Motion Graphics Designer Job Titles

Motion graphics designer is more a job description than a job title, and, indeed, you can find yourself designing motion graphics wearing a different number of official hats. The hats usually indicate what specializations and specific responsibilities a job entails, and those can range considerably from straight motion design to editing to supervisory and managerial roles. At their roots (or to scale the upper branches of the tree) are the basic abilities of motion graphics design, although, as you move up the tree, you may find yourself doing more managing and less designing.

What is a Motion Graphics Designer?

Motion graphics shouldn’t be confused with character animation (such as you see in classic Disney movies.) Motion graphics are, rather, graphic design elements to which animators give the illusion of life. Although motion graphics existed before the 1950s, that decade is when the field came into its own, originally through the medium of animated main-title sequences for motion pictures.

The openings of Billy Wilder’s The Seven-Year Itch (1955) and Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) are prime examples of the groundbreaking sequences that set the tone for the movie to come. Both are the work of this type of animation’s key pioneer, Saul Bass. The two opening sequences combine kinetic typography, graphic devices, and drawn images. The result is opening credits that grab the audience’s attention. Bass’ tour de force was the six-minute end credit sequence for Michael Todd’s Around the World in Eighty Days (1956), which provides an entire synopsis of the movie in the form of kinetic sketches while the names of the actors with cameo roles in the film go by. It remains the ne plus ultra of end credits.

As far as the ne plus ultra of motion graphics at the start of a movie is concerned, the palm probably goes to the original Star Wars movie (recte: A New Hope.) The celebrated crawl that runs from the bottom of the screen to an imagined vanishing point in the middle of the screen was designed by Dan Perri, although the technique that held audiences spellbound for a minute and a half in 1977 actually dates back to the 1930s and both the Flash Gordon serials and Cecil B. De Mille’s Union Pacific, in which the disappearing crawl is superimposed on a pair of railway tracks.

In 1977, George Lucas had no choice but to lay the titles out on the floor and run the camera over them. With the subsequent advent of computer animation, such processes could be done virtually at the click of a mouse (and, in fact, the original Star Wars titles were redone using the new technology for later releases.) The ability to create computer-generated images with programs such as Adobe After Effects has completely transformed the motion graphics design industry. Creators now have a virtually unlimited toolbox at their disposal, and the days of awkwardly moving the camera to create the illusion of moving titles are long gone. Whereas the bounds of the possible were the problem faced by Motion Graphics Designers in the days of Saul Bass, the problem today is one of not doing too much and making sure the technology doesn’t become an end in itself. (A good example of doing an enormous amount with the available technology while still creating something satisfying and intelligible is the main title sequences for HBO’s Game of Thrones.)

Behind these little visual miracles sits the Motion Graphics Designer, who exists at the junction of graphic design and animation. To be good at this job, you need the graphic designer’s eye and sense of the visually attractive as well as the ability to operate the software software such as Adobe After Effects. The Motion Graphics Designer is responsible for both the vision and the execution, which are two very different processes, one that often requires traditional artists’ media, and one that calls for a computer. As a result, you’re unlikely to get bored being a Motion Graphics Designer.

Motion Graphics Designer Skills

Motion designers are expected to possess a basic repertory of skills, without which you simply can’t perform the tasks that go with the field. At the top of the list is the program that is a sine qua non for the creation of motion graphics: Adobe After Effects. Adobe designed it so that it would slip effortlessly into other programs in the Adobe Creative Cloud, especially Illustrator (for the creation of logos and static vector graphics), Photoshop (for the editing of still images before they’re brought to life using After Effects) and Premiere Pro (to edit the film you’ve helped create with your motion graphics.) Although it’s not an Adobe program (it’s manufactured by the German firm Maxon Computer GmbH), Cinema 4D is also important to know to get the most out of After Effects: the full version of the program is a 3D modeling, animation and rendering program that can have you working in the cutting-edge world of 3D animation.

Not everyone is completely enamored of the Adobe programs. There is a healthy selection of alternatives on the market, including Blender, Mocha Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Other entrants include Cavalry and ZBrush. And, if you want to work on video games, you’ll need to know some video game engine software, such as Unreal Engine, the game engine best suited for the creation of motion graphics.

