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Typographics — Riley
Joyce N. Ho presentation

ART 392 / Week 1

Posted on August 20, 2025August 27, 2025

Week 1 — Assignment “Name Tag”
Project 0 Intro
Discuss + Studio due Sunday (end-of-day). Comments on other people’s posts due Tuesday.

1/
Discuss: Watch Joyce N. Ho’s 2019 Typographics presentation, Type and Motion: A Love Story.

Write your response (200 words minimum) as a comment below. https://wordcounter.net/

1. How does Ho describe the difference between animation and motion design?
2. What are the three ways she uses type and motion?
3. On a personal note, what inspired you about her design work?

Reply to at least two other people’s posts on classblog. Due Tuesday.


2/
Studio: Create a brief (3–5 second) animated sequence (“name tag”) of your name using typography in motion — render it as a GIF (looping). Design it for a mobile handheld screen, use the preset sizes in Photoshop, for example, 750 x 1334 px.

Explore possibilities in a few tests. Use typography to set your name—explore different typefaces, sizes, colors, arrangement, movement, sequence rhythm. As a supportive element, you can include graphics or other words, if you wish. Focus on the movement and composition of your name tag. How does the movement “enrich the concept” for your typographic name tag? Experiment with the assignment and your decisions, before coming to your final submission. Upload the GIFs to your folder in the shared class folder on onedrive. You will share these at the start of class Week 2.

demo
Photoshop:
When creating a “GIF frame animation” in Photoshop “Save for the web (Legacy)” (>select GIF). Upload your raw working file (.psd) as well. One benefit to using Photoshop for this project, is that you can save a .gif directly from the program.

AfterEffects:
When creating a “Composition” in AE, first render as H.264/MP4, and then convert to GIF using Media Encoder. Go to “Composition,” >select “Pre-render,” export as a QT .mov or H.264/ .mp4. Next open Adobe Media Encoder and convert the .mp4/.mov into a .gif (GIF).

After you have uploaded, please post a link to your project on drive in the comment section below. It is OK if it is after you have submitted your discussion.

 

++

Links:
Joyce N. Ho

[from Typographics 2019]—

“This talk took place in The Great Hall at The Cooper Union on June 15, 2019. The live streaming and video recording were made possible by a generous sponsorship from Google.

“Joyce N. Ho is a Hong Kong-born Australian designer brought up on a daily dose of ‘90s cartoons, which led to her soft spot for the silver screen. Always the imaginative kid in class, her love of creating things has never faded. A designer with over nine years experience, there’s nothing she enjoys more than storytelling through motion and bringing ideas to life through design. As an experienced art director and motion designer, Joyce’s work is textural and expressive. Her approach is design-led and she’s always excited to learn, experiment and explore uncharted territory whenever possible.

“With a BFA in animation, Joyce started her career in her hometown of Brisbane, Australia. Over the course of seven years working there, she directed numerous noteworthy projects, including The Expanse opening titles for Syfy. Now based in Brooklyn, Joyce continues her obsession with all things motion in-between befriending all the cute dogs NYC has to offer. She’s done work for Semi Permanent, HBO and Nike to name a few clients. Joyce has been a finalist at SXSW Film Awards and Young Guns. Her work has been recognized by The One Club, The ADCC and the Australian Production Design Guild, among others, and was named one of 10 Women of Title Design by Art of the Title in 2018.”

56 thoughts on “ART 392 / Week 1”

  1. Hayden Swoap says:
    August 21, 2025 at 10:52 am

    1. Ho describes the difference between Animation and Motion Design by saying that it’s a hard one to clarify due to how closely related they are, but she states that Motion Design is a type of Animation, but not all Animation is Motion Design. The main difference that she highlights is how Animations relies heavily on character-driven stories and narrative principles, while Motion Design relies on the foundational principles of design such as shape, color, composition, and typography.

    2. Three ways she uses type and motion are as the inspiration, the visual thread, and the main focus. These manifest through Ho taking inspiration from typefaces and combining them with cohesive graphic sources. She doesn’t just rely on additional graphic elements though and shows that through the the being the main focus in other projects. It just shows how diverse this field can be and how many different outcomes are possible!

    3. On a personal note, the thing that inspired me about her design work is the research aspect of her design. I felt like the ability to perceive graphic material and figure out how to combine that with type effectively was really cool, and speaks to how strong a piece can become with the right research and analyzing typefaces.

    Link to my Week 1 Project:
    https://uncgmy.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/Erj8qxAnSxNAvowoOiQpuWkBqHNsz3WbkunMllcgZopYbg?e=8ceoGW

    1. Chris Pierce says:
      August 26, 2025 at 3:41 pm

      Hey! I totally agree with your take and I think it’s super interesting how Ho talks about the overlap between Animation and Motion Design but still draws that clear line between them. I hadn’t really thought about the narrative vs. design principles difference before, but it makes a lot of sense. Also, I liked how you pointed out the three ways she uses type and motion. The idea of type being the main focus instead of just an add-on is something I hadn’t really considered either, but it’s cool how she lets the typography carry the weight of the piece sometimes.
      And yeah, her research process is super inspiring.

