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Tag: Motion graphics

  • 7 Amazing Motion Graphics Trends to Keep Your Eye on in 2017

    7 Amazing Motion Graphics Trends to Keep Your Eye on in 2017

    At Toolbox Studio, we are proud to be recognized as a top motion graphics agency in Pune. This recognition comes with a commitment to staying at the forefront of the latest trends in VFX and animation. When you choose our services, you can be secure in the knowledge that you are partnering with a team that is always one step ahead in the industry.

    To that end, here are 7 predictions for the most exciting motion graphics trends in the year 2017.

    1. Matte Flat Graphics

    This animated retelling of The Wizard of Oz story is a prime example of the trend to come of matte graphics. Only two years ago shiny, chrome and 3D graphics animation were prevalent in every form of animation and VFX. Throughout 2016 however, animations with simple colours sans all the sparkles have proven to be entertaining, uniquely charming and easier to create. Such matte animations bring across concepts and stories clearly, making it a go to for many motion graphics artists. Put together with the fact that these graphics are often cheaper and less time consuming to produce, you can be sure you will see them a lot more in 2017.

    2.Simple Animated Iconography

    Following in the same line is the growing trend of companies simplifying their logos. Minimalistic seems to be the way to go with an added simple animation to give it a memorable, on screen flourish. This creation for example is one of the many motion graphics services contributing to the rising trend, while this is the type of simplistic logo animation combined with the flat graphics trend that you are likely to see in the coming year.

    3. Whiteboard Animation

    A fantastic way to keep viewers engaged while explaining an important concept, whiteboard animations have been seen here and there for a few years. Examples include the ‘Draw My Life’ videos that many YouTubers created to connect with their fans. However, these whiteboard animations can even be used to sell a product or service, as is evidenced by this video for a real estate agent, or to address a social issue in a gentle way, as seen here. Whiteboard animations are also effective as training or instruction videos.

    4. Virtual Reality Storytelling

    Perhaps the most exciting and delightful of all the trends is virtual reality storytelling, in which the story of an animation takes place in a 360 degree space, with the viewer interacting with arrows to follow the subjects. This format of storytelling has huge potential because it physically engages the viewer, requiring them to really pay attention to get the story. Try it for yourself in this video! Unfortunately, there are fewer of these animations out there than we’d like to see, but hopefully 2017 will bring in a whole lot more. 

    5. Kinetic Typography

    The versatility of words combined with fast moving visuals makes kinetic typography another popular motion graphics trend. Whether it is to outline the lyrics of a popular song, like here or to explain an abstract concept, like here, the duo of words and animation makes this form of motion graphics ideal for explanation videos, illustration of theories, promotions or even to talk about sensitive topics such as abuse or discrimination. An endless number of organizations can benefit from a well-designed kinetic typography video, which is why we’re convinced we’ll see more of them in 2017.

    6. 2D 3D Mixture

    In a previous blog article in August, we defined isometric projection animation as one of the breakout trends of 2016. This trend, which you can see here, is going nowhere on account of its numerous pros. A mix of 2D and 3D in motion graphics allows creators the benefit of a cheaper production cost without compromising on the quality or appeal of the video. These videos are often visually distinct from the videos we have become used and have therefore become a great way to explain a complicated process or to create an addictive game.

    7. Retro Themes

    Remember 1982’s Tron, a movie based on an arcade style video game? The neon suits and colourful motorcycles became iconic, not only for their striking visual appeal but also because the effects generated for the movie opened up a whole new avenue of motion graphics. That same iconic style is making a comeback today, in videos such as this and this, showing that the use of such a throwback style can help to bring almost any idea across.  With presets of the retro style being added to software such as After Effects, there is no doubt that retro themed videos will make a strong appearance in 2017.

    There they are, the 7 motion graphics trends to keep an eye on in 2017. And as enthusiasts for all things motion graphics, we couldn’t be more excited to try and bring these trends to motion graphics in India. You might just see one of these in one of our 2017 projects!

