In this article we define what motion graphics is. We also provide real world examples of motion graphics videos used for business and nonprofits. We end with insightful tips on how to make motion design videos that stand out.
Motion graphics are animated graphic shapes, text, icons, or charts that are brought to life through movement. It can be either to convey information, tell a story, or enhance visual appeal in multimedia projects like videos, advertisements, and digital media
Motion Graphics can be best defined as Graphics in Motion. If anyone where to ask, “What is motion graphics?”, you could probably say motion graphics are animated graphic design elements.
They’re used to simplify ideas, hold attention, and guide the viewer’s eye.
Unlike full character animation or live video, motion graphics focus on visual clarity and branding. That’s why they’re popular in marketing campaigns, explainer videos, product demos, and social media content. Animation is a broader term used to describe graphics and characters movement non-live action videos.
Motion graphics work well when you need to:
The usage of motion graphics animation began as early as the 1800s. Walter Ruttmann, a German cinematographer experimented in abstract film making using shapes and forms, and produced the first known film that used moving graphics.
Credit: Wikipedia
In the 1950s, designer Saul Bass changed how we see opening titles. His bold, minimalist sequences for films like Vertigo and The Man with the Golden Arm showed that graphic design could tell a story through movement.
Other creating geniuses such as John Whitney created motion graphics title sequences for Alfred Hitchcock movies. Saul Bass also contributed to the development of motion graphics with title sequences that were known to communicate the mood of a film effectively. Saul Bass was the person behind some of the most iconic opening titles such as Vertigo.
By the 1990s, TV networks used motion graphics to brand shows, segments, and news. Adobe After Effects came along and changed everything—suddenly, designers had full animation tools on their desktops.
Fast-forward to today, motion graphics are everywhere: in your mobile apps, in Instagram ads, in SaaS product demos. They’ve evolved from title sequences to essential tools for digital storytelling.
Each type of motion graphic video style plays a different role—explaining, visualizing, or grabbing attention where it counts.
Text-based animation that adds motion, rhythm, and clarity to your message. Great for promos, announcements, or bringing voiceover to life. Can be used to emphasize quotes, stats, or taglines in video and social content.
Most TV shows, movies, video Ads, and explainer videos, use motion graphics animations. Just like one of our own video productions below, you’ll find extensive use of motion graphics throughout, which complements the character animations.
Motion graphics are one of the most efficient ways to communicate complex ideas and build brand presence—without the time or cost of live-action production. They’re widely used in marketing videos, product explainers, training content, and branded social media campaigns.
Here are three reasons businesses rely on motion graphics to get results:
People process visuals faster than text. Motion graphics use animation, text, and icons to break down complicated topics into simple steps. If you need to show how your software works, explain a service, or walk users through a process—this format delivers clarity fast.
Branded motion graphics make your content instantly recognizable. Custom colors, animated logos, and consistent transitions help create a visual identity people remember. Motion also increases retention—viewers are more likely to stay engaged with content that moves.
Live shoots require actors, gear, and locations. Motion graphics skip all of that—without sacrificing quality. They’re easier to update, reuse across platforms, and adapt for different audiences.
Here are some examples or motion graphics we created for some of our amazing clients. Each video uses a unique style that appeals to its intended audience. You can find more motion graphics examples on our YouTube Channel or take a look at our portfolio.
Clarity means your audience never has to guess what you’re trying to say. Avoid jargon, long sentences, and ideas that go off-topic.
From simple presentation graphics to more complex storytelling videos, making a motion graphics video should follow a process. Here’s how most professional studios—like Creamy Animation—create motion graphics from start to finish:
In the early stages of creating your video, you need to answer the question of the type of video you’re making, who target audience is, and how long it should be.
Write a video script using the techniques explainer in this script writing guide.
The storyboard is a sequence of boards that shows scene by scene sketches of what the final video will show based on the timestamp in the video.
Define the style of graphics that will be used — the style frames. Style frames show the visual tone—colors, fonts, and illustration style.
