As video and animation-making software becomes more accessible and easier to use, and consumption contexts expand, techniques and principles from animation, graphic design, and filmmaking are being integrated into motion graphics (MGs). This integration is contributing to the increasing prevalence of MGs in today’s digital landscape as a form of communication design, aimed at “broadcasting specific messages to specific sectors of the public” (Frascara, 2004, p. 2). A growing body of research highlights MGs as an efficient means for enhancing how information is conveyed. However, there is limited research on the MGs communication. Existing studies on the topic of MGs communication are dispersed across various academic disciplines and design practices, often focusing on design techniques and principles (e.g., the application of computer graphics, the principles of animation or graphic design), or performance testing. Those studies are insufficient in explaining how to communicate through MGs and why MGs have advantages in communication efficacy. This research focusing on MGs communication can address the gap, which can contribute to the field of communication and design.
Accordingly, this study provides a participatory explanation of how MGs communicate, integrating the perspectives of both MG producers (designers) and consumers (viewers). The study conducted a Participatory Design Project involving 16 participants—6 producers and 10 consumers. The project began with shadowing sessions with producers and a focus group with consumers, identifying key thematic factors in MGs communication. For example, context-building is a subjective strategy in the message delivery of producers’ practices; other designs influence the producers’ inspiration. These thematic factors were then applied as design tools in design workshops involving both producers and consumers, where participants used the tools to develop two concept prototypes demonstrating how MGs function as a communication medium.
The research findings explored how to send and receive information through MGs, and how meaning is co-created by producers and viewers. The findings highlight the compositing events and design experience as producers’ strategies to visualise their intended information. The findings also identified the viewers using narrative to understand MGs, as well as their understanding process and engagement modes. Furthermore, the findings suggest that, under a consumer culture, the communication between producers and viewers follows a supply and demand relationship. They are the co-creators of meaning, and their communication is based on value identification, which relies on visual expression to establish a context.
In addition, by synthesising the prototypes generated from design workshops, the study proposed a Communication Model of Motion Graphics comprising three layers: Goals and Needs, Strategies and Approaches, and Drivers and Conditions. This three-layer structure identifies Context-building, Expression, and Value as the common goals and needs of both producers and consumers. The model discussed how these goals and needs are realised and influenced as well. The elements within the model offer valuable insights for practitioners and researchers in various settings, making it the potential for practical applications in the development and evaluation of MGs. e.g., a strategic guidance for practitioners.
These findings contribute to existing research by addressing the gaps in MGs communication, and offering a foundation for future research on MGs and the fields of communication and media studies. Furthermore, the study’s participatory approach provides a practical framework for understanding how MGs facilitate meaning-making, offering a direction for further investigation into its evolving role in digital communication.