    2. Christina Kibler says:
      August 26, 2025 at 11:53 pm

      Hey Hayden! I really like the color you used and how you added the lines to connect to your name in your name tag! That added a special touch to making your name “3D.” Very nice overall, thanks for sharing!

  2. Victoria McPherson says:
    August 21, 2025 at 12:05 pm

    Ho describes the difference between animators and motion designers as follows, Animators rely on character driven narrative principles. Motion designers rely on shape, color, composition, and typography. Type is a big part of motion design. Ho says “type from a motion standpoint should never be an afterthought, it should always be entwined with your direction and conceptualized from the get-go.” It should enrich the content instead of adding to it.

    Ho uses type and motion in these three ways, Ho uses type as the inspiration, the visual thread, and the main focus for her motion graphic. Ho choses a font she is drawn to then examines the way it moves for inspiration. Type can be uses as a connecting tool within works, Ho uses rounded lines in one of her pieces to make the letters move into what is eventually a word that is the logo. Type as the main focus, is equally weighted and the star of the show.

    Something that inspired me about her work is that while she is a motion graphics designer she still uses typography in a big way and is passionate about using the typography within projects very purposely. In a way she is working in two fields that she is equally passionate about.

    1. Charity B. says:
      August 26, 2025 at 1:36 am

      Hi Victoria!
      I agree, I was also inspired by Ho’s ability to tie in typographical with motion graphics, especially in her previous collaboration project (mentioned in the video) it’s amazing how she was able to create the motions and tyopgraphics based on the logo and the way they looked and the emotions they invoked in her.

    2. Ava hall says:
      August 27, 2025 at 1:40 pm

      Hi Victoria!

      I also loved how she combines motion graphics with typography to create such beautiful animations. It made me think deeper about what typography can become and I hope to use some of her advice for inspiration this semester

  3. Sarah Hines says:
    August 21, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    1. Ho describes animation heavily relying on characters, narratives, and expressions. Motion design utilizes aspects of design including color, shapes, typography, and composition of the design.

    2. She uses type to enrich her designs, as she explains it should never be an afterthought towards a design piece. The first way she uses type and design is having her type as the inspiration for the piece. Looking into the type for the design looking into the shape and feeling of the type. The second way is having type as the visual thread, looking into the lines of a type for a design. Utilizing aspects of the type in the overall motion design to help link the two together. Lastly type is the focus, it can drive the design and enrich the quality of it.

    3. Looking through her work is really inspirational for me because of the vastness of her range of design. How she utilizes both type and design in her motion work and artwork. How nothing looks the same and her work I feel, captures the feeling of each project she works on perfectly. I loved seeing the various designs in her art book. The usage of line work and mostly monochrome color schemes is pleasing to look at. I also think it’s cool seeing the actual artist behind motion work I have seen in person or recognize.

    Project: https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/r/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/Documents/_Rachele%20Riley/teaching/F%202025/ART%20392/Sarah%20Hines/week%201/Sarah-GIF-NameTag.gif?csf=1&web=1&e=qMBsES

    For my project this week I wanted to keep it simple and hold onto ideas and concepts for the following weeks. I love black, white, and red together as to me it’s pleasing to my eyes. I want to limit moving aspects for the project for this week but explore more in the following weeks.

    1. Simon Price says:
      August 25, 2025 at 4:33 pm

      Hi Sarah! I really like your nametag!! Red black and white is my favorite color scheme, and I really like the way the letters appear and move together near the end. Really fun!

    2. Callie Roberts says:
      August 25, 2025 at 8:21 pm

      Hi Sarah! Your points are spot on. I like the way Ho explains how animation and motion design are different. They’re in the same family (motion designers do animate to an extent), but animation as we know it is more narrative heavy, whereas motion design, as you mentioned, is more focused on the raw elements of design. Ho’s style is super unique, and I also love the way she utilizes her color scheme!

  4. Chris Pierce says:
    August 21, 2025 at 2:34 pm

    Isabella Ho explains the difference between animation and motion design by focusing on their purpose. She says that animation is mainly used to tell stories. It often includes characters, scenes, and emotional storytelling. Animation is about creating a full world and drawing people in through movement and expression. On the other hand, motion design is more focused on communication and design. It uses movement to support things like branding, ads, or digital content. Motion design usually involves moving text, shapes, or logos to help get a message across clearly and creatively. So while both involve motion, animation is more about storytelling, and motion design is more about solving problems or guiding viewers through visual information.

    Ho also talks about three ways she uses type and motion. First, she uses it to create rhythm, meaning how fast or slow things move to create a certain feel. Second, she uses it to show emotion, such as using quick, bouncy text to feel playful or slow, smooth text to feel calm. Third, she uses motion to guide the viewer’s eye, helping people know where to look and in what order.

    What inspired me most about Ho’s work is how clean, thoughtful, and effective it is. Her motion design feels simple but powerful. Every movement has a purpose. She doesn’t add motion just to make things look cool — she makes sure it always adds to the message or improves how we understand the design. This made me realize that great motion design doesn’t have to be flashy — it can be subtle, smart, and still leave a big impact.

