Motion Graphics Designers give animation and movement to static design elements. An important aspect of receiving professional motion graphics training to set yourself up for a career change is learning what kinds of fields and industries that training will help you find work in. Each industry will have different requirements and expectations for prospective employees, and you should consider these expectations when you start your training. This is true for students who have an idea of what kind of work they want to do and those who aren’t yet sure what path they want to take after learning motion graphics skills.

What is Motion Graphics?

Motion graphics refers to the field of visual design concerned with digital animation and film editing. In motion graphics, students learn the tools that will allow them to create animated images that can be layered onto designs in applications like Photoshop and Illustrator, giving motion to otherwise static images. Motion graphics training also serves as an entry into the world of film editing, as motion graphics classes teach students how to use the tools that are used in the film and television industry to create special effects and post-production edits. Motion graphics tools create animated web assets, digital logos, responsive and interactive infographics, and other animated visual content.

Motion graphic artists use Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D to build animated designs and assets. Using these tools, motion design artists can produce vibrant animations that fully utilize the digital canvas. Motion design also relates closely to video editing, so motion graphics training covers how creatives use digital tools to both cut and mix film clips. Additionally, the training covers how to edit those clips using tools to correct colors, how to use green screens, and how to replace cell phone displays. These skills will allow creatives to take static designs and enhance them with dynamic motion animations that give life to their visions.

While some people think that motion graphics and animation are the same things, the two are quite distinct. Animation is a term that covers all types of moving images, from cartoons to clay animation. In contrast, motion graphics is a type of animation that is focused on giving movement to static graphic design elements. Another major difference between the two is that animation typically tells a story, while motion graphics is more focused on communicating a specific message to the audience.

Read more about what motion graphics is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Motion Graphics Skills?

With motion graphics training, students will learn how to build dazzling graphic animations that add life to their creative projects. Using After Effects and Premiere Pro will train students to start working with complex, animated graphic designs, ranging from digital animations to animated logos and infographics. Using these tools will allow students to create elaborate animations that will take their graphic design projects to the next level. By learning how to render animations in Cinema 4D, creatives will be able to develop the skills necessary for entering into an in-demand career field.

Motion graphics is closely related to film editing, and learning these tools is ideal for anyone hoping to work on the digital side of the film and television industry. Special Effects Artists and Film Editors use motion graphics animation skills, particularly those working on effects-heavy content. Motion Graphics Designers in the film industry can be found doing a wide variety of different things, such as working on the typography and graphics for a movie title or credits, designing visual effects for a music video, creating graphics for a news show, or making an infographic for a documentary.

There is also a high level of demand for Motion Graphics Designers in the field of web design. Websites have become an important part of daily life worldwide, and most consumers spend hours a day online. Motion Graphics Designers create graphics that help ensure that the websites these consumers visit are interesting, balanced, and easy to understand. Research shows that motion graphics boost traffic and help sites retain customers. In fact, websites that don’t contain motion graphics are often seen as outdated.

Whether students hope to be part of a professional design team that brings fantastic scenarios and characters to life or just want to enhance their creative projects by adding animated assets and elements, learning motion graphics skills will help them achieve those goals. In addition, learning motion graphics skills will help students expand their creative toolkits and begin working on even more exciting projects.

Common Industries That Use Motion Graphics

Motion graphics is a type of animation that involves bringing static images to life. Motion Graphics Designers create graphics for a wide range of media and work in diverse industries. 

Film and Television

The film and television industry is one of the most common places to find Motion Graphics Designers. These designers create motion graphics and special effects for videos, television shows, and movies. They can be found doing a wide variety of different things, such as working on the typography and graphics for a movie title or credits, designing visual effects for a music video, creating graphics for a news show, or making an infographic for a documentary.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Special Effects Artists and Animators have a good job outlook, with employment expected to grow about 5 percent in the next ten years, which is about as fast as the average. The Bureau also reports that many in this industry, 63 percent, are self-employed. While Special Effects Artists and Animators generally work a regular schedule, extra night and weekend hours can be needed to meet deadlines. BLS also reports that California employs the most people in this field, with many concentrated in the Los Angeles area.

