10 motion design trends to try today

Whether you’re new to motion design or a seasoned pro with years of experience, there’s hardly a designer among us who isn’t constantly looking for inspiration to kickstart or improve their process. 

It’s all about using inspiration to come up with original takes and tricks that will set you apart. Clients want fresh and on-trend work and to stand out in the digital space. But how do you deliver work that sets you and your clients apart?  

Linearity designer Maddy Zoli has some great advice from her years of experience in the field.

We’ve compiled a list of ten of the most exciting motion design trends to add to your motion design toolbox. From kinetic typography to isometric shapes, there’s something to keep any motion designer’s work up to date and on trend. 

As always, Linearity is here to help you on your motion design journey. Linearity Move empowers you to produce high-quality vector animations in-house in minutes. With unique features like Auto Animation, Linearity Move lets you take your designs from storyboard to animation in a single click. 

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Liquid motion

As web browsers, mobile devices, and computers increase power, their rendering capacity increases. This means that animations and effects that were previously impossible to incorporate are now simpler and more powerful than they’ve ever been. 

Liquid motion is a prime example of an animation that wasn’t feasible before but is now accessible to designers and becoming more popular.

Liquid motion animations are on-screen movements with a water-like quality. These can include ripples and waves or any flowy, rippling effect that imitates liquids' behavior. 

The trend is especially popular in web design, where different interactions can trigger the liquid motion effect. For example, when a cursor hovers, it can create a rippling effect, or when scrolling, it can create a wave-like effect. 

Despite its seemingly simple and subtle effect, it can significantly impact the user experience and illustrate the power of good web design.

Combining 2D and 3D

In the past, good 3D design was only possible for big design studios with powerful machines, but now it is well within the reach of almost anyone. 

At the same time, 2D hand-drawn animation has been experiencing a resurgence and unlocking designers’ creativity. We see 2D and 3D combined in new and innovative ways, called Hybrid Animation, and we love how these two techniques come together.

Hyper-realistic 3D illustrations and animation are integrated with paper cutout 2D graphics, and more illustrative 2D animations are used in conjunction with 3D graphics. Bringing these facets together is an attention-grabbing graphic design technique that can pull the viewer in. 

Web design, typography, app animation, and illustration are just some formats open to a mashup of 2D and 3D worlds, and we think this is a motion design trend that will develop long into the future.

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Thin lines

Not all motion design trends need to be flashy and in-your-face. Sometimes, a simple and elegant effect can have a big impact. One trend that’s beguilingly simple is the use of thin lines and line art. 

The application of a thin line can really help to add definition to shapes and make them stand out. It can also help to provide direction. Motion designers are increasingly using thin lines in their animations because they can give animations the appearance of being hand-drawn.

A popular format for kinetic typography is in explainer videos and marketing visuals, often produced by companies who want to convey information in a clear and distinct way.

Kinetic typography

There was a time when kinetic typography was mainly confined to cinematic studios, particularly in the creation of film title design and TV show title sequences.

Kinetic typography is everywhere: from advertisements to web design, social media videos to app design. Working with text and fonts is one of the core tasks for almost every designer, and animating typography is a great way to kick your projects up a gear.

The options for kinetic typography are almost limitless. You can stretch, bend, and morph the text. Rotate and move it in various ways or play around with the shape, color, and style of the text. You can even apply 3D effects. The only limit is your imagination. 

We’ve also seen the emergence of some notable examples of kinetic and animated typography using handwritten and cursive fonts. Some techniques focus on animating a single letter or glyph at a time, whereas others place the focus on a word or sentence and use bold typography motion to make their narratives come to life.

Animated logos

Alongside animating text and fonts, animated logos are becoming more and more popular. In social media’s increasing battle for attention, many brands are now incorporating motion and animation into a logo. 

A motion designer can really experiment with a wide range of effects to transform a static logo, including morphing, rotating, and animating 3D elements of the logo. With the proliferation of good web and app design, it's one of the motion graphics trends that is set to keep going strong.

3D, 3D, and more 3D

There are no real limits to what a good motion designer can achieve with 3D design and 3D illustration and, thanks technological advancements, we’re seeing a very exciting reimergence of contemporary 3D design forms.  

This time 3D design trend lean more toward minimalist designs with pastel colors. We’re also seeing this applied with a hyperrealistic treatment that’s remained popular for the last decade of motion design. 

Game design is a massive proponent of 3D design. The popularity of gaming is seeing more and more 3D being used in the ‘real world’ of commercials, video content, sales and presentations. Pretty much anywhere that a motion design artist can fit this type of design into their work.

We expect incorporating 3D in your projects to remain one of the most popular design trends in the coming years. As computing power continues to improve 3D will only become even more prevalent.

Restricted color palette

It may seem counterintuitive, but having fewer design choices can often result in stronger designs. Like they say, less really is more sometimes. One motion graphic design trend that plays into this idea is using a restricted color palette. 

A color scheme that includes loads of semi-tones and a limited palette offers an approach to design that streamlines your workflow. A few well-chosen bright colors, subtle pastels, or a smattering of vivid colors can also improve your projects, creating a sense of uniformity in your animations.

Companies that want to portray a clear identity and style and have a high impact often lean into this graphic design style. With restricted color schemes, try pairing them with brighter colors. They work well with more muted colors, and neutral color palettes are also bang on-trend. 

The important thing is to embrace the constraints. As far as color trends in motion design go, this is one of the most simple yet stylish to embrace.

Seamless transitions

One of our favorite animation trends in motion design right now is super seamless transitions. Whereas a standard wipe animates on and off to cut from scene to scene, seamless transitions use different techniques to create smooth and fluid segues. 

A motion designer might use graphic elements to link from one scene to the next creatively. They may also use camera movement to create a natural feeling that blends scenes.

This trending technique is perfect for animated videos. A video that flows seamlessly from one scene to the next holds the viewer’s attention and adds dynamism to even the most basic animation sequence. 

Seamless transitions can also be used to good effect in web design, where animations using the technique can be both impressive to users and effective in capturing eyeballs. As far as animation techniques go, this is a powerful one to master.

Vertical animations

The rise in animations designed using a vertical orientation may not appear like a fundamental shift to animation’s traditional horizontal formats but these basic motion design conventions are changing. 

Motion graphics designers and animators have worked with a horizontal plane for decades. The unstoppable rise of the smartphone has seen animation artboards and canvases (literally) turned on their heads. 

Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram all use vertical video, meaning animated videos are now vertical, too.

For almost any modern company to succeed, they need a high-quality social media presence. For this, they need good social media visuals. Vertical animations are a key part of that, so expect to see this trend growing.

Isometric shapes

Beyond the trend

Trends come and go, but at the core of every animation is a commitment to strong, clear storytelling that engages the viewer, captivates their attention and makes them feel something. 

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out on your motion design adventure, making sure you have the right tools at your disposal can make all the difference. 

Get started with your Linearity Move account today to start creating animated content in seconds. 

Bring motion in-house

Animate marketing assets in seconds with Linearity Move.

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