Inspirational Websites for Motion Designers in 2022

In this article, you can expect the following from websites:
- Websites with a gallery of animations and imagery
- Case studies in motion design by motion designers.
- Professional motion designers are interviewed.
- After Effects project files are available from the following websites:
- A gallery of fantastic motion design projects can be found here.
Are you looking for images for a mood board? Are you looking for a hot new style to learn? What better way to spend your time than scrolling through carefully curated lists of animations, illustrations, and designs that will leave you wondering “how?”
Here’s a list of websites where motion designers can get quick inspiration from daily creations and curated artwork.
STASH
Without a doubt, one of my favorite sites for curated motion design, animation, video, and visual effects inspiration is Stash. Their permanent collection is extremely extensive, featuring interviews and breakdowns from the industry’s top designers. Their news section also keeps us up to date on industry trends, jobs, and events. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to subscribe to fully unlock the site, but you can get a 30-day free trial to test the waters. I promise it’s worthwhile.
GRID OF INSPIRATION
Inspiration Grid is another well-curated website. Here you’ll find inspiration for both still imagery and motion design from some of the best artists around.
Inspiration Grid’s curated content is often one-of-a-kind, which is refreshing in an industry where the same content is frequently shared. Their Video & Motion Design section is an excellent resource for MoGraph artists.
THE TITLE’S ART
Without a doubt, Art of the Title is the best-curated webpage for title design inspiration in the world.
With an incredible catalog of film and television sequences, you can find the best work from the industry’s best designers, as well as fantastic breakdowns by those same artists. You can also search by Title Sequence, such as “Game of Thrones,” or for an artist, such as the legendary “Saul Bass,” to get a great comprehensive breakdown.
This is the place to go for inspiration if you’re working on a title or credit sequence.
DRIBBBLE
Dribbble contains a lot of design inspiration for web, print, typography, and logo design. But don’t let any of this discourage you from using this site as a serious source of inspiration; there’s plenty to be found here. As a motion designer, you must have a solid foundation in graphic design, and Dribbble will provide you with the inspiration you need.
You’ll come across some really talented motion designers who have posted a nice little animated GIF here and there. The majority of what you’ll find are quick shots that loop a specific movement.
THE CG SOCIETY
Do you want to see the most up-to-date techniques and designs for big Hollywood 3D effects? Then the CG Society is the place to be. The vast majority of what you’ll find here is inspiration for high-end 3D animations and visual effects. You can learn from the artist community via the forums, or you can look into some specific tutorials on the ins and outs of 3D character animation and visual effects development. Overall, it’s a fantastic resource to have in your toolbox.
ABDUZEEDO
This website is a must-visit for Motion Designers and all designers. Abduzeedo provides artists with highly curated content that includes tutorials, interviews, and professional design examples, with a wide, diverse range of inspirational examples. You can’t go wrong with bookmarking this website.
Case Studies and Breakdowns of Motion Design
BEHANCE
Behance, which is owned by Adobe (all hail Adobe), is probably the largest source of curated design inspirations on the internet. It’s also incredibly diverse in terms of content. You’ll not only find some of the best inspirations from the world’s best artists, but you’ll also have access to informative video content and a jobs board section. Many artists will find this to be a one-stop shop. Follow the Motion Design channel for some truly inspiring ideas.
MOTIONGRAPHER
Motion grapher, one of top curated website for a go motion artists and trends, should be one of your go-to destinations for inspiration. In addition to eye candy, there are interviews, news, job postings, and even a motion design festival. Their curated motion design channel on Vimeo is also quite impressive.
Remember to bookmark these pages for future reference. In addition, if you want curated inspiration delivered right to your inbox every week, sign up for Motion Mondays, our weekly inspirational MoGraph newsletter. Unless you’re playing laser tag, it’ll be the highlight of your week…
PODCAST FROM THE SCHOOL OF MOTION
Our platform provides us with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to connect with A-list motion designers, directors, program developers, sound designers, and others. With that, we’ve aired over 100 podcast episodes that go in-depth on gaining clients, workflow habits, where the industry is headed, and even must-know legal information for freelancers.
Hearing how people got their start in the industry, how they lead in motion design education, how they create daily artwork, or how they built large animation collaborations is sure to inspire.
Websites that provide both free and paid motion design project files.
A lot of the time, when we see art, we wonder, “How did they create that?” but our curiosity ends there. But what if you could step into the artwork whenever you felt inspired? You can assist yourself with keyframe placements, how the graph editor was used, tricks, tips, and even what effects were placed on layers.
HOLDFRAME
Paid project files from the most popular motion design videos are available here. Holdframe provides beautifully packaged project files for After Effects and a variety of other animation programs. Some of their products even include walkthroughs by the artists who created the projects!
PLAY ORDINARY FOLK
One of the most recognizable studios to enter the world of motion design. Ordinary Folk not only creates incredible work, but they also generously give back to the community.
Ordinary Folk Play provides real-world projects and experiments for you to download and learn from. It’s one thing to be inspired by a top-tier studio; it’s quite another to live in their project files. So, dive in and see how Ordinary Folk can inspire you.