Motion Graphics: Holding attention in the visual age

We are living in an age of visuals: the average internet user spends 145 minutes a day looking at social media, where they’re likely to see around 100 advertisements vying for their attention. But how do you catch the eye of the consumer? And how can you meaningfully communicate information to the viewer in the short time you’ve got their attention?

While a still image can be glanced over and understood in almost an instant, video forces the viewer to stop scrolling and pay an extra moment of attention in order to fully get the gist of what they’re seeing. This is reflected in the fact that video advertisements garner almost twice as many clicks as still images - but what if you don’t have the budget to put on your director’s cap and hire a camera crew?

Enter motion graphics.

With technology ever evolving, motion graphics are becoming more and more accessible. They are now easier to produce than ever before, and are the perfect solution to communicating concisely and effectively with the consumers of today.

So what exactly are Motion Graphics?

As early as the late 19th century, the futurism movement and its desire to create art that engaged with multiple senses fuelled the creation of the first motion graphics. Heavily influenced by synaesthesia and the combination of music and art, pioneers such as Hans Richter led the way creating experimental animation that we would now call motion graphics.

Hans Richter’s Rythmus 21:

There is some debate as to the exact cut off point between animation and motion graphics, with many referring to motion graphics as the mid-point between animation and graphic design: Animation unlocks a world of unlimited possibilities, but is usually extremely time consuming and expensive to produce. Meanwhile, graphic design allows you to communicate an idea in its simplest form, perfect for the short attention spans of today, but it doesn’t drive engagement in the same way that video does.

Motion graphics, on the other hand, combines the attention-grabbing aspects of animation with the sleek creativity of graphic design, giving you something that will not only catch the eye of the consumer, but maintain their attention – and for a much less intimidating price point than you might think.

Since the emergence of vector-based web animation in the 1990’s, the capabilities of motion graphics have soared exponentially. Industry standard companies, such as Adobe and Autodesk, are continually developing new tools to improve workflow and maximise efficiency, while open source alternatives like Blender are making Motion Graphics more accessible than ever.

The power of visual storytelling

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many more is a moving picture worth? If you want to tell a story with an image, a motion graphic can not only enhance that story, but present it in its purest form, giving you complete control over the narrative.

As well as the standard reaction gifs and animated logos that first spring to mind when thinking of motion graphics, there is great potential for the use of motion graphics by artists to complement and enhance their work.

One example of this can be seen in lyric videos, which encourage listeners to experience a musician’s work visually as well as auditorily. This can add additional layers of depth to certain moments of a song by drawing visual attention to particular lyrics.

David Guetta feat. Usher – Without You (lyric video):

That said, 85% of videos online are watched on mute, making visuals the most important feature of any social media advertising campaign. While motion graphics can be paired with sound to create a satisfying feeling of synaesthesia, they can also be utilised to practically communicate meaning that might otherwise be missed by the average consumer who’s watching with their sound off.

In this way, while motion graphics can be extremely effective on their own, they can also be used to improve user comprehension when combined with other mediums.

Applying motion graphics to your advertising campaigns

The world is constantly in motion, and it feels like it’s moving faster every day. One way to keep up with the ever-increasing pace could be finding new, inspired ways to incorporate motion graphics in your next social media advertising campaign.

Ultimately, motion graphics are about the simple communication of an idea. Be it explaining products and services in a visually engaging way, or presenting statistics and data without putting your audience to sleep - the options are as endless as your creativity! 

Mighty Social are pushing the limits of social media advertising, creating bespoke motion graphics to suit your needs. Our creative team are skilled in finding elegant marketing solutions to boost visibility and increase engagement. So the next time you think motion graphics, throw away your preconceived notions and open your mind to a whole new world of possibility