The wooden style animated promos of Nickelodeon‘s famous show Motu Patlu and Ninja Hattori, created by Adaar VFX in association with Rocketscience Lab. The look and feel of the characters have been designed like wooden toys which got inspired from a town based in Karnataka, the Channapatna, famous for it’s handmade wooden toys.
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Anix has twelve years of experience in the world of graphics. He has worked with brands in India and abroad. Previously, he worked with Amrita Television, Infinity TV Dubai, and has worked with brands like Harvey Nichols, Emaar, Solar Park Dubai, MCL and others.
A few of 2018’s still making it big and some new additions to the list, the trending trends of 2019 predicted by designers from different fields are put together here just for you.
It is said that change is the only constant and with each passing year graphic design trends prove this right. Be it packaging and illustrating for products or a promotional campaign for a brand, the design trends influencing each field have become a must-know today.
Will the previous years’ trends will be an influence on the upcoming years’ trends or will the two be complete opposites?
To get an answer, we have creatives from different sectors of the design industry enlightening us about the graphic design trends of 2018 and putting forth their predictions for 2019’s trends.
Aaron Pinto
Commonly known as Kidsquidy, is not only a graphic designer and illustrator but also the drummer for two Mumbai based metal bands, Providence and Gutslit.
WowMakers
A digital experience studio that provides from animated explainer videos, branding, documentaries and corporate video production to UI/UX design.
Anix
Anix has twelve years of experience in the world of graphics. He has worked with brands in India and abroad. He is creative director at Adaar.
To get a fair idea about what design will look like in the 19th year of the 21st century, read through!
2018 Highlights
Brands are switching over to the social and digital media by cutting through the traditional medium of print to be used as their promotional and communication strategies.
According to Inderpreet Singh Seehra from Design Stack, 2018 saw simplification, strong colours and symbols that stood out in digital mediums as the key features for major branding projects. The brand identity of SBI (a complete case study here) created by them is an example.
The use of gradients, motion design and experimental typefaces was a ubiquity of 2018. The Identity for Fakultet for kunst, musikkog design, UiB, by Uniform, as a dynamic brand in motion; and Baboon by Sagmeister and Walsh, for its approach to colour and its humour logotypes showed the brands walking towards a more dynamic approach to differentiate themselves from the competition, says Mira Malhotra, the founder of Studio Kohl.
Not all changes are on the positive side. She has brought forth a noticeable change in the fashion industry to go for lifeless, characterless logotypes in the name of minimalism. Burberry was probably the most disappointing of them all.
This was a gist of 2018. It’s now time to leave the past behind and peep into the future and see what is going to be trending this year.
According to Anthony Lopez, branding systems are becoming very fluid and are designed to go beyond the logo. Branding has to be ambidextrous and the identity has to be able to adapt itself in multiple ways for different situations.
An example of the Partners’ Forum 2018, which was held in New Delhi. The identity takes on varied forms, manifesting in appropriate ways across collaterals. Further, we take the branding forward through products that reflect the identity, making it memorable for the future. The mission of the Forum stays with its participants, for a long time after.
(The 3D Pipli logo animation was created by Studio Eeksaurus who collaborated with Lopez Design, celebrating the message of the Partners’ Forum.)
Talking of personalisation, brands will be seen as containers – people can put in what they want to express themselves through the brand. Eventually, the brand starts to become an extension of an individual.
Also, Anthony mentions that putting design in the hands of the customer and encouraging them to take ownership has led to people creating their own graphics besides photographs. For example, on Instagram, the user can add many icons and can also have a poll. Others provide stickers with a product to place it on anything the user wishes to put on.
Design Stack highlights that people always relate to design or products that invoke positive feelings in them. For instance, a fortune cookie or a name on the bottle of coke is quite relatable to a consumer. Customising the logo with the name may or may not trend in 2019, but customising the logo with quotes, jokes, city names or graphic elements that people can relate to will continue to be used for a long time by designers.
