Animation Vs Motion Graphics

There’s so much confusion in the world of design and creativity when it comes to understanding animation Vs motion graphics. It's common to see these terms often misused, even among professionals, so I wanted to shed some light on the difference between one and the other.

What is animation?

Let’s start by defining each term. Animation involves bringing static images to life through movement. As simple as that! This can be done with many different tools and techniques.

What comes to most people’s minds when they think about animation? Disney movies, cartoons and animated series, but the truth is, that these are only a small part of the world of animation.

The most basic and traditional form of animation is done frame by frame where each frame is drawn individually. A better term to refer to this kind of animation is also "cel animation". Even if this is quite time consuming nowadays there's still an enormous amount of cartoons and animated series that are animated frame by frame (just using digital tools instead of pen and paper).

What is motion graphics?

Motion graphics or motion design, on the other hand, is one of the genres included within the world of animation. It mostly consists in creating moving simpler graphics to communicate a message or tell a story. They can be simple, like logo animations or social media ads or they can be more complex featuring characters and environments. The difference is that a motion designer doesn't necessarily need to know how to draw.

Even in the motion design realm there's various subdivisions like 2D and 3D animation, among others.

In conclusion…

So, which is better, cel animation or motion graphics?

It depends completely on the project and your goals! Do you want something that's more realistic and might look more like a cartoon? Like this TVFCU commercial from Giant Ant or do you prefer simpler graphics and bolder colors? Like these animated ads for McDonalds from illo.

These both are amazing ways to bring your ideas to life and captivate your audience. Whether you’re telling an epic story or explaining a complicated concept, there are no limits to what you can achieve with the power of animation, and depending on your project, I can help you include these techniques in your marketing strategy.

I hope this article helped you understand a bit better what's the difference between these two terms.

See you soon!