Why Audio Is the Unsung Hero of Motion Graphics

How to tell a compelling visual story through voice, music, and sound design

Illustration courtesy of the author.

Motion graphics are all about, well, motion. They comprise the digital manipulation of rasterized and vector elements to create the illusion of animation. But when we think about the final output of a motion graphic project — the rendered video file — we think, more than anything, about the three-act narrative we have created. Beyond simply pushing images around the screen, our goal is to tell a story so compelling that the audience is moved to take some sort of action.

One of the most powerful tools for this type of storytelling is audio. I believe audio is the unsung hero of any successful motion graphic. While it’s easy to focus on the most immediately apparent element in a motion graphic (the visuals), crafting the right audioscape for your motion graphic is a critical component in achieving the video’s goals.

Our goal is to tell a story so compelling that the audience is moved to take some sort of action.

When thinking about the composite elements of a motion graphic audioscape, we look at three core components:

• Voice-over
• Music