What is Motion Branding? A Comprehensive Introduction

23 min read

A comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about motion branding.

Discover the power of motion branding and learn how to leverage it for your brand strategy.

In 2024, brands face a huge challenge to stand out in a noisy and competitive market. Consumers are overwhelmed with information and choices. In fact, the unconscious brain is exposed to 11 million pieces of information every second!

So, I bet you are wondering how you can cut through the clutter and get your brands message across?

The solution is motion branding. Detecting motion is hardwired into our brains. Through evolution our peripheral vision evolved to detect movement and potential threats. Therefore, our eyes are naturally drawn to movement!

Motion graphics make video content easier to digest, capture attention better than static images, and ensure your brand leaves a lasting impression on viewers. In fact,  motion outperforms static images by 76% in terms of conversions.

Motion branding is the key to a successful brand strategy that uses dynamic visuals to tell your brand story in a captivating way. You can learn more about the neuroscience behind the power of storytelling here.

Ready to master motion branding for your brand success? In this blog, you’ll discover:

  • The definition and scope of motion branding
  • Key components of motion branding
  • The Importance of Motion Branding in Modern Brand Strategies
  • How you can implement motion branding into your brand strategy
  • Examples of brands that have successfully used motion branding

Understanding Motion Branding

What is Motion branding?

Motion branding is more than just adding some flashy effects or transitions to your logo or slogan. It is a powerful way of using animation, motion graphics, and kinetic typography to craft unique and memorable brand elements that convey your brand identity, values, and message.

With motion branding, you can tell a story, deliver a message, and trigger an emotion with your audience through movement, rhythm, and harmony. You can showcase your brand personality, values, and vision in a distinctive and memorable way, and build a lasting bond and loyalty with your customers and prospects.

Unlike traditional branding elements like logos, colors, and fonts, which are static and fixed, motion branding brings your brand to life, making it more engaging, expressive, and adaptable.

Motion branding can take various forms, such as:

  1. Animated logos

Animated logos are logos that move or change shape, color, or size, creating a visual impact and a sense of dynamism.

  1. Motion graphics

Motion graphics are animated images or videos that convey information, stories, or emotions, using elements like shapes, icons, illustrations, or characters.

  1. Kinetic typography.

Kinetic typography is the use of moving text to enhance the meaning, tone, or mood of your message, using elements like fonts, colors, sizes, or effects.

Key Components of Motion Branding

Animated Logos

 Animated logos bring your brand to life through humanising your brand identity.

They are one of the most common and effective forms of motion branding. They can help you create a strong first impression, increase brand recognition, and differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Animated logos are storytelling devices that use movement, sound, and timing to create meaning and emotion. They are a trend that is expected to grow in the future, as by 2025, 60% of businesses are projected to use animated logos for their branding purposes.

Some of the advantages of using animated logos over static logos are:

  • Grab Attention

Animated logos grab your viewers’ eyes and keep them hooked. They are more dynamic and engaging than static logos.

  • Enhance Recognition

Animated logos make your brand more memorable and distinctive. They are easier to  comprehend than static images because the movement gives our brains more information about what we’re looking at, helping to boost brand recognition.

  • Convey Personality

 Animated logos can convey your brand’s message, mood, or values through motion. They can show your brand’s character and voice.

  • Trigger emotion

Animated logos can spark emotions and feelings in your viewers. They can make your brand more likable and trustworthy.

  • Maintain Consistency

Animated logos can adapt to different platforms and contexts, while keeping your brand identity. They can fit any screen size, device, or media.

  • Longer Lifespan

Animated logos can evolve with your brand without losing their core. They can make rebranding easier and smoother.

Here are some examples of animated logos that we have created:

Motion Graphics

Motion graphics are a powerful way to create motion branding, using animated visuals that combine graphic design, motion, and sound. They can convey your brand’s personality, values, and message, using text, images, video, sound, and 3D elements.

They can also help you communicate complex or abstract ideas, stories, or emotions, using animated images or videos that create a strong connection between your brand and your audience.

You can learn more about how motion graphics can transform your communication strategy here.

Check out our work with Cozone,  showcasing their new visual identity and values through motion graphic.

Some of the benefits of using motion graphics in your branding strategy are:

  • They create a distinctive and memorable brand identity, as they can use your brand’s colors, fonts, logos, or voice to make your visuals stand out and resonate with your audience.
  • They enhance your brand’s storytelling and emotional appeal, as they can use animation, sound, and narration to create a compelling and immersive narrative that captures your audience’s attention and interest.
  • They showcase your brand’s innovation and creativity, as they can use cutting-edge technology, design, and motion to create stunning and dynamic visuals that demonstrate your brand’s vision and values.
  • They increase your brand awareness, as they can be easily shared and distributed across various platforms and channels.

Here is a brilliant example of motion graphics by Shane Fu that we admire! This captivating motion graphic went viral with 17 million views overnight, and it’s easy to see why!

Kinetic Typography

Kinetic typography is a powerful motion branding tool, which is essential for your 2024 communication strategy to enhance your brand perception.

Kinetic typography is the use of moving text to create a visual impact and a verbal impact.

