How do you measure and improve your motion design skills and portfolio?

It's easy to forget the "design" part in "motion design". Having your core fundamentals in design + animation will save you a lot of time, energy, and revision rounds down the road...

Motion Design is an evolution of Design so it's no point starting until you've learnt the basics of design theory. Composition, contrast, hierarchy, balance, colour, typography etc. Master these before you go into motion. I've always said poorly animated great design is way better than amazingly animated poor design.

Spielen, spielen, spielen. Nichts übt so effektiv wie Spielen. Lerne wie ein Kind, das Laufen lernt - durch spielerische Imitation. Für Animationsskills: Nimm einen simplen Kreis in 2D (oder einen Ball in 3D) und animiere ihn, bis er "lebt". Imitiere Bewegungen und Emotionen, die dich umgeben. Das Gleiche gilt für Designskills. Imitieren bedeutet nicht 1:1 zu kopieren und zu behaupten, es wäre von dir. Imitieren heißt, mache es nach und untersuche dabei, wie es gemacht wurde, zerlege es, setze es neu zusammen, füge hinzu, hinterfrage, warum du es gut findest – lerne durch Ausprobieren die Mechanismen, wie es funktioniert. Bist du selbst davon überzeugt, zeige es anderen. So kannst du auch deinen Fortschritt messen. Trust the process.

Remember that the real world is a never ending resource of motion design reference! Look outside and we can understand how movement gives emotion, A bird gliding in arcs is elegant and graceful, a door slamming shut is abrupt but to the point!

The way to mastery is to perfect the fundamentals. It works for the best sports stars, it'll work for you. Keep a checklist of the 12 Animation Principles and refer to them as you animate. Watch tutorial videos on how to use the latest animation tools. Stay up to date on what other people are creating. And, keep creating content!

Make a proper audit of our work it's really hard. But trying to have a better understanding of where we are at the moment will for sure help us to tailor our path into getting better. First, it's key to see where our interest is around. So we can find that next goal that bring us towards the bigger objective of being a better motion designer. For this is good to explore what is out there, how people work within different formats. How some skills can help in some type of work more than others. i.e. How 3d visualization it's really useful for products, and how 2D it's key within infographics. You can see where is your interest, so you go with way more motivation into where you want to be.

Focus on what interests you. The cool thing about motion design is that you can create something around whatever other interests you have. You can make motion graphics for sports, science, movies, music and more. It can also take years to find your niche and style, so don't worry if you don't have one. Being a generalist who can work in a variety of formats and styles is a strength too.

My mom used to work with the mother of the 3D fur artist who worked on the first Enchanted film for Disney. He got that gig because he was better at creating realistic animal fur than anybody working at Disney. That was his niche. That's all he did. His expertise got the Mouse's attention, and catapulted his career to new heights.

Niche isn't just about trends or style you can also niche down by the types of clients you want to serve. If you're a freelancer this can act as a fantastic differentiator to help you to acquire higher paying clients. It's always important to put the work out there you want to be hired for.

I would always find your passion first and master these skills or styles before moving on. It's always easy to chase after the latest trends or software updates but focus on getting really good at one thing before moving on which will increase career and job opportunities.

Critique is a vital component of all design industries. It provides fresh perspectives, often highlighting areas that require improvement, which might be overlooked by the designer. Through feedback, designers can refine their work, enhancing aspects like visual aesthetics, narrative flow, and user engagement. You will improve as a designer twice as fast with feedback from other designers.

Being able to receive and give criticism is a crucial skill for any designer. It's also not something you can really learn, you just have to build up your thick skin like an athlete building muscle by going through the process of giving and receiving feedback many times. One thing that helps is to try disconnecting yourself from the project a bit, one crucial difference between design and art is that art requires you to put a piece of yourself in it. Design doesn't necessarily require that (usually), so don't take it personal when receiving feedback.

Seeking feedback is invaluable for professional growth, not just in motion design but across all careers. Constructive feedback helps you identify areas for improvement, recognize your strengths, and understand different perspectives. Regularly seek input from mentors, peers, clients, and industry communities. Providing feedback to others also enriches your understanding. Approach feedback with openness and respect, and use it to refine your skills and advance in your field.

It is essential to your project/work to be able to receive feedback. When working for a long time on a project, you might miss the moments, but having fresh eyes will help you to spot the inconsistencies, glitches, or even potential of movement. I welcome feedback!

