[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":20},["ShallowReactive",2],{"insight-motion-with-a-job-to-do-v2":3},{"slug":4,"layout":5,"title":6,"excerpt":7,"category":8,"date":9,"image":10,"imageAlt":11,"content":12},"motion-with-a-job-to-do","half","Motion with a job to do","Why animation should always support the story.","Motion design","2026","\u002Fimg\u002Finsights\u002Fmotion-with-a-job-to-do\u002F01_MOTION-WITH-A-JOB-TO-DO.webp","Motion design work in progress",[13],{"type":14,"paragraphs":15},"text",[16,17,18,19],"Animation has become easier than ever to create. With countless templates, plugins, and AI tools available, movement is everywhere. But not every animation adds value.","Good motion isn’t about making things move. It’s about helping people understand, remember, and feel something. Every transition, every easing curve, every animated element should serve a purpose. If it doesn’t, it’s probably getting in the way.","When I start a motion project, I rarely begin inside After Effects. I begin by asking a simple question: What should this motion achieve? Sometimes it’s about guiding attention. Sometimes it’s about explaining a complex product. Sometimes it’s simply about giving a brand more personality. The animation itself is never the goal. It’s a tool.","This becomes especially important when working with brand identities. Motion should extend an existing visual language, not compete with it. A logo animation shouldn’t exist because every logo \"needs\" one. It should exist because it reinforces the character of the brand. The same applies to explainer videos. The strongest animations aren’t necessarily the most impressive. They’re often the clearest. They remove friction instead of adding it. One project where this philosophy became central was the motion system for Bakker Klaas & Studio Mario. The identity, designed by Birrd, already had a strong handcrafted character. Our job wasn’t to reinvent it. It was to bring it to life through subtle movement, playful timing, and tactile transitions that felt like a natural extension of the brand. Motion should always have a job to do. When every movement has intention, people rarely notice the animation itself. They simply understand the story better.",1785100084775]