Static was yesterday

Many rebranding projects start strong—and then fail because of movement. Corporate designs are defined, but the motion DNA is missing. How does the logo appear? How are shapes, captions, or illustrations animated?
Especially in the digital world, a brand only appears consistent if it has clear movement behavior. If this remains open, the following happens: Every animation is done “later somehow.” Teams interpret freely. Social clips look different from presentations. UX/UI looks different from video content. In short: The brand falls apart before it even gets going.

Motion design adds a fourth dimension to corporate design: time. And with it, attitude, energy, and personality. What components are involved?

Logo animation

The first impression of a brand—and often the most emotional one. Calm? Energetic? Precise? Playful? A logo animation defines the brand's voice before a word is even spoken.

Intro and outro animations for videos

Companies are producing more videos than ever before. Consistent intros/outros ensure recognizability and professionalism – whether it's a social snippet, image film, or recruiting video.

Graphic elements

Animation takes icons, shapes, and illustrations to a new level: they explain, guide, and evoke emotion. Perfect for websites, social media, or landing pages.

Captions and typography

Captions are not only information carriers, but also dynamic navigation. A motion style guide defines timing, easing, structure, and fading – so that everything fits together.

Live action & visual language

Motion is not just animation. Live action is also part of brand movement.
A rebranding defines:

• Camera style: steady vs. handheld
• Lighting: warm vs. clean
• Editing: dynamic vs. reduced
• Mixed media: How do film & animation merge?

Only the interplay of film, animation, and sound creates a brand world that works “in real life.”

How can motion design be meaningfully integrated into a rebranding process?

1. Consider motion design from the outset

No “we'll do it later.” Motion belongs at the same table as design & strategy.
This allows visual language to be directly tested for animability and vice versa.

2. Develop a motion style guide

The motion style guide complements the corporate design manual and defines how the CI elements behave in motion.
This creates a system that works for all media.

3. Modular building blocks

A logically structured motion system avoids duplication of work.
A logo animation can be the basis for an outro, and moving illustrations and typography animations can be used in live-action films as layers or graphic additions.

4. Clearly define use cases

Motion is considered for all relevant touchpoints:

• Social media
• Video formats including captions and intro/outro
• Employer branding
• Image and explanatory films with defined visual language
• Presentations
• Website & apps
• Trade fair and event design

5. Think about film and animation together

A brand has a strong impact when live-action film and animation mesh seamlessly—whether through transitions, shared color schemes, or recurring graphic elements.

6. Make it loud!

Animation + sound = goosebumps.
This is an underestimated boost to recognizability, especially for logo animations.

A rebranding is only complete once the brand's movement and feel have been defined. Animation and film bring brands to life and create recognition across all touchpoints.
In short, motion brings corporate design from paper to screen—and gives it real character.

How much movement is there in your current brand identity? We'd love to find out.