The ‘less is more’ ideology has always been the underlying principle of design and will continue to play a vital role in the future too, says Design Stack. For an increased response on social networks and effective and aesthetical communication, brands will make use of simpler forms, clean shapes, bold colours, motion graphics and videos.
Not wanting to add unnecessary frills and fancies in a logotype has been an upward trend since Turner and Duckworth’s famous stripping down of the Coca Cola brand, says Mira Malhotra. Following the trend of less is more, there’s a chance one can go too far, cut out all frills and have a logo in a banal, forgettable neutral typeface, resulting in a sameness across brands and their identities.
But she’s also of the opinion that the trend of less is more can also work wonders for a brand’s visual identity differentiating it from the rest, if worked on smartly! Animated logotypes will be a resort for many.
According to Anthony Lopez, graphics is only one component of branding. The brands of the future need to be flexible across all aspects, influencing a user’s experience by drawing their attention to the brand’s character, behaviour, a tone of voice, influencers, associations and endorsements. Graphics, in such cases, is the mechanics used with adherence to the framework of the brand guidelines. When all this is done with precision, the concept of conveying ‘more with less’ becomes a possibility.
Motion graphics including multi-dimensional graphics will definitely become a lot more common in the future.
Anthony Lopez voices the fact that a large part of branding is about strategy and delivery of content through various means, and typefaces are just one part of this contributing to the visual medium. For multi-device existence the typeface design will include the factor of scale-ability and the flexibility of the digital medium, in particular, will allow for easy and varied versions of the designed font including features like effects to type, highlighting, shading, colour options and animation.
According to Mira Malhotra, going beyond designing the logo for the brand and experimenting with typefaces to grant a uniqueness to the brand will be new in. With Google fonts and so many free quality typefaces infiltrating the mainstream, (when free, it becomes mainstream easily) people, especially clients will have a better taste in typefaces, hopefully implementing daring decisions by clients in terms of typefaces.
Design Stack points out that 2019 will be the year where the designers will want to strike a balance between the old and the new, recalling the importance of the roots and fusing them in with the trending styles. For this, the Indian type foundries are creating contemporary regional scripts which will play a big role in the coming age of Indian design. Versatile fonts that work well on both digital and traditional media will be sort after.
Design Stack predicts brands experimenting with logos and colour schemes. A bold yet sophisticated palette is what is intended as the yielded result.
Mira Malhotra also foresees boldness in the upcoming year. Whether its bright colours, pastel neutrals, or just black and white, anything that stands out bold will make it to the brand collaterals across various mediums.
Anthony Lopez sees 2019 as a year of logos becoming more and more fluid, vibrant and versatile. Brands may launch sub-brands, but the prime brand logo is what will go across the face of the brand. Logos inherently need to be simple for high recall. However, within the face of the logo, more permutations and combinations will be observed. This allows the brand to cater to varying clientele and different platforms.
Highlights of 2018
Anix, the creative director of Adaar mentions that 2018 was a phenomenal year for animation and motion graphics witnessing trends like seamless transitions, liquid motion, digital-surrealism, isometric design, a combination of 2D and 3D, big, bold typography complicated visual effects, 3D pastels and photorealistic rendering to name a few.
2018 saw a refreshing visual representation of strong female leads with powerful accessories and expertise in a specialisation (vs the stereotypical princess/Damsel in distress) like Mrs Incredible from Incredibles, Mai from Next Gen, She-Ra from Netflix’s reboot of the popular 80s cartoon, and Shank from Wreck-it Ralph 2, says Sonia Tiwari.
Sonia also observed interactive animations, in general, becoming subtle in action, pastel colour blocked and with cleaner backgrounds, a trend that originated from the iconic game Monument Valley 1 in 2014 and Monument Valley 2 in 2017. She cites INTURN’s webpage as an example to follow.
WowMakers describe 2018 as a year of rapidness. Videos had fast cuts and rapid edits, bright pop colours, neon moods and colour gradients. Vertical viewing and videos for the same rose in prominence as mobile platforms recorded the most screen time. An ‘In Your Face’ attitude permeated all forms of visual media far beyond animation and motion graphics, reeling the viewer in.
