If you’ve spent anytime on facebook recently, you’ve probably been subjected to Kylie Jenner’s goals for 2016. Spoiler alert: It is as terrible as you’d imagine. If you don’t have time or just don’t care to watch the video, simply hit your head against the nearest wall until there is a sharp pain in your ears.
At One Floor Up, we feel like 2016 is going to be a bit less about “realizing stuff” and a bit more about getting better at what we do best – producing great work. To do this, we thought it would be helpful to identify some of the hottest motion graphic trends for 2016. So let’s get to it!
1. Stroke-based iconography
Simplified, stroke-based designs have been popular among the design community for the past few years, and we think the trend will continue in 2016. The minimalistic style is modern, cost-effective and visually appealing, making it a good solution for clients on a limited budget.
2. The Retro / 80’s look
From vinyl records to mid-century modern interior design, retro is making a comeback. Motion graphics are not immune to the resurgence and are typically embodied by things like neon pastel colors, VHS tape distortion, and 8 bit music. This motion design trend relies heavily on nostalgia to leave a unique and lasting impression on the viewer.
3. Escheresqe Transitions
Anyone familiar with MC Escher’s work can probably guess why these type of transitions are gaining popularity with motion designers. The smooth and constant motion paired with sudden changing of perspective drives viewer engagement by making the viewer more eager to fully embrace the next, visually-correct scene. These transitions have an immediate “payoff” for the audience in the same way that optical illusions tend to fascinate us and force us to look back at them again. The only drawback however, is that creating this look takes a lot more time and effort than “traditional” motion design, and as such, can require a much larger budget to pull off.
4. Mixing 3D and 2D
Up until the last few years, it was very rare to see motion graphics work that featured 3D objects within a 2D environment. Recently though, mixing 2D and 3D has become a lot more common.
5. Simple character design
As motion designers, we absolutely love this look. It’s clean and simple in terms of the design, which in turn helps to cut down on animation time. Win-win.
6. Looping gifs
While there isn’t a consistent or defining style to looping gifs, they are poised to be one of the most used techniques for 2016. Looping gifs can take 15 seconds of content and turn it into endless engagement. These gifs are extremely shareable, great for embedding within websites, and the looping aspect makes it easy to watch again and again.
Talk to a motion designer at One Floor Up about your next project!