    1. Victoria McPherson says:
      August 26, 2025 at 10:04 am

      Hi Chris! I also thought her work was clean, thoughtful and effective. It felt like she really leaned towards less is more.

    2. Mar Alvarado-Escobar says:
      August 26, 2025 at 1:53 pm

      Hey Chris. Your anaylsis of the way Ho uses type and motion is very digestable. I also like your word choice when describing the difference between animation and motion design. Your opinions on her work is also relatable. I also appreciate her intentionality of her craft.

    3. Ava Hall says:
      August 27, 2025 at 1:41 pm

      Hi Chris!

      I also loved how clean her designs were. They were very straight to the point but filled with emotion and purpose. This si definently something that i would look to incorporate in my designs this semester

  5. Callie Roberts says:
    August 21, 2025 at 9:23 pm

    Ho says that all motion designers are animators, but not all animators are motion designers, the same way that not all graphic designers are typographers. Instead of using characters and narrative to tell a story like traditional animators do, motion designers use typography and design principles to tell a story.

    The three ways that Ho says she uses type and motion are as follows:
    1. Using typeface as an inspiration – having the visual elements echo the typeface for greater consistency and harmony.
    2. Using it as a visual element – emphasizing the shape, form, and colors; using type as a grounding element and a connecting thread throughout the project.
    3. Using typeface as the main visual focus – instead of using typeface to supplement other visuals or harmonize them, the typeface becomes the primary visual element from which all other visuals jump off.

    I absolutely love how vivid and tangible Ho’s vision is with each of her projects. There is an incredibly strong visual identity with each project, and each of them are so unique when compared to each other. I especially loved the work she did for the Technology and Creative Conference in upstate New York. The way she used type with other visual elements, especially texture, is beautiful to me.

    Studio link: https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/EhFeHO7W8qJAuFWIOKUDLtkBKOaY7roZQFfXorJJWAL8Rg?e=VcQtsx

    1. Simon Price says:
      August 25, 2025 at 4:34 pm

      Hi Callie! Your name tag is so cool! The use of color and the “black bars” that divide up the forms makes it really interesting to look at! It reminds me of a movie intro or something.

    2. Charity B. says:
      August 26, 2025 at 1:38 am

      Hi Callie!
      I love the individual colors for your name tag. It reminds me of watching an old western film and how each letter moves across the screen in boxes. I love your concept. If you had the chance to expound on your work, I think it would be cool to hear it with sound!

  6. Zeus says:
    August 21, 2025 at 11:31 pm

    1.Ho claims that the difference is in how we communicate our stories. While animators use characters and conventional narrative focus as the primary way to convey meaning, motion designers use designed elements such as typography to deliver messages to audiences.

    2.Ho describes using type as inspiration, as a visual thread, and as the main focus. In this way
    the type can generate new ideas, add cohesion to existing themes, or inform all the individual choices of a project by itself.

    3.I really appreciate her ability to blend her modern style with a variety of applications without
    sacrificing the aim of the project. The project for likeminds was a great example of this. Ho was
    able to successfully bridge the gap between nature and technology as themes by using this notion of type as the visual thread. I also appreciate Ho’s careful attention to balancing minimalism with impact. Many of her designs utilize small details to evoke immersion subtly and without drawing too much attention to said details. The designs are inherently understated for being so thematically technical.

    Link to Studio:
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/Eq0PGlK5UVpArKZvZw4kejQB31qk1zX4Fpgiv4XPFDq2Wg?e=qeKVaw

    1. Sarah Hines says:
      August 25, 2025 at 11:25 am

      Hey Zeus! I agree with your statement to question 3, she has a very unique and eye catching style that sticks with each project she does.
      As for your nametag gif I really love the trampoline effect with your name! The moving elements don’t distract but really add to the effect! Really nice work!

    2. Raquel Walton says:
      August 26, 2025 at 8:02 pm

      Hi Zeus. I love the depth of your animation and how you really captured the essence of your theme. The use of texture helps create a cohesion that I love.

    3. Clint Bradshaw says:
      August 26, 2025 at 10:21 pm

      Hi Zeus,

      I saw your gif in the Monday meeting we had. I really like how the letters aren’t in a constant, one dimensional fixed position. They move in a random, but also intentional way, which really adds to the animation. I also really like the color scheme you used. It felt very playful.

  7. Mar Alvarado-Escobar says:
    August 22, 2025 at 11:43 am

    Discussion:
    Ho defines three ways she uses type and motion: Using the type as inspiration, type as the visual thread, and type as the main focus. Her use of type as an inspiration means that she looks for any associations the type evokes or looks at the general feeling a type carries. For example, Ho created visual connections with the typeface Barbour, eclipses, astral bodies, and star maps. Another use of motion and design is visual thread. This use utilizes the look of the typeface to dictate how the surrounding elements should move. For example, Ho uses the elongated curved lines found on the Likeminds logo to create visuals that tie in with the logo. The last way Ho uses type and motion is through type as the main focus of a work. The focus is on the type and less so on the non-type related elements. This approach is found in her Semi Permanent 2018 project.
    I’m incredibly inspired by how much creative thought Ho could behind something I perceived as incredibly corporate. Each one of her projects looks intentional and well thought out. One of my favorite projects from her is the Audrey Nuna visualizer.

