I’ve been talking a lot about Motion Design recently – to a wide range of people. Theres still some of confusion about what it really is. People outside the design world think I work on Candy Crush and make flashy animations.

Designers usually know what I’m talking about, but its value is sometimes questioned.

Motion design is really only half actual animation. The other half is why you animate. This encompasses many things – visual design, UX, and branding. Every animation should communicate something to your user.

To provide a better understanding of Motion Design, I’ve released a free preview of The Kinetic UI course. Check out all four long-form lessons here.

Contents:

What is Motion Design?

So, what exactly is motion design, and how can it help you improve your mobile designs?

Reinforcing Spacial Relations

Use animation to anchor your users and keep them orienting within your app.

Analyzing Google Inbox

Take look at how Google uses motion to orient users in their Inbox app.

AE Project: Password Entry

This sample is the intro to a series of video tutorials teaching you exactly how to create this animation.

Learn how to create a a password entry sequence that will both delight users and reinforce their actions through animation. They may never want to leave your login page.