Graphic design
17
min read
If you’re stuck watching the same tired reels on YouTube, this is your way out.
In this article, we’ve handpicked 30 motion graphics examples to help spark your next big idea — whether you're building an explainer video, spicing up a product demo, or pitching a campaign to a client.
But this isn’t just a gallery of pretty animations.
Each one is a standout among motion graphic design examples, with a breakdown of what makes it great — and a steal-this trick you can actually apply in your own work. Plus, we’ll show you exactly where to find ongoing inspiration and share underrated motion design tips from real working professionals.
And if you’re wondering how to bring these ideas to life for your brand or startup, TodayMade (TM) can help. As a design agency focused on marketing design, we’re here to help you implement any motion idea, from onboarding sequences to animated landing pages.
Let’s get inspired.
We’re not going to get too academic here. A great motion graphic just feels alive. The visuals move with rhythm. The transitions have weight. The details are crisp and intentional.
In most great pieces, you’ll notice three things:
A story or emotion, even short loops, often suggests tension, surprise, or momentum.
Here’s a quick trick to fast-track your motion design taste:
Ask yourself, “Where’s the tension? Where’s the polish? What’s selling the illusion?”
That lens alone can help you break down even the flashiest animation and understand what makes it tick.
Time to get inspired. But instead of just throwing 30+ animations at you, we’ve grouped the best motion graphics examples by use case, so whether you're building an explainer or spicing up your app UI, you’ll find relevant inspiration fast.
Each example comes with a quick breakdown of why it works and a steal-this tip you can actually use in your own motion projects.
Let’s kick things off with animated explainers — the go-to format for SaaS, startups, and anyone trying to turn ideas into clicks.
Animated explainers are the workhorses of motion design. They turn complex concepts into short, visual stories that inform, convince, or inspire — often all at once. From product tutorials to big-picture storytelling, the best explainers don’t just explain, they sell.
Below are some standout motion graphic examples, and what you can borrow from each.
1. Headspace slows motion to match meditative intent
Headspace uses smooth transitions, soft textures, and open compositions to reflect the brand’s core message of mindfulness. The pacing is slow and steady, mirroring the meditative experience it promotes. Nothing feels rushed. Everything feels calm and deliberate.
Steal this: Match your motion rhythm to your emotional goal. A fast product demo might need bounce and speed. But if your story is about slowing down, your animation should move with that same intent.
2. Mastercard uses controlled pacing to build trust
This explainer handles a high-stakes topic — fraud prevention — with calm, measured motion. Flat illustrations float over white backgrounds. Transitions unfold at a thoughtful pace, and each scene holds just long enough to absorb the message without overwhelming. The animations sync with the voiceover to guide focus, easing the viewer through complex security topics with visual patience.
Steal this: When building trust, use restraint. Mastercard relies on controlled timing, visual simplicity, and clean layout transitions to let the information breathe. The animation is never louder than the message — and that’s why it works.
3. Kurzgesagt visualizes complex science through metaphor
Kurzgesagt takes big topics like black holes, pandemics, and existential risk and turns them into colorful, metaphor-driven stories. The visuals are clean and vibrant. The narration is calm and intelligent, which makes even the heaviest subjects feel inviting.
Steal this: Use visual metaphor and structure to make abstract ideas concrete. Done right, motion can turn fear into fascination.
4. Slack demonstrates screencast motion for UI onboarding
This short video introduces Slack Canvas through UI-first animation. There’s no narration, just structured layouts, clear labels, and zoom-driven transitions that walk the viewer through new features like tracking action items and embedding docs. The motion mimics the interface logic — snapping, sliding, and scaling in a way that feels consistent with Slack’s modular product design.
Steal this: Use screencast-inspired motion to make new tools feel native. Slack shows that even without narration, thoughtful pacing and context-aware transitions can reduce friction and boost feature clarity.
5. Figma builds narrative through rhythmic, shape-based motion
Figma’s launch video skips the walkthrough and instead shows what collaboration feels like. With gradient-heavy visuals, kinetic transitions, and flying shapes, the piece captures the energy of a design team working in flow. There’s no voiceover, just music and motion.
Steal this: If your product is about movement and creativity, let your visuals lead. Use motion to create a rhythm that mirrors your user experience.