In addition to these absolutely essential software skills, motion graphics designers should also be able to use traditional artist’s media. You may well have to sketch something on the fly to show to a client or otherwise work with pencil, paper, and the other tools graphic designers use, even as so much design work has gone digital. You’ll also probably be a better motion graphics designer if you learn to draw first, since drawing skills are transferable to digital design, and the reverse isn’t true. It’s a bit like driving a car: if you learn to drive on an automatic transmission, you’ll never be able to drive a stick shift.

Motion Graphics Designer Career Path

As motion graphics designers require a combination of technical skills and artistic ability, their career path begins with a solid education in both these aspects. You’ll need to know how to draw, and, although it’s not absolutely necessary, the ability to work in 2D animation the old hand-drawn way might come in handy at some point. It’ll also teach you a lot about animation that you can’t learn from a computer program. That said, animation today takes place on the computer, not on an animation desk, and you’ll have to be a master of the software that can bring static graphics to life. That means, at the very least, After Effects, and probably quite a bit more, although some of the more advanced software programs can be learned on the job.

You’re not going to get hired by Disney right out of school to animate their next full-length movie single-handedly. Indeed, the junior roles for Motion Graphics Designers, especially those at large companies with large motion graphics teams, will generally have you working on parts of a whole, and, often, not the most compelling parts. But you do have to start somewhere, and a certain amount of grunt work at the outset of a career never hurt anyone. You’ll also learn how to work on a team, and figure out how to apply what you learned in school to professional situations.

The more senior roles to be encountered at large companies generally involve responsibility for entire motion graphics projects. That may well mean being less hands-on when it comes to creating the actual animation, but you’ll get to be the one with the overall artistic vision, which you’ll then have to translate into terms that those working under you will be able to make into an artistic reality.

Working in a defined business hierarchy is going to come with just about any large company that employs a team of Motion Graphics Designers. You may find a role with a smaller company and be on your own, working under the supervision of someone who isn’t a graphic artist, the kind of person who says, “I want the letters of our company name to sprout feet and dance around in a circle” and leaves you to do it. Such a position isn’t too far removed from that of a freelancer.

Freelancers, however, are mostly their own masters and get to decide how to do their work. Unlike supervisors, clients simply place an order for the dancing letters graphic, and your job is to deliver it within a mutually agreed-upon timeframe. The problem with freelancing is that you’re going to face periods in which you literally won’t know where your next meal is coming from; as a result, it’s not a lifestyle for everyone. You need a certain amount of risk tolerance to work this way, along with no small amount of hustle, but forgoing a regular paycheck and benefits in favor of professional and creative freedom is a compromise many motion graphics designers (59% of them, in fact) are willing to make. 

Motion Designer

The job title most frequently encountered among motion graphics designers is Motion Designer, or MoGraph for short. These are the people who work hands-on with animation software and create the finished project. It can be an entry-level position, or it can describe an entire career. If you freelance, “motion designer” is likely what you’ll put on your shingle and business cards. Motion Designers, therefore, can work in teams or individually. The role involves getting your hands dirty with motion graphics software, so it’s creative, although, in a corporate setting, it also involves no small amount of taking direction from higher-ups. 

Compositor

Compositors have the responsibility for putting a bunch of visual elements, including motion graphics, together into a whole. Compositors, for example, put the CGI fire to a car or the CGI lightning to a storm. They sometimes create graphics on their own, but their main responsibility is putting it all together. Compositors generally work on larger teams, and often on larger-scale projects in which they can be called upon to create individual sequences. They need to know how to use motion graphics software to assemble their sequences, especially the once-and-future After Effects, but sometimes using other software such as Nuke, Fusion and DaVinci. They also need to be adept at rotoscoping and using cameras and lighting to complete their jobs.

Editor

Whereas Compositors have responsibility for individual computer-generated sequences, the editor is the person who’s responsible for putting a whole motion picture together. It’s a jump from Motion Designer to Video Editor, but your intimate acquaintance with After Effects will help you as an Editor. You’ll also have to learn to use video editing software, including Adobe Premiere Pro, and learn some film editing theory, either from classic texts or by paying attention on the job. It’s one direction to take your career if you want to remain in a creative role. Editors on larger projects such as films generally are employed on a project-to-project basis, so they’re more often than not freelancers, although agencies that produce commercials may very well have editors on staff.