    Studio:
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/EpSz8iytgsZFv8KyM1NqO-kBsoEmZdaVIyMrRgo72Zxv7g?e=xeDqts

    1. Mar Alvarado-Escobar says:
      August 25, 2025 at 10:49 am

      EDIT:
      Ho defines motion design as a subcategory to animation as both involve moving elements. She also claims that they both use different techniques to achieve their messaging. Animation, for example, heavily relies on narrative while motion design leans on principles of design to convey ideas.
      Ho defines three ways she uses type and motion: Using the type as inspiration, type as the visual thread, and type as the main focus. Her use of type as an inspiration means that she looks for any associations the type evokes or looks at the general feeling a type carries. For example, Ho created visual connections with the typeface Barbour, eclipses, astral bodies, and star maps. Another use of motion and design is visual thread. This use utilizes the look of the typeface to dictate how the surrounding elements should move. For example, Ho uses the elongated curved lines found on the Likeminds logo to create visuals that tie in with the logo. The last way Ho uses type and motion is through type as the main focus of a work. The focus is on the type and less so on the non-type related elements. This approach is found in her Semi Permanent 2018 project.
      I’m incredibly inspired by how much creative thought Ho could behind something I perceived as incredibly corporate. Each one of her projects looks intentional and well thought out. One of my favorite projects from her is the Audrey Nuna visualizer.

      1. Chris Pierce says:
        August 26, 2025 at 3:42 pm

        Yeah I felt the same way reading about Ho’s approach and it’s crazy how much thought she puts into something as specific as type. I used to think of motion design as kind of stiff and corporate too, but seeing how she brings emotion and concept into it totally changed my perspective.
        I also thought the way she connects type to bigger ideas or visuals, like with the Barbour example, was super creative. And the Audrey Nuna visualizer was such a cool project, it felt fresh and different but still really polished. Definitely makes me want to pay more attention to the choices I make in my own work.

  8. Jon Johnson says:
    August 22, 2025 at 6:07 pm

    1. How does Ho describe the difference between animation and motion design?
    Ho describes the difference between animation and motion design as the comparison between designers are typographers. All typographers are designers while not all designers are typographers, similarly, all motion designers are animators, but not all animators are motion designers, The biggest difference that she continued to explain is that another key piece is how the story is being told between differing designers.
    2. What are the three ways she uses type and motion?
    She explained how she uses type as inspiration for her work, the visual thread of her work, as well as the main focus of her work, prior to that she also went briefly into detail about how type in general is meant to be thought of in every step of the process and not just as an afterthought.
    3. On a personal note, what inspired you about her design work?
    On a more personal level, the biggest things that inspired me about her work was the way she managed to combine elements of design and animation almost seamlessly and found a good way to do those things. I don’t animate very often but when i do i find myself getting caught up trying to find a way to make the text and motion of the text work with my designs rather then be a part of it, and how she went about it in the video really made that more clear.

    Link to my work for the week:
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/shared?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2F%5FRachele%20Riley%2Fteaching%2FF%202025%2FART%20392%2FJon%20Johnson&listurl=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments&source=waffle

    1. Hayden Swoap says:
      August 25, 2025 at 12:08 pm

      Hey Jon, I really like your project from this week! I was immediately reminded of the old DVD loading screen in which the cube bounces all around and everyone would wait to see if it would land directly in the corner of the screen. I like how you move your name all around and change the color as it lands on each wall. Great job!

    2. Victoria McPherson says:
      August 26, 2025 at 10:05 am

      Hey Jon! I also struggle with getting my design elements to match with my text when animating, the video was very helpful for me as well.

  9. Simon Price says:
    August 22, 2025 at 8:00 pm

    VIDEO RESPONSE:
    1) Ho says that all motion designers are animators, but not all animators are motion designers. She says the biggest difference between animation and motion design is that animation is character-driven and guided by a narrative, while motion design is mainly guided by shape, color, composition, and typography.
    2) The three ways Ho uses type and motion are as the inspiration, the visual thread, and the main focus. When it comes to inspiration, she looks at fonts and thinks of what motions they remind her of, which she then uses to animate them. As the visual thread, she used an existing typeface and designed everything else about the design around it. As the main focus, she decided to make the type be as prominent as the visuals, rather than merely supplementary.
    3) I really liked how all of the examples of her work that she showed were really different from each other design-wise. I’m someone whose art is very inconsistent/varied in terms of style, so it’s cool to see the variety in her own work and how she was able to approach each project from a different perspective and give each their own unique flair. I especially liked the one inspired by the moon.
    PROJECT LINK:
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/EZTF-jFKbyRLtLLYeey0Y6oBaFD3MbjAxNDjpHJae8C3EQ?e=NL0MgZ

    1. Callie Roberts says:
      August 25, 2025 at 8:23 pm

      Hi Simon! I really enjoy the vibe you went with for your nametag! It definitely echoes a horror/thriller movie aesthetic with both the font and the way you made it jump out at the viewer. Red on a black background was also a good choice to further emphasize this concept. Good job!