6. Zoho One communicates structure using minimal system animation
Zoho’s explainer uses minimalist 2D animation to introduce its all-in-one platform. Faceless characters represent different departments, each animated into a clean, unified system. Every element moves with purpose, making efficiency feel tangible. The soft transitions between characters and tools visually echo the idea of unified operations — it’s motion used as a metaphor for organizational harmony.
Steal this: Use abstraction to focus attention on systems. By reducing visual noise, Zoho highlights what matters — how everything fits together. This is one of the best simple motion graphics examples for showcasing structure and clarity.
7. BibleProject tells abstract stories with illustrative metaphor and flow
BibleProject blends hand-drawn animation with layered storytelling to explain theology and biblical themes. Scenes unfold with patience and symbolic depth, connecting viewers to abstract ideas through a compelling visual narrative.
Steal this: Let story structure guide your animation. Metaphor, rhythm, and clear progression turn education into connection.
Brand identity motion brings emotion to the logo, personality to the platform, and structure to the system. Whether it’s through tactile 3D, kinetic typography, or web-native motion, these examples of motion graphics show how animation can be the soul of a brand — especially in motion graphics advertising, where every second needs to carry impact.
Here’s how motion graphics bring brands to life.
8. Airbnb crafts tactile 3D motion for experiential storytelling
Airbnb’s product categories come to life through richly detailed, stop-motion-style 3D scenes. Each environment is crafted with care, blending soft lighting and imperfect textures to create warmth and humanity. It’s not just product visualization — it’s storytelling through space.
Steal this: Combine high-end 3D with tactile realism. A slightly fuzzy rug, uneven shadows, or subtle camera wobble can make digital worlds feel lived in and emotional.
9. Google Web Showcase blends scroll-based interaction with narrative rhythm
Google’s Web Showcase blends 3D motion, kinetic type, and scroll-based storytelling into a fully interactive experience. Sections slide with inertia. Type moves like choreography. The browser becomes a canvas, not just a frame.
Steal this: Treat your web experience like a timeline. Scroll-based animation, layered movement, and motion-triggered reveals can bring static pages to life — without relying on video. It’s one of the most inventive motion graphics animation examples built natively for the web.
10. Notion expresses clarity through minimal character-led motion
Notion’s brand animation pairs hand-drawn-style characters with clean, minimal compositions. The transitions are smooth, the gestures thoughtful, and every element contributes to a calm, focused tone. It’s a brand that feels like it’s listening.
Steal this: Complexity isn’t always the answer. Notion shows how minimal palettes, flat illustrations, and gentle timing can express clarity and intention without noise.
11. Tubik animates a modular grid to reflect UI logic and flow
Tubik’s motion system for CREW transforms brand values into structured movement. Animated blocks rearrange like modular UI components. Panels snap in with satisfying pacing. Typography pulses forward in sync with a visual grid. It’s clean and technical, but never rigid — the motion builds confidence and suggests momentum.
Steal this: Build your motion system like a design system. When every move follows a grid or aligns with content structure, users feel clarity before they read a word. Tubik’s animation style reflects the product’s focus on productivity and flow.
12. Google Pixel 6 translates interaction design into mood-driven animation
This video transforms simple interactions into brand expression. Swipes bounce, buttons glide, and panels shift like soft gestures. The goal isn’t just to show features — it’s to let you feel how using Pixel should feel.
Steal this: Motion can suggest mood. If your product is built for flow, your animation should mirror that experience with warmth, rhythm, and responsiveness.
13. Apple Genmoji uses character animation to create expressive energy
Apple’s Genmoji launch bursts with personality. Icons bounce, blink, rotate, and stretch — all choreographed to a rhythmic beat. The result feels somewhere between a music video and a motion-based moodboard.
Steal this: Animate like every element has a personality. Eyeballs should dart. Mouths should stretch. When visuals act with intention, they speak volumes — even without a word of dialogue.
14. Uber builds kinetic structure into brand system motion
Uber’s motion system is sharp, fast, and modular. Typography clicks into place. Blocks move with metronomic precision. Everything feels intentional and synced to a grid, building trust through tempo.
Steal this: When animation becomes part of your design system, it communicates consistency and control. Uber shows how motion can reflect the way a brand thinks.