Concept Artist

Editors and Compositors do their jobs downstream from Motion Designers, while Concept Artists work upstream of them. They’re the people who come up with the ideas that are then animated by the MoGraphs. More than anyone, they need to be able to draw and have all the skills of a regular graphic designer, as well as understand what’s feasible on the computer. It’s a role that calls for a lot of imagination and creativity, and, often, a lot of client contact. The Concept Artist also has to pitch ideas to clients and stakeholders, so the ability to be verbally persuasive and defend your ideas is part and parcel of the job. Motion Designers can become Concept Artists as a means of promotion. If you’re a freelancer, you wear both hats, since you have to come up with the ideas and then make them into a reality.

Art Director/Creative Director

As the presence of the word “director” indicates, Art Directors and Creative Directors occupy higher positions on the corporate ladder than any of the job titles discussed above. They make the important decisions, and they are responsible for supervising creative teams. You may well end up doing more managing than creative work in these roles, although, Art Directors (a term encountered more often during movie production) are also responsible for the full artistic vision of a movie, and not just its CGI portions. Costumes, scenery and props can all be under the Art Director’s purview, so it’s a big step away from motion graphics and the animating of explosions, and demonstrates just how far you can go with a motion graphics background. Creative Directors are usually encountered in commercial art firms: the role is managerial as much as it is creative, requires experience in marketing and branding, and involves no small amount of client contact. It’s another role that shows where you can end up if you start off as a Motion Graphics Artist.

Why Become a Motion Graphics Designer?

The most obvious reason for wanting to become a motion graphics designer is that you’re a visually creative person, and you want to figure out how to make money while creating some form of art. You could become a graphic artist, but the reality is that Motion Graphics Designer is a significantly better-paying career path. You may have an interest in animation, and even have learned how to produce hand-drawn work, which, admittedly, won’t get you too terribly far in the day of computer animation. If you can’t make a living at that (Disney’s last fully hand-drawn movie was 1989’s The Little Mermaid), you can make one as a motion designer if you learn the tech skills that will allow you to make the transition from traditional media to employment in a growth field.

Another reason for turning to motion graphics is that you come to the table with a lot of interest in computer graphics and want to put those skills into practice. You may want to work on video games, which require no small amount of effects that motion designers have to provide, or you can take a job with a movie or TV production company, with an ad agency, or with a large company that produces and manages its own visual assets. Motion Designer is an entry-level role that will allow you to get paid for your interest in motion graphics. You may not be as traditionally artistic as in the case described above, but your role will still be creative and open up horizons that include the directorial and managerial roles described in the previous section.

Learn the Skills to Become a Motion Graphics Designer at Noble Desktop

If you’ve decided that you want to make a career designing motion graphics, you’re going to need training, most particularly in the program that’s going to sit at the heart of your professional labors, Adobe After Effects. Noble Desktop, a well-known design and IT school based in New York City, can help you to become a motion graphics designer without a degree. Noble can teach you what you need to know with its Motion Graphics Certificate program, which includes instruction in After Effects, its sister video editing program Premiere Pro, and the 3D modeling program Cinema 4D. You’ll also have ample time and support to devote to the development of your professional portfolio. There is an even more thorough option, the Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate program, which includes everything in the Motion Graphics Certificate program, but is augmented by classroom modules in Adobe Audition, Adobe Photoshop, and state-of-the-art instruction in AI for Video & Motion Graphics. (The AI class is available separately, too.)

Both certificate programs include a number of 1-to-1 sessions with an experienced mentor who can assist you with everything from classroom matters to laying down a battle plan for the job market. You’ll also get a free retake option, be able to consult recordings of every classroom session, and receive fully live and fully hands-on instruction that will have you learning by doing rather than just sitting there like a lump trying to make sense out of video tutorials. You’ll be the recipient of Noble Desktop’s proprietary classroom materials and workbooks, which will be yours to keep for future reference. You’ll also earn a New York State-licensed certificate for your labors at the end of the course, which you can exhibit on your all-important LinkedIn profile.