  10. Christina Kibler says:
    August 23, 2025 at 4:26 pm

    Discussion:
    1. In Joyce N. Ho’s talk, she explains the difference between animation and motion by recognizing many similarities, but the biggest difference is how each one communicates a story. Animation relies on characters/narration, while motion design uses shapes, colors, composition, and typography to do the storytelling. I liked that she said “Type from a motion standpoint should never be an afterthought,” because it expresses how important type is to the overall design, and not just something to sprinkle in at the end.
    2. There are three ways mentioned in the talk that Joyce Ho uses type and motion in her work. The first is using type as an inspiration for how she experimented with her favorite font, “Barbour.” Ho imagines the letters moving from darkness into light, so she uses that to motivate her design. The second is using type as a visual thread, like in her “Likeminds” project. The rounded lines became the connecting idea for the motion, tying the whole design together. The third is making the type the main focus, as she did in this project, where they combined 2D, 3D, and live-action. Ho expresses that the biggest challenge for this design was for the type to be equally weighted with the visuals.
    3. What inspired me the most was her wide range of work, especially her title and credit sequences. I was fascinated by how the words flowed in motion with the images in her true crime project. It made the credits feel like part of the story rather than something separate. This talk has also made me realize how powerful type and motion together can be in shaping the experience.

    Studio:
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?ga=1&id=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2F%5FRachele%20Riley%2Fteaching%2FF%202025%2FART%20392%2FChristina%20Kibler%2FWeek%201%2Fchristinanametag%2Egif&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2F%5FRachele%20Riley%2Fteaching%2FF%202025%2FART%20392%2FChristina%20Kibler%2FWeek%201

    1. hcswoap@uncg.edu says:
      August 25, 2025 at 12:11 pm

      Hey Christina! I really like how your GIF came together and your use of color in addition to multiple fonts. I also thought your use of additional graphics towards the end of the “loop” was really cool and unique. Great job!

    2. Andrea Ramirez says:
      August 26, 2025 at 5:36 pm

      Hi! I really like your nametag and the meaning behind it. The color, fonts, and overall graphics really do a good job representing the transition from childhood to adulthood. I think it came out really cool and fun!

  11. Finn Horstman says:
    August 23, 2025 at 9:51 pm

    Ho defines the differences between Motion designers and Animators not by the kind of work they do but by the reasons they do it. Animators have work that is narrative and character driven, like in cartoons, while Motion designer’s work is aesthetically and moreso theme and topic driven, kind of like a pamphlet that moves. Further, she also defines Motion designers as a subspecies of animators, using animation as the umbrella term for the kind of work they do. She personally uses type and motion, one as inspiration for a piece, where all other elements in the animation are inspired by the design of the type. Secondly she uses it as a visual thread that connects other elements of an animation. And thirdly, Placing the type as the main focus in the center of an animation. I really enjoyed getting to look at motion design from a professional, as I’ve always struggled to look for professional motion designers as individual people rather than as people behind tutorializing youtube videos, But I do like the way Ho marries text to animation, and I think I’ll study her work a little bit.

  12. Clint Bradshaw says:
    August 23, 2025 at 10:02 pm

    1. Looking at how Ho described the difference between animation and motion design, there are things I probably would not have thought about before hearing her. She said animation relies on characters and story. like Pixar movies are a great example. Motion design use shapes, color, composition, and type. You cannot get the same idea if you only think of motion design as animation lite. It’s more about design coming alive, not a character moving. I never really noticed that before, but now it feels kind of obvious

    2. When she explained the three ways she uses type and motion, I started to pay closer attention. First, she use type as inspiration, like seeing a font as shapes. Second, she uses type as a thread, connecting the whole work together. Third, she uses type as the main focus, making it bold/central. You cannot get the same effect if type is just afterthought. I would say this stood out cause I tend to think of type as decoration, but she made it way more important

    3. What inspired me about her, for me personally, was her process. She looks outside of design, like going out to exhibitions and pulling ideas back into her work. I honestly don’t go to a whole bunch of exhibitions. However, you cannot get a feel for new ideas if you never step out. Also, I liked that she made something simple like letters feeling alive. That sorta handmade, experimental quality sticks with me.

  13. Charity B. says:
    August 24, 2025 at 2:13 pm

    Ho describes the difference between animation and motion design by expressing that both are closely related but depends on how the stories are being created. Motion design is based on shape, colors. composition, and typography, while animation is based on character-driven narrative principles. Something that stood out to me was when Ho expressed that not animators are motion designers and not all designers are typographers. Before viewing this video, never considered the distinction between animation and motion graphics. I always characterized them together.

    The three ways she uses type and motion are type as inspiration, as a visual thread, and as a main focus.
    She starts off by dissecting the design and seeing them as shapes. Do they remind her of anything and the feeling they invoke. Then she analyzes the movement of the font and the individual letters. Then Ho pieces all these aspects together to allow them to make the font the main focus of what she is creating.