In an attempt to engage the viewers, the visual representation followed the ‘Bigger is Better’ or the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ philosophy. The text was bigger and bolder than ever, constantly changing and creating new text out of the shells of the old. 2018 saw the ‘Glitch effect’ gaining popularity. ‘Morphing’ that has been around for a while also topped the charts last year, creating magical illusions through seamless transitions.
Anix explains that with media, connectivity and its scope of influence, availability and reachability, motion graphics is taking over the prevalence of still graphics. From commercials to product shots, marketing campaigns, sale presentations and game design, animated and motion graphics endow an astonishing display and communicate the product’s prowess in a way that would be impossible to communicate otherwise.
Let’s take a look at what 2019 has in store:
According to Sonia Tiwari, simple, iconic, vector-based motion graphics will overpower contemporary educational content, because of the large amount of content to be covered through the browser and mobile platforms that require optimised performance, seamless integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS) and keeping up with the refined design sensibilities of young millennials. A few good examples of this visual style and animation are Kurzgesat in a Nutshell series and Lumosity.
For Sonia Tiwari, the UX is like our brain or heart, built on the logic and feelings, and the UI is the face or skin, the outer layer that connects the user to the inner workings of a product. This distinction is important to understand that the trendy-animation and visual design must not be shallow or cosmetic, but really try to serve a purpose.
For example, a medical application that can use interactive animation to locate/define a problem through an interface – sounds useful. But interactive animations over a wireless setup app with buttons that liquid morph into new shapes sounds pointless.
WowMakers say that the shift from UI to UX is evident, and it is now time to cater to modern users with short attention spans and being bang on-point. ‘We don’t create a product and wait for customers to come. We create a product based on the customer’s wants and needs.’ Because not incorporating the market demand will result in a loss of clients.
For example, vertical videos have been the rage of late, and true to that, there has been an increase in requests for vertical videos or adaptable videos that could work well in both horizontal and vertical dimensions. Animation and motion graphics will have to adapt to multiple platforms without losing its core message.
According to the team at WowMakers, animation and motion graphics in a VR and AR setting opens up a host of different possibilities and increases the scope for imaginative ideas that could work wonders on immersive platforms.
As per Anix, the creative director of Adaar, the rise of Virtual Reality from being a gaming-focused ambitious fantasy in 2012 into an actual medium utilised by multi-national corporations and organisations around the world is in itself is a great example. Alternatively seen, purpose over design is now trending everywhere!
He also mentions that micro-interactions are subtle animations that enrich user experience and allow the user to engage with an interface in a single moment. Micro-interactions are possibly one of the biggest UX trends to date and are growing enormously. They are a focus point for the digi-sectors to up their game.
Fiction and Realism will both have their place in animated media, says Sonia Tiwari. The director’s vision, needs of the brand, likes of the audience, budget and timelines etc. will be the deciding factors for one of the two to surface at the top.
She has observed that the educational children’s media has had a very long history of fictional characters/plots to keep the narrative or moral of the story more relevant than realistic details of the characters like race, ethnicity, culture, religion etc. From Sesame Street to Curious George, fictional characters in children’s educational media are a “forever trend”.
While representing real issues like child labour, poverty and family health, she brings to notice that animated media uses some element of realism to keep the message focused or help establish a clear correlation with the narrative and content.
An example is Eeksaurus studio’s recent PSA for WHO that features Pipli art style human characters, which hits right in the middle of fiction and realistic spectrum, presenting real issues/human characters in a fantastical way.
The WowMakers’ team believes that with technology growing by leaps and bounds, magical realism can represent how technology interacts and changes human lives. At the same time, realism can be used to show the human face of technology.
2019 will be a year enthralling the audience in a sober manner. WowMakers voice that the kinetics of type will be put in use, similar much to the process of animating characters or an object, like stretching, distorting, jumbling, twisting or making it disappear. Seamless transitions, much in fashion, will ensure a smooth video without jumpy transitions and cuts that can disorient the viewer.
