Throughout the year, we teach motion design in various schools — both public and private. What we often notice among many students, and sometimes even seasoned professionals, is that technique often outweighs thinking.

From the very first steps of a project, the reflex is often to open After Effects… before even knowing what message you want to convey. The urge to create is strong, the tools are powerful, the result can look impressive — but what’s often missing is the essential.

The temptation of all-technical

In our classes, we see it every year: curiosity about the tools and the desire to “make things move” often take over. We’ve all experienced that moment when we first discover After Effects or Cinema 4D and want to try a new animation, create an impressive shot, or play with effects… without necessarily clarifying the message behind it.

This isn’t a flaw — it’s actually a natural stage. When learning a new discipline, we want to practice immediately and see what’s possible. Technique, after all, provides quick gratification: a cool effect, a clean render, a smooth transition. It’s motivating, and it’s normal to enjoy it.

But the risk is letting technique guide all decisions. We might end up searching for music that “fits well” rather than music that tells the story, choosing a color palette “because it’s pretty” rather than because it supports the concept, or piling on effects just to fill the screen.

In reality, technique should serve a clear intention. The more defined the idea is from the start, the more obvious and coherent the technical choices become. And often, it’s this coherence — more than the complexity of effects — that leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

Motion Design: Graphic design first and foremost

We sometimes forget, but motion design wasn’t born with After Effects or animation plugins. Its roots lie in graphic design, typography, illustration, and experimental cinema. The earliest motion design works date back to the 1950s–60s, with pioneers like Saul Bass or Maurice Binder, who created film title sequences designed as true graphic objects in motion.

The central idea was already there: moving graphic elements to enhance a message, an atmosphere, or a narrative. No need for complex effects or cutting-edge software — everything relied on composition, rhythm, and visual symbolism. In short, on thoughtful choices.

Today, the term ‘motion design’ covers many different types of projects — advertising, social media, TV graphics, UI, data visualization, music videos… — but it’s always design, with its codes, intentions, and aesthetic choices. Design is above all about effectiveness.

In Schools: When technique takes over

Every year, we see it in our classes: the priority is often on producing quickly and achieving a “wow” factor rather than building solid creative thinking. Moodboards are sometimes made in a rush, concepts remain vague, and storyboards are absent or incomplete.

This isn’t really surprising: most online tutorials, as well as some school programs, focus primarily on mastering software. Creative reflection gets less attention. As a result, many students (and even professionals) don’t always take the time to explore art history, graphic design, or typography. Research is sometimes limited to browsing inspiring images without analyzing why a project works or how it was designed.

Yet, this step of observation and understanding is invaluable. It fuels creativity, adds depth to the work, and allows for the choice of shapes, colors, and rhythms that make sense. Because in the end, technique and aesthetics are at their strongest when they serve a clear intention.

Work on your thinking, not just your software

Before opening After Effects, open your notebook. Take the time to set an intention, define the artistic direction, build a solid moodboard, question the message, identify the audience… In short, think before producing. An animation, no matter how technically perfect, remains hollow if it isn’t driven by an idea. On the other hand, a strong idea, even conveyed through simple animation, can leave a lasting impression.

👉 Thinking is about aligning the design, the message, and the audience.

And above all, it preserves what matters most: meaning. To be able to think, you need fuel for your reflection. That’s where a frequently overlooked ingredient comes in: graphic culture.

Building a solid graphic culture

Thinking is good. But to feed that thinking, you need to build a strong foundation of references. Graphic design. Photography. Cinema. Art. Typography. Works that broaden your perspective and enrich your visual vocabulary. One of the best pieces of advice we can give is to regularly do graphic research. Not just scrolling through images, but diving into them: observe, analyze, understand why a project works, how it was conceived, and in what context it exists.

You can’t invent strong visual ideas if you’ve never explored the visual universe of others. You need to feed yourself, observe, and analyze. It takes time, but it’s an essential investment.

To go further, we offer our resource file for free: our top recommendations for websites, books, and accounts to follow to feed your visual culture — alongside our monthly Motion Dive selection.

Sign up here to get your free file:

Our approach at Complement Studio

In our projects as well as in our classes, we practice exactly what we preach.

Every project starts with a research phase: understanding the context, analyzing needs, studying visual references, and writing a clear concept. We communicate extensively with our clients and students to make sure the intention is well defined before moving on to creation.

In class, we encourage students to verbalize their ideas, explain their choices, document their references, and build a genuine graphic culture. The notebook and storyboard aren’t secondary steps — they are the foundations.

This method may take more time upfront, but it ensures a stronger, more relevant, and above all, more memorable result. Good animation doesn’t just move — it tells a story.

Conclusion: Think before you click

Technique is our language. But without thought, it’s just noise. A beautiful animation that says nothing remains empty, whereas a clear idea, even if simple, can leave a lasting impression.

At Complement Studio, we always start with meaning, never with software. We feed our projects with observation, references, and intention. Only then do we fire up the machine.

Because motion design isn’t just about moving shapes. It’s about moving ideas.