3 questions to ask yourself for a quick motion graphics design process

Planning your motion graphics project is the most important part of a production workflow.

If you don't have time to plan storyboards and make detailed animatics, the most effective planning you can do in under a minute is to ask yourself these 3 questions. 

But before I show you the questions, if you've got the time, I strongly suggest you prepare your project in advance. 

Creating work you're proud of when you're up against a tight deadline is no easy task, especially when your clients aren't afraid of changing their minds. 

The key to making great work in this situation, and any situation really, is preparation. Being prepared keeps you in control. 

However, if time becomes is a luxury in your situation, then you can get started with these 3 questions:

1. What's the message this project/scene/shot is trying to convey?
2. What are the most important elements on-screen we can use to achieve that?
3. How can we animate them effectively?

These three questions help you not only help you understand better where to focus on, aka spend the most of your time on, consider other options, but most importantly.  It gives you reasons to justify your choices.

If a client or art director asks "This isn't working, why did you animate it like this?" You've got a solid response. Even if what you made isn't working, it was done with the intention to serve the story, the deadline & the quality of the end product. Even if they disagree, they'll know and respect why you made those choices.

I found that if I couldn't justify my decisions to myself, I'd have no chance of convincing a client.

My philosophy to creating great work is to craft a workflow that gives you the most options to do your best, and not get frightened when the client needs changes.

In week 2 of my Master Motion Design course, we'll dive deep into the details of an effective workflow.

And you won't just be getting my advice. I've brought together 3 of the best Motion Design Gurus in the industry to give you personal feedback on your work.