Motion Branding — The Power of Kinetic Identities

Motion branding has transformed how brands communicate and engage with their audiences. Thoughtfully crafted motion elements are now essential for creating a memorable and impactful brand presence.

I’m not talking about the traditional logo animation; I’m talking about building a comprehensive motion strategy that enhances the entire brand experience, making it more engaging and relevant in our digital-first world.

Effective brands understand that motion can improve brand perception, create deeper connections, and boost engagement.

The way a brand moves is becoming as integral to its visual identity as colour, typography, and graphic elements. It’s the pace and rhythm of a brand, tapping into something very primal and deeply resonant.

Motion is emotional. While a specific colour palette or typeface can convey emotions and express brand personality, motion takes this to a whole new level. It’s the heart and soul of a brand, moving people in ways that static visuals simply can’t.

The way a brand moves is becoming as integral to its visual identity as colour, typography, and graphic elements. It’s the pace and rhythm of a brand, tapping into something very primal and deeply resonant. While a specific colour palette or typeface can convey emotions and express brand personality, motion elevates this to an entirely new level.

How can motion branding benefit your brand?

Recognisability and memorability

The often-quoted phrase, “if you remove the logo, can you still recognise the brand?” traditionally highlights a brand’s aesthetic and tone of voice. However, if your brand has a unique way of moving, consumers will instantly identify this motion and directly link it to your brand.

Connect more deeply with your audience

Motion empowers your brand to express its personality and connect more deeply with your audience. For example, a high-end hotel brand may employ subtle, sophisticated movements, while a children’s toy brand might utilise a more playful style.

Embracing ubiquitous screens

Screens are everywhere—in your pocket, at work, on the roadside, in bars, and even at dinner. Capturing attention means embracing motion.

Eye catching social content

The rise of motion-driven content on platforms like Instagram and the exclusive use of video on TikTok underscore that motion is now essential, not merely an optional enhancement.

More immersive web and app experiences

In today’s digital landscape, creating immersive web and app experiences help capturing and retaining user attention. Interactive motion design enhances user interfaces, making them more engaging, intuitive, and enjoyable to navigate. Tools like Lottie and Spline have revolutionised the implementation of interactive motion design on the web, allowing developers and designers to easily integrate sophisticated, high-quality and interactive animations and 3D into their websites and apps without compromising performance.

How can you leverage motion for your brand?

Brand with a motion mindset

Integrate motion into the core design process when building a visual identity, not as an afterthought once static visuals are established.

Start by incorporating motion right from the beginning, making it a key part of your brand brief. This ensures the overall aesthetic is built with motion principles in mind, keeping them aligned with your brand’s core identity and determining how elements should move and interact.

By embedding motion into your brand’s identity from the outset, you’ll create a more effective and memorable brand presence.

Consistent integration and brand guidelines

Once you’ve fine-tuned the motion elements, integrate them consistently across all platforms to enhance your brand experience and amplify your core message. Create comprehensive guidelines that demonstrate the application of these principles across various touch points.

Establish a framework MOGRTs for rapid content generation and consistency

A what now? MOGRT (pronounced like ‘yoghurt’) simply stands for Motion Graphics Template. They are pre-designed and animated templates that can be used by non-After Effects professionals within After Effects or Premiere. These templates allow users to modify a fixed set of properties, such as text or colour, while core aspects of motion remain constant, ensuring consistency and adherence to brand guidelines.

Not only does this empower creative and marketing teams to speak with your brand’s one true voice, production time is kept to a minimum as there’s no ‘starting from scratch’ every time.

Enhance motion branding with sonic branding

Sonic branding is another powerful tool to enhance brand recognition and engagement. A prime example is Netflix’s iconic ‘Tudum’ sound.

This brief audio cue instantly signals the start of Netflix content and is recognised globally. Just as motion branding creates a visual rhythm, sonic branding establishes an auditory identity that can evoke emotions and reinforce brand recall. Integrating unique sounds into your brand strategy can deepen the audience connection, making your brand experience even more immersive and memorable.

What about retrofitting motion branding into my identity?

If you want to integrate motion into your existing identity — start by establishing motion principles that reflect your brand’s core brand  identity. Analyse your existing visual assets and pinpoint areas where dynamic elements could add value.

Implement these new principles into your brand guidelines and don’t forget to educate your team to ensure uniform application.

Apply them consistently across all platforms to enrich your brand experience and message. Monitor the effectiveness of your motion integration and be ready to evolve these elements as your brand grows and new technologies emerge.

Examples of excellent motion branding in well-known brands

Klarna has a set of simple and effective motion guidelines that underpinned by it’s 3 motion principles; simple, purposeful and playful. They include examples and usage of the logo and badge animation, imagery, typographic movement styles, imagery transitions and UI animation.

Want to transform your brand with motion?

As a brand designer and animator, my deep understanding of branding fundamentals and motion principles allows me to craft cohesive narratives that visually and kinetically express a brand’s identity.

Motion branding for your brand

If your looking to supercharge your brand identity with motion, let’s talk.