will position them. These elements do not have to be the final ones of course (we will
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have to keep some work for the production part) so you can use any placeholder you want. For now we are just testing which positioning will work and which we should forget, as part of that it is a good idea to put a layout grid over your composition to subdivide your format into several parts. It is a matter of taste, how detailed you want to make your grid. I would recommend a size that is not too small and not too big. A grid that you can later display in your motion graphic software for example. Your grid may consist of simple squares or rectangles or you might even divide your grid in the golden ratio for extraordinary harmonic arrangements. During the process of positioning elements a grid grants security and prevents chaos, that way you can work much faster and more systematically.
When it comes to checking out some arrangements I still like to work with analog tools: After having decided on a format, I would cut it out of
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into a basic layout and a neatly arranged grid. I would also take a pencil to sketch some shapes, filler texts and placeholders for other graphical elements. Then I cut these elements out to move them around freely on my grid. (For that just press the “c”-key on your keyboard and move the mouse around your piece of paper. Just kidding. Of course I don’t use a mouse to cut out real paper. I use a trackpad! With sharp edges!)
Now it’s time to test several positions and arrangements of the elements and to get a feeling for the one that works best according to (you guessed it) the message of the final motion graphic. Then you should have a first impression of how your static design might look like in terms of format, layout and arrangement. If you are going to produce a longer animation with many different arrangements, that shall be transitioned into each other (which normally is the case in motion graphics, except for logo animations, etc.), you should develop an arrangement for each single phase of your animation.
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3.3 Storyboard
In the final step of the preparation phase we will have a closer look on how our design might look in motion. For this we need to visualize motion and animated elements on a static medium. The headline has already revealed what I am talking about: a storyboard. Storyboards are in many regards just like comics. They consist of a sequence of several images that relate to each other in a comprehensible way.
Filmmakers love storyboards! They are the best and easiest tool to plan a scene. Every major change of a shot gets its own little drawing on the storyboard. Many notes and arrows are used to indicate what happens between the several images and which elements are moving, if the context doesn’t make all of that info obvious. There are infinite ways to create a storyboard. Some people create rough scribbles, or even full on
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masterpieces. Others outsource their drawing process to other artists or companies. Some people, mainly the ones with the rough scribbles, like to support their images by many notes and explanations about what they had in mind. These notes can be instructions for the camera, reminders for the production department, time designations for the several shots, and so on. I personally like to develop my storyboards on paper (sadly I have to number myself among the people with the rough scribbles), but there is also a lot of software that provides pre-built elements to play around with such as characters, shapes, etc. Of course this software must at least be capable of displaying all of your previous results (format, layout, arrangements).
So how do we start with the storyboard? It’s actually pretty simple: We take everything we have so far – and that should be several rough sketches (from the previous chapter) on the format of our choice with basic arrangements of temporary elements – and arrange them in the
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right order of time to get a first base frame for our storyboard. These sketches are the keyframes of our storyboard. Now we need to decide how many images we have to put between these keyframes to achieve a sequence of images that is also comprehensible to outsiders. The more images you draw the easier it will be to follow your trains of thought. The storyboard for a motion graphic designer is like the script for a movie director.
I know the process of preparation can sometimes be a bit boring, but it is exactly that process that distinguishes professionals from amateurs and beginners. After you’ve gone through this preparation process, you should have a detailed plan that will guide you through the whole production. You’ll always know what to do next which will enable you to create our own, unique motion graphic design.
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4. Production
Finally, with your concept and your storyboard at hand, we are now ready to enter the most interesting part of our motion graphic development: The production! As part of this we will first take an in- depth look at different graphical elements we can use for our motion graphics and what narrative benefits each one of them has. We will learn about different shapes and their meanings, all kind of footage, fonts and colors. Then we will blend everything together in a meaningful design and finally set everything in motion. Enough introduction – Let’s roll!