With characters and entire backgrounds rendered by just a few lines and shapes, according to Aaron Pinto, Minimalism was one of the main themes for illustration in 2018. Also, the 90’s made a huge resurgence with retro, cyberpunk, glitch and neon colours being some of the mainstays of this style.
The forecasted illustration styles surfacing 2019 will be following:
These days the work shared online is very processed and digital, says Aaron Pinto. They are basically collages that are composited aesthetically for Instagram. But 2019 will see less processed and more organic designs being back in fashion. Hand-drawings and rough sketches are expected to take centre stage.
With a quantitative increase in the making of superhero movies and the release of a number of series, there has been a steady demand of comic book type illustrations. Also, detailed black and white inked illustrations are making a comeback. 2019 might just see it peak.
We live in a day and age, where there is an overload of content that is being consumed at an unprecedented pace.
To stand out from the crowd, a good visual is a great way of engaging or gaining the interest of the consumer while scrolling through the vast barrage of content being thrown at them. And more often than not a great illustration will do that job better than a photograph or even typography.
With monotones and monochromatic themes having showcased their presence in 2018, 2019 is sure to be a witness to these themes surfing the waves of illustration styles.
Aaron Pinto has mentioned that a lot of illustrators are trying to bring simplicity in their colour schemes as opposed to their normal saturated style.
Fluid shapes are catching on slowly. Geometric patterns and halftones seem like a good bet as well.
Also, simple seems to be a growing trend in general. So why not in illustrations!
Hope this article helped you to know and grab those key factors of graphic design that will be trending in 2019 to differentiate you from the rest.
The VFX Company, Adaar, in association with Cheil India and Rocketscience Lab, creates a fun and engaging video that portrays the USPs of the Samsung Galaxy tab in an amusing way.
Samsung required an engaging promotional video for their new Galaxy Tab. The video would need to talk about the various features of the product in an interesting and fun way to capture the young audience.
Adaar VFX, an award winning company worked with Cheil India, a renowned ad agency, and Rocketsciencelab, a film company, to create this fun promotional video for Samsung. The visual elements used are perfectly in sync as they jump up and dance to the beat of the music. The smooth movement and transition between the frames demonstrate the utter ease of the Galaxy Tab device. And through this synchronized movement the video talks about the various awesome features of the tablet.
It is laudable how in this video the device is not merely seen as another gadget, but as a lively extension of the user. The 3D objects in the backdrop create the setup of a miniature city, where the tablet is a larger than life entity that fits in to every scenario. The bright color palette of yellow, blue and green ties the video together in a playful vibe. Overall, the video is fun, zesty, with a catchy tune, that is hard to not watch it on repeat.
Client: Samsung
Agency: Cheil India
Agency Creative:
Rishi Pande
Vaibhava Bhatnagar
Gurmeet Singh
Agency Account
Management:
Abhishek Sen
Ankur Gupta
Abhishek Advani
Sheifaly Saksena
Agency Planning:
Neha Chopra
Ranjan Saksena
Production House:
Directors:
Editor:
Mukesh
Music Director:
Suresh Peters
Purple Studios
VFX Creative:
Creative Directors:
3D Lead Artist:
3d Modeling Artist:
3d Character
Animation:
Rejaneesh SB
Executive Producer &
Render Supervision:
Arun Devarajan
Business Head:
Parvathy Narayan
Adaar shares how understanding the contribution and significance of various aspects such as subject matter and the passion behind the designing process can help gain clarity from conceptualisation to execution.
Adaar. The subject matter at hand and the passion behind communicating the same are what we really focus on – if we connect to it personally, magic happens. So, that’s what we consider as the basis of the kind of work we take on and how we execute it.
Adaar. Colours speak for themselves and always enhances the mood and effect of what is being conveyed. They are very essential to make an impression and convey the feel of what is being communicated, like red for appetite and yellow for joy. It contributes a great deal without saying or doing much – that’s the beauty
of it.
