Motion Graphics: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

So far this semester, I've noticed something about motion graphics. Putting together a motion graphics project seems like a way to cram everything I've learned in my communications studies into one project. Something I've learned about recently is color theory, how colors can incite emotions in the viewer and different ways to create meanings and illusions with color.

This doesn't, or at least shouldn't, pertain to just the classroom. The pros at Igloo Design know about color and put it to good use in their showcase video "Igloo Reel 08":

Igloo's designs show good use of color and a good grasp of the principles of color theory. I like how every time the brand changed, the color scheme changed with it. The use of contrasts in the work Igloo has done caught my eye. None of it was too harsh, but it created enough excitement. Something I saw a lot was the use of colors in the same color family, different shades and tints of one color or similar warm or cool colors.

Watching the video made it easy for me to see why so many different companies hired Igloo. Their work is good and creates a strong brand image that is professional but can still be fun.

I went against the rules here a little bit and found a motion graphic that uses color poorly and is visually UNappealing. That would be wwwourmachinecom's "MTV Bumpers", another showcase reel of work done for MTV. Let's take a look:

I really didn't like these. Something about them was unappealing and even jarring to my vision. The colors didn't quite clash, but the creator of these motion graphics didn't really choose a nice palette of anything. The main colors used were red, black, and white, although pastel blues make an appearance. Red and black are both strong colors with strong emotions associated with them. Together they seemed to send a message of fear or even violence (like blood in the streets or something), possibly salsa dancing at their best.

The color choices seemed inconsistent and tacky,like the target audience for the channel would probably wear outfits with these colors and patterns. Oh yes, the patterns. Those were also displeasing, even though they were generally the only visually interesting part to the motion graphics. The checkerboard patterns and graffiti-styled writing put me off, and didn't add anything to the poor choice of colors.

Between the poor choice of color and loud patterns, the whole thing looked haphazardly put together. This may have been what MTV was going for, but somehow I doubt it. It was more "What were they thinking?" than "This is so cool!" I think MTV was going for exciting, but I must have missed that.