    Something that inspires me about Ho’s work is that she isn’t afraid to think outside the box with the framework that she is given. For the “LikeMinds” project, Ho used neon colors and real-life textures. She used the rounded lines from the simple logo to add to the project. In the end the product was playful and fun. The usage of movement and sound also helped to add to the playfulness of the project. I really like the downward spiral transition she created in 13:38 of the video. the transition from the circles to the spiral was smooth and flowed together well.

    My project: https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/r/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/Documents/_Rachele%20Riley/teaching/F%202025/ART%20392/Charity%20Bowling/Week%201/Charity_Bowling_Gif_2.gif?csf=1&web=1&e=blw2Pg

    1. Andrea Ramirez says:
      August 26, 2025 at 5:32 pm

      Hi! I really like your nametag, it has a variety of fonts and backgrounds that makes it interesting to keep looking at. You did a really good job capturing motion and different styles for this project!

    2. Christina Kibler says:
      August 26, 2025 at 11:50 pm

      Hey Charity! I really like your use of different fonts and colors in your name tag. It’s so fast-paced with a little added texture, and I think that really ties in your whole project. Thanks for sharing!

  14. Ava Hall says:
    August 24, 2025 at 3:34 pm

    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/Eip7HqVqd6tGsmZ2U0VGUGUBXAT1MHaGOOho1w7UsP5F9A?e=xj912i

  15. Ava Hall says:
    August 24, 2025 at 3:53 pm

    1.Ho describes the difference between animation and motion design as saying that a typographer is a type of designer, while motion design is a type of animator. Not all animators are motion designers while not all designers are typographers. Animators focus more heavily on characters, while motion designers focus more on shape and color. She also explained that motion design pulls a lot from graphic design, since you’re really paying attention to layout, timing, and composition instead of thinking about how a character acts or tells a story. I liked how she showed that motion design is kind of its own thing; it overlaps with animation but is more about communicating ideas through form and movement, almost like you’re designing with energy and rhythm instead of just static shapes.

    2. The three ways she uses type and motion are type as the inspiration, the visual thread, and the main focus. When type is the inspiration, she studies the font itself and lets its weight, style, and feel guide how it should move. When it’s the visual thread, she uses motion as a way to connect different pieces together, so even if there’s a lot going on visually, the type keeps everything tied together and consistent. And when type is the main focus, she puts the letterforms front and center, making them more than just words on a screen. they become points that tell the story through their movement.

    3. I was really inspired by her break down of letters, already thinking of how the font could move based on the vibe it was giving her, thinking down to shadowing and how light bounces across the text. I also really love how she thought more into how type isn’t just used to describe something and how to keep it consistent, such as with the Likeminds logo she created. It made me think differently about typography, not just as words on a page but as something that carries emotion, mood, and energy depending on how it’s animated.

  16. Clint Bradshaw says:
    August 24, 2025 at 5:52 pm

    Here is the link to my project:
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/EuSPgxkmZwROm60otGqcTxUBw2O4mpPhg4ApPCfCAHBzKg?e=LYNygo

    1. Ruthi Temple says:
      August 26, 2025 at 12:13 pm

      Hi Clint!
      I think your name tag design is really nice! I like how it is similar to a video game intro. The motion and fluidity of the text and background is also very interesting and adds a nice touch.

  17. Cindy Ortiz says:
    August 24, 2025 at 7:30 pm

    Through the video her formal training in animation was laid; which allowed her to have a strong foundation for her work in motion design. She explains that-“Spending my formative years as an animator really helped me understand what is exactly needed to bring design to life through motion. This means when I’m art directing now, I can tailor my designs to fit a certain animation workflow or pitch something that is within the project budget because I know the ballpark on how long it might take to animate.” This demonstrates that this allowed her an understanding of mechanics and timing. All of this provides her good visions as a motion designer. It anticipates good designs and brings her ideas to the right path.

    The three ways she uses motions are Kinetic Typography/textures, Abstract and conceptual/Phrases Animations, and Integration of Type in Storytelling. Even though these are interpreted from her broader portfolio rather than the specific talk, they reflect distinct ways Joyce animates type: as texture, as conceptual visual metaphor, and as narrative element; which is most interesting.

    I love how Ho melds thoughtful storytelling, textural richness she uses, and pragmatic design sensibility into every peace she does. It’s a rare combination of artistry, ideas, and craft. This brings such a strong and beautiful example of motion design/expressiveness.

  18. Raquel Walton says:
    August 24, 2025 at 8:35 pm

    Ho describes the difference between animation and motion design is that motion designers are all animators but not all animators are motion designers. The difference lies in how she tells her stories. animators rely on characters and narrative principles while motion designers rely on design principles. The three ways she uses type and motion are as follows: inspiration, visual thread, and the main focus. the examples she uses reinforces the three ways through her own work. The inspiration was used through finding installations and typefaces that was not what was in her original design bubble. The visual thread helped ground her art in the title that was giving to her and in turn created a work that was perfectly in sync with the titles. Finally using type as the main focus really pulled the focus on the information that was given. I think that it really work in her favor for giving a fresh look that worked well with the organic visuals. What really inspired me about their work was that it was very contemporary graphics but there was a sense of personality that was well shown throughout all of the works shown. I think that there is always a challenge to compete with a sleek modern feel and a more fun and colorful one and Joyce was able to create a happy balance that complemented her own values and interests. It’s really inspiring to see that and it can help so much when it comes to developing my own design voice.