This is where the designer team creates the graphic elements: icons, characters, charts, UI screens—everything that appears on screen. Design stays consistent with your brand.
Everything comes to together. Our motion designers animate each scene using software After Effects or Blender, syncing movement to voiceover or music.
Voiceover gives your script a human touch. Sound effects and music add rhythm and energy. Good audio brings the visuals together.
Need to make an animated motion graphics video? Creamy Animation is one of the top motion graphics companies based in Vancouver. We’ve partnered with large organizations such as Logitech, Fujitsu, Impark, Microsoft, and Blockdaemon. Our main services include marketing videos, training videos, corporate videos, and other motion graphics animated videos for business and non-profits.
Our combination of creative writing and story-driven videos help you connect with your audience on a personal level and deliver your message in a clear and concise manner. Check out our portfolio, this work review, or our video below.
With the advent of the digital revolution – you invariably perceive visual learning in every aspect of your life. Motion graphics animation can result in higher ROI and fundamentally complement infographics because of higher retention value and captivating a brand’s image.
Additionally, the cost of making an animated graphics presentation is comparatively less than that of a live action video.
Businesses can create a positive image of their brand through an effective animated video. But most people fail to pay attention to the production value of their videos. Remember, your consumers are smart enough to distinguish between an amateur and a professional video. The above SaaS video is an example of a well produced marketing video.
Finding the best animation companies for your type of project is a good start. A good team of producers, videographers, and script writers who know how to attract the best customers, is crucial to creating hard-hitting videos.
The best animation apps and motion graphics software on the market will help you create amazing animation videos. Look around and you’ll see that some of the best marketing videos use the motion graphics animation style. With motion graphics, the reality could be stretched and segmented into endless possibilities.
Some of the best motion graphics software is used to create high-end animation for movies and tv spots.
Adobe After Effects is by far the best motion graphics software for creating animated videos. It has a short learning curve and takes just a few lessons to understand how the animated motion graphics software works. At Creamy Animation, this is our go-to software for creating motion graphics video you can see in our portfolio.
Most professional 2D and 3D animation softwares are complex and have a steep learning curve, while the easier ones will only let you produce amateur looking visuals. The best motion graphics software is just a tool, and the tool is as good as the person using it.
You can experiment with gradients, various typography, incorporate grains, use transitions, glitch effects, and combine traditional 2D and live-action footage.
The use of Layered and Kinetic typography, for instance, has become popularized in major Hollywood blockbusters.
Although this is just the tip of the iceberg – the market is filled with retro, virtual reality, minimalist, explorative, logo-oriented, and interactive uses of motion graphics.
Similarly, this has expanded and altogether revolutionized the way we communicate. This appeal of motion graphics is a testament to how it can select the basic elements of cartoonish and rudimentary animation and turn it into a visual marvel.
Motion graphics ultimately amalgamates the movement and animation of the graphics to create a unique narrative style of storytelling. The underlying purpose of a narrative is to evoke emotional resonance.
The internet is filled with countless motion graphics examples and innovative templates to create online videos. And at the end of the day, video content is viewed as a visual aid that can simplify the complexity of a product or service such as SaaS companies.
Church motion graphics are used for displaying information during church services. Concert motion graphics displays are used to create a desired mood at events.
Plain infographics can come alive by integrating animated graphics in the content. You can create a diverse range of infographics using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.
Video content creation has increased more that 10 times. This continuous standardization has significantly boosted motion graphics inspiration among creators.
Your animated infographics can be tailored depending on the extent of available data. You can use a number of options to visualize, compare, create a timeline, pyramids sections, interactive, instructional, numbered, or map-based animated infographics.
That said, an animated infographic can be used to create educational, entertaining, corporate or awareness videos. Also, the rhythm of the style can be paired as a slow-motion or fast-paced. Consequently, your interaction would be slow with the excessive amount of data.