15. Google Gemini reveals AI fluency through ambient transitions
Google Gemini’s brand film bridges real-world footage with digital abstraction. UI elements float. Text fades with grace. Every transition feels like a thought forming, precise, polished, and quiet in its power.
Steal this: When explaining advanced systems, lead with softness. Gemini’s visual voice uses light, movement, and negative space to suggest trust, not complexity.
Motion design in apps isn’t just decorative — it’s functional storytelling. These graphic animation examples show how animation reinforces feedback, communicates emotion, and shapes how users experience digital products. When done well, motion becomes part of the product’s personality.
16. Asana uses microinteractions to reward task completion
Mark a task complete in Asana, and you might get a surprise: a narwhal, a yeti, or a flying unicorn streaking across your screen. These animations aren’t about utility. They’re about joy. Designed to appear randomly, they keep moments of progress fresh and rewarding without losing their charm.
Steal this: Use animation to create emotional reward. Asana proves that even functional apps can feel personal when moments of delight are built into routine tasks.
17. Spotify Song Psychic layers ambient motion for tonal UX
Spotify’s Song Psychic is a scrollable, card-based quiz wrapped in atmospheric motion. The UI floats in a space of blurred gradients and glowing icons. Cards pulse on tap. Transitions are soft, layered, and slightly exaggerated to make interactions feel tactile. It’s more than an interface — it feels like a digital ritual.
Steal this: Let mood drive your microinteractions. When animation mirrors the tone of your content — quirky, mysterious, emotional — even the simplest interactions feel immersive. Song Psychic turns a product quiz into a branded experience.
18. Apple Weather maps data to environment-responsive motion
Apple’s Weather app turns real-world conditions into an immersive UI. Rain falls in parallax layers. Sunlight shifts with time of day. Clouds drift as you scroll. The animation feels natural and effortless, translating live data into sensory feedback that’s subtle but deeply engaging. Every movement, from drifting clouds to light shifts, reflects actual weather data, reinforcing the emotional connection between interface and environment.
Steal this: Let your motion reflect state and environment. Apple uses animation to make information feel lived, not just displayed.
19. Linear refines UX with frictionless interface choreography
Linear’s web interface is ultra-fast and frictionless. Buttons snap, windows open instantly, and content shifts with surgical precision. There’s no visual flourish, just minimal easing and directional flow. It’s built for speed, and the motion reflects that with discipline.
Steal this: In high-focus tools, motion should guide without distraction. When speed and precision matter, less truly is more.
20. Copilot sets user expectations through onboarding animation
Before Copilot displays any interface, it sets the mood with a soft, infinite ribbon loop. The 3D animation glides with no hard stops, evoking continuity and ease. The smooth pacing and calming gradients suggest intelligence that’s not intrusive — just helpful and always ready.
Steal this: Think of onboarding as tone-setting, not just loading. The first few seconds of motion can define how your product feels. Copilot uses animation to say: this is a tool you can trust, and it’s thinking before you do.
21. Pitch embeds momentum into UI with layered slide transitions
Pitch integrates motion into its product at every level. Slides transition with fluid motion. Collaboration indicators pulse gently. Buttons respond with subtle bounce. Every animation is meant to keep ideas moving, visually supporting the pace of creativity. Even its smallest transitions are purposeful, from how team activity pulses to how slides animate in, giving the product an ambient sense of collaboration.
Steal this: Use motion to support your users’ pace. When tools feel responsive to intention, not just clicks, users stay in flow.
22. Duolingo applies cartoon logic to notifications for emotional recall
When Duolingo’s owl reminds you to practice, it doesn’t whisper. It swoops, spins, and stares into your soul. This push notification animation is cartoonish by design, using squash-and-stretch movement to turn guilt into humor — and maybe motivation too.
Steal this: Let your brand voice animate your UX. Duolingo’s success lies in using expressive motion that feels distinctly theirs, right down to the exaggerated eye contact.
Cinematic motion design uses pacing, sound, light, and composition to create emotional context. These examples act as brand intros, identity signatures, and narrative openers — each one engineered to leave a lasting impression.
23. Netflix uses sound-led composition to anchor brand memory
Netflix reimagined its iconic “Tudum” intro with layered glass textures, immersive lighting, and carefully sculpted motion. The visuals build gradually, syncing perfectly with the signature sonic logo. It’s not just an opening sting — it’s a cue to shift your attention. They’re not just dramatic — they’re often the most expressive form of corporate motion graphics, where first impressions define the brand’s tone.
