I have yet to hear a satisfactory
definition of motion graphics.
Almost every professional who’s
come into contact with motion
graphics has some idea about
it, which they profess with varying
degrees of confidence and
swagger depending on their age,
experience and job titles.
The most common definition is
that motion graphics is the combination
of animation and graphic
design. This answer is usually
delivered with an air of barely
restrained self-satisfaction punctuated
by a sense of unquestionable
finality. There. Done. That’s it.
Period. Check, please.
But the answer, unfortunately, is
woefully deficient for two reasons:
One, it merely points to two other
terms, the definitions of which are
only slightly less opaque than motion
graphics. And two, “graphic
design plus animation” doesn’t
capture the whole sprawling mess
of disciplines around which motion
graphics encircles its loving arms.
Like “gemütlichkeit” and “motion
graphics,” “graphic design” and
“animation” are slippery critters
that don’t appreciate being
fondled with semantic certitude.
Let’s tackle the graphic design
angle first. Employing the same
smugness and finality as our hypothetical
speaker above, I could