  • 2016’s Most Exciting Animation & Motion Graphics Trends

    2016’s Most Exciting Animation & Motion Graphics Trends

    As the film, animation, gaming and tech industries get bigger each year and regularly churn out better-than-ever entertainment, there are always new techniques, processes and inventions that are developed and used in the creation pipeline.

    Here are 2016’s most exciting animation and motion graphics trends:

    1. Illustrated animation

    Though not exactly a new concept, using hand-drawn illustrations to tell a story instead of artificially creating a CG world is making a comeback. Advertisements, promotional videos and even video games have started to pair their 3D animations and effects with simple yet striking illustrations. Think back to Ice Age, where the story of how the mammoth lost his family plays out on the wall of cave in a flat, stick figure style. Using hand drawn frames to create animation is a great way to make it memorable to the viewer, which is why illustrated animations has and will receive much recognition this year.

    1. Isometric projection

    Rendering a 3D object in a 3D space takes up a chunk of post-production time and costs even more money. So isometric projection, a technique originally used by engineers, has come into play. It is a method that enables three dimensional objects, i.e. those with height, width and length to be represented on a 2D plane. It allows the objects to be easily viewed from a bird’s eye view as the camera moves in a wide angle along the X and Y axes.

    The effect, as you can see here, is visually attractive and will be employed by many animation studios in the coming years.

    1. Liquid motion

    Animation trends

    Applicable to both animation and visual effects, liquid motion is a style of animation that steps away from the regular, ‘sensible’ depiction of artificial movement. Instead of using the expected geometric shapes and lines to change from one movement to another, liquid motion creates a fluid transition between the shapes. The outcome is eye catching, often colourful, and enjoyable to the viewer because of the constant and unexpected changes. In traditional animation, liquid motion is often said to have a psychedelic effect but when used in a live action setting as part of VFX, liquid motion animation can create unique results reminiscent of the alien entity in Spiderman 3.

    https://www.rocketstock.com/blog/animation-inspiration-liquid-motion/

    1. NPR

    VFX trends

    Creating entirely CG, yet highly realistic wild animals (see 2016’s The Jungle Book), and making aliens in outer space look like they actually might exist has now become the norm. While viewing such realistic movies and games is highly enjoyable, Non-Photorealistic Rendering comes as a breath of fresh air for viewers.

    NPR is when 3D or even 2D software turns a realistic object into a stylized depiction that can be compared to those appearing in comic books. This is done either by applying a special shading material to the 3D geometry to make it look 2D or by manually painting over the film/image. The 2006 film, A Scanner Darkly is a good example of the latter, which used a combination of Rotoscope and cel shading, two techniques that Toolbox is very well versed in. Watercolour, sketchy and pen and ink drawing are other popular conversion styles.

    https://sites.google.com/site/mddn442/research-topics/non-photorealism

    1. 3D Printing

    3D Printing

    Though 3D printers have become accessible to the public and have been used to create everything from prosthetic limbs to machine parts, the scope of using 3D printed objects in animation or VFX is wide and uncharted. However it is gaining ground as evidenced by Laika’s brilliant 2014 stop motion animation movie Boxtrolls. The production involved using 3D printers to print over 53,000 facial expressions for the characters, which added nuanced but valuable detail to the film. In a similar fashion, VFX studios will begin to take advantage of 3D printed objects in order to bring a tangible realism to the effects.

    1. VR and AR

    The recent commercial release of devices such as Oculus Rift and HoloLens has made VR and AR more easily accessible than before. In the field of gaming especially, consumers have become aware that virtual reality makes gameplay even more immersive and interactive, leading it to become an in demand service. With even smartphones now able to support VR and AR headsets, the hype for a heightened gaming experience will lead to more and more VR targeted games. While there are many other industries that could benefit from an enhanced reality, VR and AR will remain in the gaming arena for the rest of 2016 and early 2017.

    From NPR to VR, 2016’s animation trends and VFX trends bring to our screens new and exciting ways of entertainment and marketing. If you’d like to find out how these trends can be employed to help your business, explore Toolbox Studio’s services today.