Steal this: Let sound lead your visuals. Netflix begins with audio, then shapes the animation around it. Tempo, echo, and reverb become design elements that help the motion land with weight and emotion.
24. CBS synchronizes sonic identity with light and motion
The CBS eye unfolds slowly through waves of light and layered gradients, syncing with a soft three-note sonic cue. The motion is minimal and refined, but every frame is intentional. It communicates legacy, clarity, and restraint.
Steal this: When your tone is established and trusted, less is more. CBS proves that elegance comes from timing and tone, not visual complexity.
25. Nike x Nigo applies anime pacing to brand film
This brand film channels the energy of vintage anime intros. Frames jump with punchy camera angles, glitch textures, and bold character poses. There’s no dialogue, just stylized action that makes the drop feel like a cultural event.
Steal this: Use genre and nostalgia to your advantage. Nike builds an entire narrative world through animation style alone. Visual rhythm can sell a universe — no words needed.
26. Eventbrite choreographs metaphors with continuous transitions
This brand piece flows like a dream. Faces turn into maps, cities bloom from abstract forms, and typography dances to a soft rhythm. There’s no narration, just metaphor and movement guiding you through the brand’s ethos.
Steal this: Let your transitions tell the story. When every visual blends into the next, your animation becomes a seamless experience rather than a sequence of scenes.
27. Samsung SIA builds abstract systems through kinetic layout
Samsung’s SIA piece doesn’t show hardware. Instead, it visualizes intelligence and innovation through pure motion. Light beams ripple through space. Particles orbit into structured networks. Bold, tech-forward type flickers on beat, guided by a tight rhythmic cut. The pacing has both intensity and elegance, like watching a neural network assemble in real time.
Steal this: If your product is about capability, don’t just animate features — animate what they feel like. Samsung leans into metaphor to express speed, precision, and innovation, creating a visual system that communicates scale without a single screenshot.
28. YouTube compresses sonic branding into a two-second outro
YouTube’s outro animation for Originals is as tight as it gets. A red streak slices across the screen, timed perfectly to a sharp sonic hit, before contracting into the YouTube icon. It’s minimalist, fast, and highly repeatable — a closing signature that sticks after just two seconds.
Steal this: Create motion cues that live in memory. Even a simple exit animation, if paired with sound and rhythm, can reinforce brand recall. YouTube shows how to brand the end of the story with just a gesture and a tone.
29. Mercedes-AMG visualizes aerodynamics with generative motion
This brand experience visualizes speed and control through generative motion. It mimics aerodynamics with streaks, curves, and high-gloss fades — all inspired by the physical performance of the car itself. The result is part brand reveal, part technical ballet. The flow-based motion makes the brand feel engineered and alive, like a performance piece built from pure speed.
Steal this: Translate real-world mechanics into abstract motion. This animation feels fast and engineered without ever showing a wheel.
30. TED uses typographic lightplay to frame intellectual tone
TED’s intro is short, elegant, and precise. Letters glow into existence. Curves pulse like sound waves. The pacing builds slowly, guiding viewers into a mindset of attention and discovery. It feels premium but never flashy.
Steal this: Motion can act like an invitation. TED’s animation doesn’t explain or hype — it welcomes. That tone alone can say everything about a brand.
Now that you’ve seen what great motion design looks like in the wild, the next question is obvious: how do you keep finding this kind of work every day? It’s easy to feel stuck scrolling the same five feeds, hoping something fresh pops up. This next section is your shortcut — a curated list of reliable places where top-tier motion graphics surface regularly, from cinematic title sequences to UI microinteractions and everything in between.
Finding good motion design examples shouldn’t rely on luck or late-night scrolling. Here’s a quick hit list of reliable sources that consistently surface great work — with a few notes on what makes each one worth your time.
Motionographer is one of the longest-running platforms for motion design news, features, and curated work. It highlights high production value and often agency-level projects. The upside: pro-grade inspiration and thoughtful writeups. The downside: updates are less frequent now, and it leans less experimental than it used to.
