An Animated Intro

Reading Animated Storytelling once again helped me rethink how I approach motion design, especially the role of story and planning in animation. Rather than treating motion as something purely visual, the book emphasizes that animation is a communication tool, one that works best when it’s grounded in a clear idea, intentional pacing, and a strong sense of purpose. That shift felt especially relevant for motion graphics, where it’s easy to focus on movement before meaning or storytelling.

The book also encouraged me to think more openly about what storytelling can look like in motion. Stories don’t always need to follow a traditional structure to be effective. Visual metaphors, repetition, and abstract sequences can communicate ideas just as clearly when they’re approached with consistency and intention. This perspective reinforced the idea that motion design is as much about concept and emotion as it is about technique.

Another key takeaway was the importance of planning through tools like storyboarding. Working through ideas visually before animating helps clarify pacing, composition, and transitions, ultimately saving time and strengthening the final piece. Overall, Animated Storytelling reinforced that successful motion design isn’t about complexity or flashy effects, it’s about clarity, experimentation, and using animation to support a meaningful story.

Research & Motion Inspo:

Before creating my animated intro, I researched motion graphic projects that focus on branded ads, promos, logo motion, and animated title sequences. I was especially drawn to work where text and imagery feel fully integrated through motion, rather than treated as separate elements. Across the projects I explored, typography was used as a storytelling device, animated with intention, rhythm, and personality to reinforce tone and branding.

Many of my inspirations relied on clean compositions, bold type, and controlled movement, showing how effective motion doesn’t need to be overly complex to feel impactful. The pacing in these projects stood out to me as well, particularly how motion was used to guide attention and emphasize key moments. Animated title sequences were another major influence, especially those that introduce a concept or identity quickly while still feeling cinematic and expressive.

Overall, these references helped shape my approach by reinforcing the importance of clarity, hierarchy, and purposeful motion when combining images and text in a branded context.

Creation & Process of My Animation

I used After Effects as a way to experiment with motion while also telling a short, personal story about myself. A big part of the process was getting more comfortable with the After Effects timeline and understanding how timing affects storytelling. Rather than animating everything at once, I focused on how individual moments could flow together through pacing and transitions.

I spent most of my time working with core animation tools like scale, position, opacity, and transformations. Playing with these basics helped me see how small changes in movement can completely shift the tone of a scene. Adjusting timing on the timeline became just as important as the animations themselves, especially when syncing visuals to my voiceover and music to make the story feel cohesive rather than rushed.

When choosing imagery, I intentionally selected photos and visuals that represent different parts of who I am. This made the story feel more personal and allowed the motion to support the content rather than distract from it.

Typography was another area I explored throughout the piece. I experimented with animated text to highlight key moments, including using preset animations like a typewriter effect to introduce information in a playful but readable way. These text moments helped reinforce the narrative while keeping the visual style aligned with the branded and title-sequence inspiration I researched.

Overall, this project helped me better understand how storytelling, timing, and motion work together in After Effects. It showed me that strong motion design doesn’t rely on complex effects, but on thoughtful pacing, intentional animation, and visuals that support the story being told.

Hey, I’m Ashley!

I am a graphic & interactive designer passionate about creating purposeful, fun, and engaging design. Whether it’s a brand identity, a responsive website, or a social media campaign, I love connecting ideas with strategy to make work that’s not only beautiful, but effective.