Animation vs. Motion graphics vs. Web design. What suits you?

Web design usually consists of various elements of graphic designing. It would be best to understand that animation and motion graphics are part of graphic design. Whereas, website design is entirely different. Motion graphics is a kind of animation, and animation is a kind of graphic design. This article aims at helping the reader to explore different types of design disciplines. You will understand the fundamental differences among all of them.

Animation and Motion graphics

Motion graphics, as the name suggests, adds motion to any kind of static graphic. It adds animation and movement to any type of design to add a story and context to it. When individual series bars on Spotify move up and down with the rhythms of the music, it is motion graphics. When playing a video game, the loading screen has the logo continuously moving in rounds that are motion graphics. Animation vs. Motion Graphics is a thin line to tread. While graphics do not necessarily have to tell a story to become motion graphics, it is usually used with the context to deliver a story. This kind of graphics usually adds motion to a set of texts, images, and objects. In recent times motion graphics has been continuously replacing graphic design. Furthermore, researchers also back the fact that people always prefer watching a video of something. It is because a video better interacts with the individual than just reading a text. Visual cues have been proven to stimulate an individual’s brain signals the most. A simple notification with the bracket turning red for entering the wrong password is enough to tell your brain that you have made a mistake.

Animation can seem confusing since people interchangeably use it with the term motion graphics. But animation is the genus of the family of motion graphics. Animation includes motion graphics and CGI. Animators also use cartoons, anime, motion comics, etc. The fundamental difference which sets animation apart from motion graphics is the context of the design. Motion graphics are usually adding movement to an object, text images to bring it to life. But things are different with animation.  Animation is used to create a background story context. It also involves using various other techniques and characters to communicate with the viewers more.

To understand this difference clearly, in a video, if starting 10 seconds features the brand logo with the brand name appearing on the screen with the movement, it is motion graphics. But in the next 60 seconds, if the video shows a particular character being used to tell a story, it will become an animation.

Web design

Web designing uses the different design elements created using graphic designing to create a website. A web designer is someone who creates visuals and adds a style to the entire webpage. The web designer is also given tasks of UI, UX, wireframing, and prototyping functions. Web designers do not just use Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator like graphic designers, but they also need to know the basics of computer programming like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, etc. While any kind of graphic designing is static as once created, it is usually permanent and can be preserved for centuries.

On the other hand, web designing is dynamic and can be changed every minute required. Another of the most fundamental differences is that web designing is usually integrated with motion graphics or animation to make the website more interactive. When using a website, an individual can click on any options, and that button can pop up. The small action of popping up is the integration of motion graphics. But web design is not an element of consideration when creating motion graphics. So, it is essential to contrast web design vs. graphic design.

Conclusion

It is safe to conclude that motion graphics and animation are entirely different categories compared to web design. While they are all interrelated and used simultaneously, it is essential to distinguish them to understand better which one you should use in a particular scenario.