Good Moves is a clean, no-fluff visual gallery of curated motion projects. You won’t find commentary or blog posts — just short pieces and direct links to the creators. It’s one of the quickest ways to get visually inspired and discover fresh studios.
Behance offers volume and variety. Use search filters like “UI motion” or “product animation” to cut through the noise. Expect a mix of polished brand work, indie experiments, and student projects. It’s one of the best places to track cross-industry motion trends — just be ready to filter actively.
Vimeo’s curated channels, especially Staff Picks, remain a go-to for beautifully crafted motion pieces. From commercial campaigns to animated shorts and experimental loops, the aesthetic and technical quality here remains consistently high.
Instagram is the home of WIP loops, character rigs, and short-form motion that rarely makes it to portfolio sites. Follow studios and animators like @ordinaryfolkco and @oddfellows.tv. And if you’re not already using Collections to save posts into moodboards by style, now’s the time to start.
YouTube offers more than just inspiration — it gives you the how. Channels like Ben Marriott and Jake in Motion not only share great motion work, but also walk you through the design thinking and techniques behind it. Perfect if you're learning or refining your craft.
Inspiration is where motion starts, but execution is where it comes to life. Once you’ve filled your head with great examples, the next step is to sharpen your own toolkit. The tricks in this next section come straight from the trenches: real techniques, settings, and habits that experienced motion designers swear by. No theory, just practical moves that instantly level up your work.
These aren’t vague “be more creative” tips. They’re practical techniques straight from the trenches — the kind pros use to add polish, emotion, and believability with minimal effort.
Overshoot and echo smears
Add small overshoots to position or rotation for extra realism. Combine with echo smears (motion trails on fast objects) to create a sense of energy and softness. These details give your animation weight and flow without heavy effects.
Master the Graph Editor
This is where good motion becomes great. Don’t settle for linear keyframes — shape your curves. Easing, velocity, and timing live here, and learning to control them is one of the fastest ways to level up.
Add subtle grain, vignettes, and chromatic aberration
If your render looks too clean, try adding texture. A light film grain, soft vignette, or gentle RGB shift adds visual depth and removes that default-AE look. Just use with restraint.
Use real video overlays
Want instant atmosphere? Drop in stock footage like smoke, dust, or fire. Blend with Add or Screen mode for quick realism. These assets often look better than synthetic particles, especially under time pressure.
Create parallax with camera moves
Push your layers into Z-space, then add a slow camera pan or zoom. It’s an easy way to fake depth and make flat scenes feel more dimensional. Great for product showcases or scroll-based animations.
Sync motion to sound design
Motion without sound can feel empty. Add subtle clicks, whooshes, or hits synced to transitions and UI interactions. Even basic audio timing can dramatically tighten the feel of a piece.
Try posterize time for a stylized feel
Dropping your animation to 12fps can add a hand-made or cel-inspired quality. It works well for expressive motion, but don’t overuse it. It’s a tool — not a fix for weak timing.
Use Liquify or Mesh Warp for subtle exaggeration
These effects let you push shapes, faces, or logos in expressive ways. A bit of squash or distortion adds charm, especially in playful or character-driven animation.
Keep your project clean
It’s not glamorous, but it pays off. Name your layers. Color code. Use precomps with intention. Clean files make it easier to iterate quickly and collaborate without chaos.
You’ve now got the full toolkit — from standout motion examples to daily sources of inspiration and pro-level production tips. Whether you're building an explainer, shaping a brand identity, or fine-tuning UI animations, motion design isn’t just about how things move. It’s about what that movement communicates.
You’ve now got a full set of tools: 30+ standout motion examples, daily inspiration sources, and battle-tested production tips. Whether you’re creating an explainer, a product moment, or a brand sequence, motion isn’t just about style — it’s about intent.
The best motion graphics don’t just look good. They guide attention, express personality, and make ideas stick. Every example in this guide shows how rhythm, pacing, and design choices can turn static visuals into something you can feel.
So study what works. Steal the right tricks. Then build something that moves with purpose. And if you need help bringing those ideas to life, TodayMade is here to help.
Want more inspiration beyond motion? Explore our favorite pop-up examples, bold brutalist web design, and smart fonts combinations. Thinking bigger? Learn the cost to hire a graphic designer, weigh a freelance graphic designer vs agency, or explore graphic design outsourcing.
