Interaction Design · Project 1 of 3 · Weeks 1–5
Motion Graphics Project 1: Logo in Motion
Brand identity, animated
FORMAT
Individual
WEEKS
1-5
METHODS
Logo design · Adobe Illustrator · Storyboarding · Animatic · Adobe After Effects · Keyframing · Easing · Shapes and masks · Expressions · Sound design · Presentation
TAGS
Time Based Media, Narrative, Design Education, Design Thinking
Why this project
A logo animation is a constrained motion design problem: a mark that already exists, a duration measured in seconds, a brand identity that must be honored rather than overridden. The constraint is the point. Students learn what motion can and cannot do for a visual identity, and how much a single decision about easing or timing can change what a mark communicates.
The Brief
PROJECT PROMPT
A logo in motion is a dynamic visual representation of a brand — one that goes beyond a static mark by adding movement and visual interest. For this project, you will design an original logo from a series of prompts, then bring it to life with a short animation sequence.
The logo design comes first. You will build it in Illustrator, then import it into After Effects and animate it using keyframing, easing, shapes, masks, and expressions. The final animation should be 3–5 seconds, rendered with integrated sound effects or music that complements the motion.
Your process (including storyboard, animatic, design decisions, and challenges) is documented and presented alongside the final piece. The presentation is part of the project. You will explain the fictional company behind the logo, the choices you made, and why.
Choose one prompt: a futuristic technology company, a sustainable energy company, a non-profit dedicated to animal conservation, an eco-friendly athletic wear brand, or a coffee shop with a distinctive personality.
DELIVERABLE
Storyboard: minimum 8 frames, hand-drawn, 16:9 format
Animatic: timed to proposed duration, exported as video
Final logo animation: rendered video file, duration 5–15 seconds
Sound integrated: music, sound effects, or both
Concept statement: 150–250 words
Process documentation: research, sketches, in-process screen grabs, critique notes
Self-assessment — see separate assignment sheet
What I've learned from running this
The logo animation is the first project students complete in After Effects, and it does several things simultaneously: introduces the software, establishes the workflow from concept to rendered file, and asks students to think carefully about what animation adds to a static mark. The animatic phase, where students explore different animation approaches before committing to one, is where the most important decisions happen. Students who move through it quickly tend to produce technically competent but conceptually underdeveloped work.
The sound component consistently surprises students. Audio does not register as a design decision until they work with it. By the end of the project, most cannot imagine the animation without it. That shift in understanding, from sound as accompaniment to sound as structure, is one of the things the project is most deliberately designed to produce.