Consider using Google Forms or Typeform (or any other preferable tool) to create & deliver custom-made questionnaires and then analyze the feedback by asking specific questions. Later on you can notice patterns which let you refine your work even quicker and a lot more precise.

You should have a website. Your own little place on the internet. Social media platforms come and go and the algorithms change daily! Don't rely solely on these platforms to showcase your work in the best light.

I've been updating my portfolio from the start of my MoGraph career. Here are some key takeaways -Don't wait for a perfect masterpiece! Early on, focus on building your portfolio by creating a good balance of quantity and quality. -Establish a consistent posting schedule for your updated projects. Regularly showcasing your work online keeps you at the forefront of potential clients' minds. -Great work can shine even brighter with a stellar presentation. Don't let good projects languish on your hard drive – learn how to present even a 7/10 project as a 10/10! -My mentor, Apeksha Gupta, always emphasized the importance of diversifying my motion design work to attract high-quality projects. This strategy has definitely been successful for me!

Update your portfolio annually, ensuring it reflects your most recent work. Personal projects serve as the key to unlocking job opportunities. Avoid a generic approach by refraining from stating, "I do all kinds of work." Instead, focus on a specific niche so that studios can readily hire you for specialized roles. Highlight projects that showcase your expertise and versatility within your chosen niche. Tailor your portfolio to demonstrate your growth and adaptation to industry trends, making it a powerful tool to attract potential employers and clients.

It has never been easier for a motion designer to keep their portfolio up to date and Aligned. 🤯 Challenges Comes:- Updating a motion design portfolio can be challenging due to the need to showcase diverse skills and consistently evolving trends in the field. It requires time and effort to create and curate new content, making it a continuous process for motion designers. 💪 Overcome:- Motion designers stay current by tracking industry trends, creating new projects, seeking feedback, and showcasing diverse skills. Time management and consistent effort are crucial for a polished impressive portfolio 🎨✨🔧. To Showcase your portfolio Use platforms like Behance | Dribble and Pinterest to present your work for online exposure.

Approach your reel like a client project. What tone do you want to use? How do you want people to feel when they watch it? Think about the context in which people will be watching it. What do they care about? What do they want to see? Understanding your audience will help you make an effective reel/portfolio.

Not just technical skills, soft skills count for so much! Communicate with a client and being a consultant, rather than a button clicker! Knowing how to present and pitch will always be valuable. I love showing motion work to people now, but it took sometime to be confident enough to talk to a room and show the work.

Becoming a better motion designer, editor, and animator requires a level of commitment to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. There is so much knowledge out there. So, why not take advantage of it. It’s easy to become complacent or fall victim to the same looks, movements, edits or whatever. We have to challenge ourselves and force ourselves to think differently and try new things. To be better you first have to do what’s hard.

Tutorials are great and can be an excellent way to learn new skills, but don't forget to create original work too. You can create things around the interests you already have, or even "reverse-engineer" great motion pieces you find to discover new techniques and tricks you might not know.

Try to learn and follow new skills by learning new tools, add-ons, and plugins that will ease your creation and make your workflow more fun and intuitive.

You can not neglect this section of your professional career. Technology is changing at a rapid speed and staying up to date with the latest tools, trends, software, etc. will make you stand out from other candidates.

While you should enjoy it at times, no single profession is rewarding, fun, and filled with passion every single day. There are days that are filled with joy and creation, and days that are frustrating and stressful - and just suck. Remember it's a slow climb, and don't give up. Take a break when you need to, and it's ok to just 'do the work' for a while.

This is the most important part. If you enjoy your process your work will be good and beneficial for others. In my experience, when I'm not enjoining the process it is shown in the final work.

If you do not enjoy being a motion designer then you should consider changing career paths. For me this is one of my favorite areas of video work, being able to breathe life into designs. If you do not enjoy this, you are going to end up creating zombies instead.

Learn to take photos on a film camera - the limited number of shots compels you to think more about the image and the moment you're trying to shoot, rather than rattle off a ton of shots. Sketch / draw / paint - it helps you gather your creative thoughts, whether it's for a motion design project or just for artistic skill flexing. Know your design history and why Josef Muller Brockman was a total badass, what Memphis is all about, all that kind of thing. Keep learning new skills and tutorials - it's really easy to become stale or think you know it all - been there done that - if you're standing still, you're getting left behind.

Don't be too loyal to one software, it's okay to switch if it's not working for you. Each software has its quirks, so pick the one that suits your needs best. You don't have to learn everything; just focus on mastering one aspect at least. Enjoy the learning process.