Web Design

Web Designers design and create websites, and motion graphics have become an integral part of that job. If a website only contained text, visitors would quickly be overwhelmed or lose interest, so Web Designers frequently add motion graphics to their pages to break up the text and add interest. Research shows that motion graphics can help boost traffic and retain customers. In fact, websites that don’t contain motion graphics are now often considered to be outdated.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, web development and digital design jobs are expected to increase by 23 percent over the next ten years, which is much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. One reason for such strong growth is that websites have become an important part of business worldwide. Surveys show that a large percentage of companies and organizations maintain a website, and of those that don’t, many have plans to in the future. 

Research also shows that website design is important to business success. For instance, in 2021, LinkedIn reported a number of statistics related to small businesses and websites. It found that three-quarters of people formed an opinion of a website based on its appearance. This means that good Web Designers are in demand.

Advertising

Motion Graphics designers play an essential part in the advertising industry. Since there is so much digital content, consumers can quickly move on to something else if they get bored, so companies must develop innovative ways to capture an audience's attention. Researchers have found that incorporating motion graphics into branding and advertising is an effective and engaging way of communicating with consumers. Motion Graphics Designers who work in advertising produce animated logos, work on parts of advertisements like lettering, and design entire ads. They create content for various media, including television, the internet, social media, and mobile apps.

Digital marketing is a type of advertising that involves marketing through digital channels such as social media. It has become an important type of marketing in recent years due to the fact that most people spend hours a day using digital media. This type of marketing often incorporates motion graphics. Digital marketing tops many current lists of in-demand jobs. For instance, LinkedIn calls it a “booming career.” Most researchers believe that experts in digital marketing will only become more sought after in the future.

Video Gaming

Video games are a big business. Market research company Grand View Research reports that in 2021 the global video game market was more than $195 billion and that it is expected to grow more than 12 percent in the next eight years. This growth is partly driven by smartphones making gaming more accessible. The Entertainment Software Association reports that more than 215 million Americans regularly play video games and states that the industry is an important part of the U.S. economy.

Motion Graphics Designers create animations and special effects for video games. They also play a significant role in promotions for games. For example, they might create content for screensavers or ads that promote the game. Some Motion Graphics Designers work on content for ads inside the game. Motion Graphics Designers work all over the country. Yet, according to a recent Forbes article, California is one of the best places in the United States to find a job in the video game industry.

Learn Motion Graphics Skills with Noble Desktop

Students looking to learn motion design skills should consider the hands-on training options available through Noble Desktop. Noble offers courses for experienced and novice designers covering specific skills like After Effects alongside more career-focused bootcamps like the Motion Graphics Certificate program. Available both in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and online, these courses are taught by experienced instructors who are there to help provide students with feedback and assistance on their designs. Even online, class sizes are small, ensuring that students won’t have to fight for their instructors' attention. Plus, all these courses offer a free retake option for students, letting them retake the course within one year. This gives students a chance to go back over skills they had difficulty with, attend missed lessons, or get more hands-on experience with motion graphics tools.

For students who have some design experience or who just want to learn a new tool to add to their creative toolkit, Noble offers several skills bootcamps designed to teach students how to use Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D. These courses are designed to introduce novice users to the basic functions of these essential design tools. Students will learn how to build simple animated images and layer them onto Photoshop and Illustrator designs. Then, students seeking more training can take Noble’s After Effects Advanced course to learn how to composite video footage, animate shape and text layers, and learn practical chroma key skills. These courses don’t require knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop, but some proficiency is very helpful. Students interested in receiving this background training should look at the graphic design courses offered through Noble.

Students seeking a more career-focused training course may wish to consider Noble’s Motion Graphics Certificate program. In this course, students will learn how to use Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Cinema 4D to create motion graphic designs and edit video clips. Students will get hands-on experience working on the kinds of creative projects they will work on when they enter the workforce. A part of their training will be a professionalization seminar designed to teach them how to get involved in the motion graphics and video editing industry. In addition, students will receive one-on-one career mentorship from Noble’s career professionals and dedicate substantial time to building a practical demo reel that students can bring onto the job market.

Students interested in learning more about these courses or looking into their other training opportunities should consider Noble's motion graphics design courses.

Key Takeaways

• Motion Graphics Designers are found in a diverse array of industries.
• The film and television industry employs a significant percentage of Motion Graphics Designers.
• Motion graphics have become an integral part of web design.
• Advertising often incorporates motion graphics as a way to capture the attention of an audience.
• Motion Graphics Designers create content for video games and work on video game promotions.
• Noble Desktop offers many different motion graphics classes, in-person at its New York City campus or live online.