In the realm of digital marketing, video reigns supreme. This kind of motion media was a preserve of the movie industry. Opening titles and the closing credits featured graphics into which life had been injected.
Fast forward decades later, they are now very much being used in video marketing material. In simple terms, motion graphics are graphic elements that have been animated. Marketers use motion graphics for various purposes, including explainer videos because they easily clarify a concept.
Per data from a report by the Content Marketing Institute, close to three-quarters of marketers consider video production as the top task in their content strategy.
Nevertheless, a majority of them don’t create anything out of the ordinary. Incorporating animated graphics into this strategy is a great way to climb head and shoulders over the competition.
Below we find out just why motion graphics are the way to go when it comes to marketing content and handling social media.
The current overly digital era contains way too much content for most people to lack what to watch. So, if you offer content that the audience considers boring, a more interesting thing is just a click away.
You, therefore, need to make sure that individuals in your target market perk up when they come across your content. Using motion graphics is a great way to do that.
Now, consider this. You’re in charge of marketing an appliance or machinery. The unique selling point of this product requires technical explanation. The obvious approach would be to get an expert to explain this.
And not to paint technical experts with the same brush, but that video is very likely to induce several yawns. However, animated graphics make it more interesting, and crucially, they explain the concept much better.
In a saturated market, having a strong brand identity increases the slice of market share in your business’ favor. If potential customers are aware of your brand, they are more likely to proceed through to the last stage of the sales funnel.
With conventional video production, you can craft an identity. However, the overhead attached to producing live-action content that fully incorporates your brand’s voice and ethos can run up to where it’s not profitable anymore.
When it comes to animated graphics, however, you can deftly include several hints that point to your brand. The audience can easily pick up these identifiers in any subsequent productions that you green-light.
Every time someone comes across your video, they will instantly recognize the brand and pay more attention to it.
This video animation content lends itself well to social media. Motion graphic videos are short and get straight to the point. Add that to the fact that they are visually appealing and you have a recipe for success on social media platforms.
Share ability also taps into another prominent aspect of video marketing – mobile. According to the IAB Video Advertising Spending Report, a third of digital marketing budgets are allocated to mobile advertising.
This is no surprise given that the majority of people interact with their social media platforms via their mobile devices. Tailoring motion graphics to dovetail with mobile devices is a great way to move your marketing strategy ahead.
Check out this piece of video marketing content and note the length. It packs all the important information in just a minute and a few seconds. This makes it easy for people to understand and share it with families, friends and colleagues who they feel are interested in the product or service in the video.
As we have alluded to before, motion graphics package complex information and present it in a form that ordinary members of your target market can easily understand. This cuts out the expense of having to get someone to explain something that a few graphics can easily illustrate.
Live-action video production is quite expensive. It requires securing a location or studio and an entire crew. Furthermore, the process requires hiring talent and equipment like cameras.
On the other hand, motion graphics cut down costs considerably. All the work can be done on a computer with the help of motion graphics software like After Effects. It also consumes less time to complete.
Another aspect that puts motion graphics ahead is the fact that they can be made without any sound. Many people watch videos on mute when using their mobile devices. This can be because they are at work or in a public place.
Although live-action video might employ subtitles, they can be a strain on the eyes. They also require concentration to keep up with the message of the video.
With animated graphics, however, the text itself is animated to both pass on the message and also keep the audience engaged. In this example, the video animation has sound but one could also understand it when the sound is off.
Creating visual content makes it easier for people to understand your business, what you do and why they should buy from you. If you’re a Nonprofit and need striking visuals to connect with your audience, animated graphics would be an ideal tool to use. Find a video making company to help create your video content.
Illustrate complex statistics and explain sophisticated concepts in an attractive and engaging medium.
Now that you understand what motion graphics are and how to use them, let’s go out and make one. As video is fast accounting for the most internet traffic, creative people are finding ways to make more video content faster and cheaper.
If you need a professionally produced motion graphic video, check out our portfolio or request a free consultation.