Adaar. Colours enhance life around us by telling us volumes of any mental process. It has its influences on human emotions, more than one can imagine. So, the impact of the subject matter on the target group is the chief driving force behind choosing the right colour. The nature of the colour chosen and how it is applied to a certain piece of work shall determine its effect on the audience’s and in turn its response to
the work.
Adaar. Passion for work done and experience allows one to gauge minute details over time. The drive to get things perfect and the effective delegation of work determines the details for us. That’s the process and approach we keenly follow.
Adaar. The objective behind a symbol is to make a quick memory shot without forsaking the meaning of what it represents. A symbol can influence visual perception by connecting the viewer or client to the core driving ideology of the company at hand. The use of symbolism and its comprehension is very subjective. Different people can perceive it in rather diverse ways. We believe it must convey the direct idea at hand in the simplest way that ensures a quick comprehension.
Adaar. Observation is the key. It can open up your senses and perception to a whole new and wide range of aspects that you might not have conceived earlier. Likewise, there are so many styles. Refer to them; in fact, refer to as much and as many as you can, as that is what keeps you growing. And, keep updated – with current technologies, contemporary needs and situations, ideas, designers & artists and so on.
Adaar. Scope of motion graphics is massive in the field of advertising, gaming and immersive technology, and it is evolving like anything. We are very happy that clients are approaching for innovative and quality motion graphics projects. We see a bright future ahead of us, and are quite excited to see what it holds.
We all have favourite TV shows and we passionately discuss the stories and characters of it. But sometimes, we tend to ignore the channel and its branding. Now with many different channels to choose from, we are experiencing many new branding overhauls to grab the audience’s attention. In this issue, we focused on Motion Graphics design and people behind some awesome channel rebrandings. If you are interested in moving design or animated content then this issue is a must-read for you!
Planning to venture into the world of motion graphics? Great, now as you take the plunge to explore it in the depth of the different areas of the graphics world, which will help you to stretch your imagination. But the more you explore the more you feel that it may require a lifetime to experiment and learn. So here we, listed out some the essential tools to start from.
When you start your journey of becoming a motion graphic designer you will encounter numerous programs. You not only need a great artistic eye as a motion designer but also need to master some of these tools. Though every tool has its own importance, when using these tools, please remember they only add value to your artistic wisdom.
Here Adaar has summed up the essential tools that may help you add value to your creativity.
A very useful and must know tool for any motion graphics designer when it comes to things like create textures, design boards, image manipulation etc. Expertise in Photoshop can help you create great designs elements for your motion graphic projects.
It’s a vector based software with an array of useful tools for motion graphics, which help you create great motion graphics design vector elements such as logos, shape objects, and vector background. Also, Illustrator files can very easily be imported into After Effects for animation, without losing quality.
One of the most popular 3D modelling, animation and motion graphic software which gives creative professionals the tools needed to create stunning 3D graphics. This will take your skill-set to the next level. All the tool in Cinema 4D helps you to enhance your 3D modelling, animation, and rendering. It is very flexible while integrating into After Effects.
There are other 3D programs like Maya or Max 3Ds, but when it comes to creating outstanding motion graphics Cinema 4D is the best. It allows you to render out higher-quality 3D visuals through its popular third-party render engines – Octane, Redshift, V-Ray, etc. To make a place for yourself in the motion graphics world, you have to be well-versed in Cinema 4D.
Generally known as AE is an extension that helps carry motion graphics. After Effects is one of the most important tools one must learn while stepping into motion graphics world. It can provide you with high-quality customised visual effects and also help you to create & control great motion graphic works. Strong knowledge of AE will help you to make captivating visual effects for 2D and 3D animation, compositing, motion tracking, object removal, simulation effects, template creation and much more.
After Effects is flexible in integrating with 3D applications like 3D max Maya and Cinema 4D etc. Besides, there are so many built-in plug-ins and third-party plug-ins that let you play with interesting special effects.
You can further raise the level of your motion graphics projects by applying many of the custom special effects tools like X-particle, Real Flow etc. for special effects like particles, water, smoke, fire and a whole lot more.
These tools will definitely help you add value to your creativity. And from here onwards ‘Just keep learning and keep growing!’