    1. Mar Alvarado-Escobar says:
      August 26, 2025 at 2:00 pm

      Hey Roqui, I also agree that Ho’s techniques allow for an organic feel for her visuals. I also enjoy your explainations of Ho’s techniques as they are to-the-point and concise. I am also very inspired by how Ho is able to put herself in her design work. I hope to strive for that as well.

  19. Andrea Ramirez says:
    August 24, 2025 at 8:43 pm

    Ho describes animation and motion design to be closely related. A motion designer is a type of animator; however, not all animators are motion designers. The difference lies in how stories are communicated. Animations in the traditional sense rely on narrative principles and are more character-driven. Motion designers focus more on the use of design like shape, color composition, and typography. Three ways Ho uses type and motion are as the inspiration, the visual thread, and the main focus. She states that it shouldn’t feel like an afterthought. Through her examples, she shows her inspirations outside the projects and how she connects her designs in her process and makes type actually stand out. A big takeaway from this is that Ho focuses on making type feel as important as all the visual elements in her projects, where they feel equally weighted. What really inspires me about Ho’s work is her ability to work in various ranges of type and motion design. She is very proud when it comes to describing the projects she was a part of and describes her process in an interesting way. I like how she finds her inspirations and how they lead to the final product. I find it inspiring when artists are always able to create a range of different visuals.
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/EbJZkpQ28_BDnB4gyb9emxQBGIqvFNn709YKSL5subgFDw?e=I90caS

    1. Cindy Pham says:
      August 25, 2025 at 4:03 pm

      Hi Andrea!
      I absolutely loved the animation you chose for your nametag. It gives off the feeling of someone physically writing your name and creates a fun and whimsical vibe! The typeface you chose really adds to that effect! Lovely job!

    2. Clint Bradshaw says:
      August 26, 2025 at 10:17 pm

      Hi Andrea,

      I really like your name slowly being revealed in the animation like somebody is writing your name down on paper. It kind of gives me like calligraphy writing in a way, especially with the elegant font.

    3. Clint Bradshaw says:
      August 26, 2025 at 10:18 pm

      Hi Andrea,

      I really like your name slowly being revealed in the animation. It kind of gives me like calligraphy writing in a way, especially with the elegant font.

  20. Rory Bohn says:
    August 24, 2025 at 10:25 pm

    1. How does Ho describe the difference between animation and motion design?
    Joyce Ho describes the difference between the two through an analogy “Just as a typographer is a type of designer, a motion designer is a type of animator.”
    In her speech she tells the audience that animators rely on characters and narratives to communicate ideas whereas motion designers use things like typography, color, shape, and composition to tell their stories.

    2. What are the three ways she uses type and motion?
    She uses type in three ways:
    Inspiration: A typeface can be used as a starting point for a project and it should never be an afterthought. She chose a font, broke down letter forms, and found her inspiration from it and other ideas she came up with.
    Visual Thread: Type can be used as a connecting thread through an entire piece of work. She used the rounded lines in the font she was given as the connecting thread during her work.
    Main Focus: Type can be used as the main focal point of the piece. She worked with a team of artists she got to pick and collaborate. The artists made the typeface bold, but made sure to balance the names and visuals.

    3. On a personal note, what inspired you about her design work?
    After watching Ho’s presentation, I was inspired to let loose more and experiment more with my typography instead of sticking with what I know because it makes me comfortable. I was also inspired to look into careers related to typography and motion design, such as advertising.

    Link to my week 1 folder: https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2F%5FRachele%20Riley%2Fteaching%2FF%202025%2FART%20392%2FRory%20Bohn%2FWeek%201&ga=1

    1. Ruthi Temple says:
      August 26, 2025 at 12:10 pm

      Hi Rory!
      I appreciate how you mention how Ho broke down her letter forms and finds inspiration from that, I think it reflects our newest project well. I also like your name tag, the typeface has a nice retro 80s video game vibe that I admire.