 Some of the benefits of using dynamic typography in your branding strategy are:

  • They emphasise and highlight your message, as they can use motion to draw attention and focus to your words.
  • They express and convey your tone, as they can use motion to create a mood or a feeling in your words.
  • They enhance and complement your visuals, as they can use motion to create harmony or a contrast with your images or videos.
  • They differentiate and distinguish your brand, as they can use motion to create a unique and memorable style for your words.
  • They optimise and adapt your content, as they can use motion to create a responsive and flexible design for your words.

A gold muse award-winning example of kinetic typography that elevates their message is our work with Hiscox:

 

Are you interested in hearing more about motion branding? 

Why not book a meeting with one of our partners?

The Importance of Motion Branding in Modern Brand Strategies

Enhanced Brand Recognition

 Do you want your audience to recognise and remember your brand among the sea of competitors? Of course you do! Brand recognition is not just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have for building trust, loyalty, and advocacy among your customers and prospects.

Motion branding enhances recognisability on two levels: visual and psychological.

  • Visual level

On the visual level, motion branding can make your brand more eye-catching and distinctive, as it can use movement, sound, and timing to captivate the audience. Think of how a movie trailer grabs your attention and makes you want to watch the movie.

  • Psychological level

Motion branding can enhance your brand’s attention and memory. Studies from cognitive psychology show that motion triggers the brain’s orienting response, which makes us pay attention to moving objects. This way, it activates the brain, improving memory and retrieval. In fact, a study by Eyeview found that video content can boost brand recall by 33%.

Increased Engagement

Engagement is the key to connecting, nurturing, and converting your customers and prospects.

Motion branding can boost your engagement with its ability to tell your brand story. Stories prompt the release of neurotransmitters such as adrenaline and dopamine, enhancing our attention.

Attention is the gateway to engagement, as it decides whether your audience will watch or skip your content. Motion branding can draw and keep your audience’s attention, as it can use movement, sound, and timing to create a sense of mystery and interest.

Consistency Across Platform

Consistency is the degree of alignment and coherence that your brand has across various digital and physical touchpoints. Consistency is vital for creating a unified brand image, as well as for reinforcing your brand identity, message, and values.

Motion branding can help you maintain consistency across platforms by creating a flexible and adaptable design for your brand elements.

Implementing Motion Branding in Your Brand Strategy

Identifying Your Brand’s Motion Language

If you are interested in incorporating motion branding into your brand strategy, the first step is to identify your brand’s motion language.

 Your brand’s motion language is the set of rules and guidelines that define how your brand elements should move, sound, and behave.

Your brand’s motion language should reflect your brand identity, message, and values, as well as your audience’s expectations and preferences.

Some of the tips on identifying the key elements that should be part of your brand’s motion language are:

Define your brand’s personality, tone, and mood.

 How do you want your brand to be perceived and remembered by your audience? What emotions and feelings do you want to evoke in your viewers? For example, do you want your brand to be playful, serious, or elegant?

Define your brand’s purpose, goal, and message.

What do you want your brand to communicate and achieve with your audience? What information, stories, or emotions do you want to convey in your content? For example, do you want your brand to educate, entertain, or inspire?

Define your brand’s style, aesthetics, and preferences.

How do you want your brand to look and sound in your content? What visual and auditory elements do you want to use in your motion branding? For example, do you want your brand to use simple or complex shapes, bright or dark colors, or fast or slow movements?

 Example of brand.  e.g something that uses round shapes or sharp shapes and the psychological meaning behimmd it ?

Tools and Techniques

Once you have identified your brand’s motion language, the next step is to choose the tools and techniques that you will use to create your motion branding elements.

There are various tools and software available for creating motion branding elements, such as animated logos, motion graphics, and dynamic typography. Some of the popular motion design software are Adobe After Effects, Blender, and Cinema 4D.

Some of the tips and best practices for creating effective motion branding assets are:

Plan and sketch your ideas before you start animating.

 Think about the story, message, or emotion that you want to convey with your motion branding element. Use storyboard, wireframe, or mockup tools to visualize your ideas and test them

Choose the right format and resolution for your motion branding element.

Consider the platform, device, and context where your motion branding element will be displayed. Use the appropriate format and resolution to ensure the quality and functionality of your motion branding element.

Optimise and compress your motion branding element.

Reduce the file size and loading time of your motion branding element, without compromising its quality or performance. Use compression and optimisation tools to make your motion branding element more efficient and accessible.

Test and refine your motion branding element.

 Check the functionality, usability, and aesthetics of your motion branding element. Use feedback and analytics

Conclusion

Motion branding is a powerful way to enhance your brand strategy in 2024. It helps you express, enhance and showcase your brand personality and connect with your audience.

But it can also be challenging and time-consuming.

That’s why you need a professional and creative agency to support you with your motion branding.

We are Content Creatures. We are experts in creating premium animated video content for brands since 2014, and we know how to craft a motion branding element that will captivate and engage your audience.

From brainstorming ideas to producing and delivering, we can design a motion branding element that fits your brand vision, message, and goals, and optimise it for the best quality and performance.

Contact us today and let us bring your brand to life with motion branding!

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