Motion Graphics: Medium of the Future

There are many interpretations of the term "motion graphics" and much heated debate about what it is and what it isn't. A reasonable definition, though, would be a non-narrative graphic that appears to change over time.

HISTORY

When did motion graphics begin? If we follow the above definition strictly, there is probably no record of the medium's birth. John Barnes Linnett published the first "flip book" - which he patented as a "kineograph" - in September of 1868. While flip books are technically a primitive form of animation, the invention can reasonably be considered the dawn of motion graphics as well.

The term "motion graphics" seems to have originated with John Whitney, a pioneer in computer graphics, who founded his own company in 1960 and called it Motion Graphics, Inc. He made his fortune doing titling and advertising projects with his innovative techniques. In the 1950s, Saul Bass built a career in Hollywood around motion graphics, designing title sequences for many Alfred Hitchcock films, including Vertigo and Psycho.

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Because the process was expensive and only used for high-end film and television production, there wasn't a lot of innovation in the world of motion graphics between the 1960s and the 1980s. In the 80s, however, three forms of media rose to prominence and created a greater demand for motion graphics: cable television, video cassettes and - of course - video games. Cable stations such as MTV used dynamic logos to attract the attention of a youthful audience looking to break away from their parents' traditional network channels. The rise of video cassettes made home movies and video production a popular pastime, and people outside the exalted world of Big Media took an interest in creating motion graphics to set themselves apart.

In the 1990s, computer technology advanced to the point where motion graphic artists could move away from analog techniques and put their work together digitally. Throughout the decade, the cost of the technology became less prohibitive. Motion graphics artists were a fairly rare breed in the early 1990s. By the year 2000, the art form had exploded; nearly anyone who could afford a Mac could conceivably become a motion graphic artist.

THE FUTURE

As technology continues to evolve and the Internet becomes a greater source of information and entertainment, the need for motion graphics will grow. In fact, anyone interested in graphic design will have to understand motion graphics in order to make a viable living. There is still a demand for graphic artists who can create static Web designs, but well-designed motion graphics that don't eat up a lot of bandwidth easily grab the attention of a fickle Internet audience. Motion graphics are fast becoming a dominant source of communication.

Created by Barry Daniels for his own amusement but STILL copyrighted 2009