Is Everything Looking the Same?
In recent years, with have seen an abundance of motion graphics products and presets being released such as Cinema 4D products and the rise of motion graphics market place Video Hive. These have all proved to be very popular with the motion graphics community, but, with this, have thing started to look the same?
I neither agree nor disagree with my own question, but i certainly think it’s something that the motion graphics community should think about. I’ve seen the same question raised by a few people in the community as well.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that some of the products are fantastic–I’ve certainly used them–but are we in danger of things looking the same?
Is this because some motion graphics designers are lazy or is it because clients are demanding more for less money, so, as motion designers, we need to find ways create more quality in a shorter amount of time?
Shouldn’t we be using these products as starting points and then trying to create something new?
Are we also in danger of losing the craft of creating motion graphics from scratch such as creating graphics from scratch, learning how to texture and learning how to animate?
I guess this kind of problem exists more for motion designers who tend to work with the lower budgets clients rather than the multi-national companies of the world. Should we be standing up and charging more or will the client just go to the next motion designer who’s prepared to charge less because they’re just going to use presets.
What do you think? Is everything looking the same?
Hi, I’m Matthew Carlin from Nottingham in the United Kingdom. I’ve been writing about motion graphics on Motion Design Love for a while now, as well being a Video Editor and Motion Designer by Day. I probably spend most of my waking hours either doing something with motion graphics or thinking about stuff I can do with motion graphics. I’m looking forward to writing some great articles for Fuel Your Motionography, I hope you’re all looking forward to reading them!
I think some parts of it are looking the same, mainly where people are not experimenting very much. It’s easy to make even a basic geometric shape look great using the HDRI light kit pro but is it very interesting? No, not really, not all the time anyway.
It takes much longer to do something new plus we are much more likely to FAIL if we try something new.
In my opinion in order to create something new and interesting we have to accept that we will fail multiple times before we succeed. Of the billions of permutations of say, Cinema 4d render settings, probably only a very small percentage look good and even less are something totally new, so the odds are not in our favour, we will fail and should embrace that in my opinion.
This is not an attack on people using these tools, I am often one of them.
It’s especially tempting when deadlines are looming and I can’t afford to fail.. This is probably why people stick to presets and templates at times and it is a realistic solution to many problems and as such can pay the bills.
What I don’t want to happen to me is that I end up depending on these all the time, as they all I would ever be is keeping up with the curve, never setting it. I don’t want that to happen so intend to try to do experimental projects in my spare time.
For everybody like Nick Campbell who has influenced a whole look or style there are probably thousands who are happy to follow his example and use his tools. I am probably one of them at times, However I don’t intend to stay that way.
Not just the motion community, all art tends to go thru these “periods”. Painting of course is the most common example, but over on Fuel Your Creativity and other graphic design blogs this topic comes up at least once a year.
Someone finds a trick, a gimmick, a look, something cool that other clients wish to emulate to stay “ahead of the curve”. This then of course backfires because in doing so they BECOME the curve they are trying to avoid. From a creative standpoint this is disasterous; it takes away originality and creativity and becomes mere mimicking. From a marketing standpoint, however, it shows that you can “run with the big dogs” and simulate whatever may be “hip and cool” at the moment.
Does everything look the same? Yes. Until something more original comes along… then sooner or later everything will start to look like that.
Likewise, the argument of using stock material, presets, and the like also comes up about once a year. Ideally, yes these should be a starting point not a solution. However, lazy designers in search of the quick buck, will always put finance in front of artistic integrity. Is this a problem? Yes, but we all at some point or another may have to do it. I’ve compromised my artistic integrity and used stock material right “out of the box” on quick projects for low-pay and tight deadlines. The client was happy, and ultimately I got a few referrals from it, but was I happy with it? Meh. It wasn’t my creative best, but it paid the bills that month.
When I started, I wanted to be a designer who created everything original. I avoided stock anything like it was the plague. But then deadlines got the best of me and I caved. I couldn’t keep up with client demands and do everything from scratch. But using stock as a jumping-off-point and not as a solution save me a TON of time (drag and drop beats hours of work any day) and still allowed me to keep my designs fresh.
There is a huge difference between a general tool, and a preset. Some of these things mentioned might fall into either category. I am always for new tools with which to build off, but I try to stay as far away from presets, kits, and stock photography. I enjoy learning from the ground up, because it may take a while longer from the get go, it will ultimately help you much more in the end. Consider it an investment.
As hard headed about not using them I can see a use, as much as I may despise them.
I think you’ve summed it up perfectly James, possibly better than i did!
I’m definitely not knocking these products and like yourself, do use them. I think you’re right when you say that because of looming deadlines and or money we are unable to experiment and fail.
I think you right too Eric, everything does go through it’s periods and i’m sure one something ‘new’ comes along everything will look like that.
I think that GSG is the best thing in internet after the youtube!
haters gona hate! and losers gona lose.
Live long the GORILLA!
I think Eric hit the nail on the head.
I will add that not everyone has the time or skill or vision to be an innovator. In fact this is most people. This is true for every field. To go back to the painting example, not everyone putting ink on canvas is a Van Gogh, or Frida Kahlo.
It’s not a bad thing, it’s just how it is. Things start looking the same because of that “curve”. It’s the very nature of the beast. Innovators innovate and everyone plays catch up.
However that’s no excuse to mimic. Ideas from the innovaters should be interpreted, mixed and matched, and presented in variations unique to the creator.