  21. Cindy Pham says:
    August 24, 2025 at 10:35 pm

    1. How does Ho describe the difference between animation and motion design?
    Ho describes a motion designer as a type of animator, but reiterates that not all animators are motion designers. She states that the biggest difference between the two is how they communicate, as animators in a traditional sense rely on characters and narrative principles while motion designers use shape, colour, composition, and typography.
    2. What are the three ways she uses type and motion?
    She uses type as the inspiration, as the visual thread, and then as the main focus. As for the inspiration, in a situation where she has to come up with an animation for a typeface or a logo, she tries to dissect the design as shapes, and what kind of feelings do they evoke.
    As a visual element, she’ll take an already given concept and note certain aspects related to the theme, identifying patterns and connections that are intertwined and how to represent them visually.
    Now as the main focus, in her project for Austrialia’s biggest creator conference, Semi-Permanent, she directed their open titles. Instead of the common method of creating a graphic where there’s more visuals than text, she instead wanted to make an equal weighted effect of text and visuals. She wanted to go against the narrative of using images and visuals over text, so by using motion graphics, she was able to create a balance of using type along with sound and visuals, where the typeface was able to create a lasting, strong impact, while complementing the many other elements.
    3. On a personal note, what inspired you about her design work?
    I was very inspired by her short animation that she had directed for a motion project called “A Word A Week.” It’s where designers from all over the world would create a short animation of a word that they chose, inspired by one of their typefaces and with the freedom to do whatever they desire. It was very eye-opening to me as she took such a simple concept of where you take a word and create an animation out of it, but she took it to the next level, where she literally broke down the characteristics of the word and applied another theme to the term. Her entire process was so fun to watch and learn from, and it’s definitely a future project that I would love to recreate myself!

    As for the nametag project, the typeface I chose was one I pulled from online, and it emitted an almost Disney-like feel. It instantly reminded me of the iconic Walt Disney Pictures title intro (before they changed it to the horrendous one now), as the star symbols throughout the typeface evoked the same magical/fantastical feeling of the castle, where you see stars/fireworks move around the castle and the text. Thus, I wanted to recreate that similar feeling in my own style, so I chose to use a movie title sequence animation where it stretches and fades in and out of frame while there are stars twinkling in the background.
    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/g/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/EdZ6EueOLJBBvtAHXvdtLcIB9I8Fm0PQeY51wxW3EakQ5A?e=C28fd6

    1. Sarah Hines says:
      August 25, 2025 at 11:27 am

      Hi Cindy! Your nametag does remind me of some fantasy title card,(agree with the Disney comment that new one is not as good). I also love the simplicity in it, it aids to the font you chose and I love the sparkling of stars.

    2. Raquel Walton says:
      August 26, 2025 at 7:58 pm

      Hey Cindy, I really enjoyed your animation. It was so exciting to see the use of animation in your background on top of your main subject. It was really exciting to see your style and personality come to light.

  22. Ruthi Temple says:
    August 24, 2025 at 11:36 pm

    1. Ho says the difference between animation and motion design is that a motion designer is a type of animator, but not all motion designers are animators. Animators communicate their ideas through characters and narrative principles. Typically, animators create the cartoons we all know and love. Motion designers use shape, color, composition, and typography to communicate their ideas.

    2. She uses type as an inspiration, the visual thread, and the main focus. She studies the form of each letter for inspiration and looks for anything that reminds her of something else. The visual thread comes from work already done by others, and finding ways to connect your work to those around you. Type is the main focus of her work, she mentions how the “small white font” is typically what we see now for type design and credits.

    3. I was really inspired by the overall aesthetic of her work. The project she did for LikeMinds really stood out to me because of how fluid her animations were and how everything connected to each other. I admire how she uses type as her main focus and other elements like shape and color. Her use of basic forms and colors really makes her work eye-catching. The type of work and clients she has had is also very inspiring and something I would like to do in the future.

    Link: https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/Documents/_Rachele%20Riley/teaching/F%202025/ART%20392/Ruthi%20Temple/Week%201?csf=1&web=1&e=XfOcWG

    1. Cindy Pham says:
      August 25, 2025 at 3:59 pm

      Hey Ruthi!
      I love the variety of typefaces for your nametag! The movement is very clean and I love the added grainy texture. With the multi-colored background and an almost fish-eye lens perspective, it gives off a vintage tv look! Great work!

  23. Jackson Highshaw says:
    August 25, 2025 at 11:54 am

    Joyce Ho stated that all motion designers are animators however, not all animators are motion designers, continuing to compare it to not all graphic designers being typographers. How also says that the difference is in how we communicate our stories, with animators using characters and narrative as primary ways to convey meaning, whereas motion designers use typography to convey emotion or narrative.
    Three ways that ho uses type and motion are as the inspiration, visual thread, and/or main focus. Meaning as the inspiration, she tries to dissect the design to see what qualities the design of the text hold, elements that make it up, when she mentions visual thread, she means as a visual element, as a design element in it self, a thread connecting an entire piece of work, lastly, using type equally weighted as the visuals, meaning using type at the forefront by utilizing how it is designed/animated with elements from the visuals, music, etc. what inspired me most about Ho’s work was how humble she was talking about it. I adore how exciting and passionate she gets while also having such a charming and adventurous attitude about it, making sure to thank and cherish the people that she’s talking about working with, I also really loved that we started off with a broad city analogy from the jump, I love that show.

  24. Chris Pierce says:
    August 26, 2025 at 8:10 pm

    NAME GIF

    https://uncg-my.sharepoint.com/personal/r_riley_uncg_edu/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fr%5Friley%5Funcg%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2F%5FRachele%20Riley%2Fteaching%2FF%202025%2FART%20392%2FChris%20Pierce%2FWEEK%201&ga=1

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