Prioritising motion when building brand identity
Shelby Georgis, partner and CCO at HLK, explains why, in today’s screen-first world, motion is a vital element of brand identity.
Branding has long been about creating memorable visual identities, but modern brands need to live and breathe. We spend a lot of time perfecting how our logos, colours and typography come together, but how often do we think about how these elements move?
Forgive the obvious, but in a screen-first world, many identities are first viewed not in print, but in pixels. Motion is no longer just an aesthetic choice – it’s an essential element of a brand’s identity.
A letterform that slowly unfolds. A pattern fractally expanding. A shadow settling. These elements imply more than mere aesthetics. They evoke meaning. Smooth or abrupt, fast or slow, direction and distance – all of these factors tell a story and convey the brand’s personality. How a brand identity moves can tell the audience how it speaks, how it feels and what it stands for. It can be a subtle but powerful differentiator. And exploring motion could unlock an idea that takes the lead, captivates a viewer and drives the execution of static formats.
Motion is more than just eye-catching – it’s about building a deeper connection. It can make the brand experience more intuitive for the audience, and it is proven to make your brand identity more engaging and, ultimately, more memorable.
Crafting motion that is versatile while staying true to the brand’s core values is essential. And it doesn’t stop at a logo in motion. From animating type in social posts to the micro-movements that accompany small user actions within an app, every screen-based interaction with your brand is an opportunity to add depth and dimension. Motion guidelines outlining the style, pace and use cases for moving elements are key to creating a thoughtful and consistent kinetic identity.
While the digital giants – Pinterest, Google and Netflix – are often best in class, their roots in screen-first interaction make motion-first a natural fit. The examples that are the most surprising and the most impactful often come from brands founded in the analog.
The brand system for the San Francisco Symphony is a rousing, emotional type experience. The task of translating an auditory world into typographical rules could not have been more challenging. The final product is letterforms as instruments, which play as they move, bringing to life any musical composition. This typographic motion expression is adapted into an elegant and inspired static design system. It’s a beautiful concert of form, colour, image and balance that truly represents the magic of live performance.
Turning to a physical product translated to best-in-class motion: Bubly. The PepsiCo brand has a flavourful, effervescent product. And adapting that into motion could fall into category cliche. But a tight build on the smile of its identity – and the many characters it could embody – differentiated the brand in a world where literal bubbles abound. As it expanded its product offerings, the same motion characteristics have been applied to new graphic libraries, connecting the full product range while allowing each line to stand out.
At HLK, brand story is the start for a motion driven identity system. We did this for Envu, a brand born of the concepts of horizon, aperture and strict geometry. Putting that in motion, we created a system of shapes and containers that moved in precise, angular ways. They opened and constricted to drive the viewers’ attention. And these elements often originated from the horizon line, connecting to the brand’s environmental visionary brand story.
When developing kinetic identities and motion systems, who the brand is must live at the core. Motion is a way to bring to life the brand story with time as the added variable. Brand personality and tone can shine through decisions on pace and rhythm. And as with all brand decisions, simplicity is key. Motion should always enhance but not overshadow the brand. Consistent use of thoughtful motion principles will always be stronger than applying motion everywhere all the time.
For online and offline brands alike, it’s imperative that brands approach motion with the same precision and intention as any other design choice. It’s not about replacing the fundamentals – it’s about enhancing them. When we approach branding as motion-first, we design a living, breathing identity that feels fluid and deep and is optimised for every environment. It’s time to start prioritising how our brand identities move.
