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Experiment. Fail. Repeat: Tales + Advice from MoGraph Heroes

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Over 80 motion design heroes share their insights and inspiration in this free 250+ page ebook.

What if you could sit down and have coffee with your favorite motion designer?

That was the thought process behind one of the biggest projects in School of Motion history.

A while back the team came up with an idea that was too good to pass up - What if we personally asked some of the biggest motion designers in the world to share their insights with the community? Moreover, what if we collected those responses and organized them into an ebook to give away fo' FREE?

By using a series of questions, we were able to organize insights from some of the most successful motion designers in the world into easy-to-digest knowledge nuggets (yummy). This is truly a project that couldn’t have happened without the incredible collaborative culture across the motion design community. Enough chit-chat, let’s get to the book…

EXPERIMENT. FAIL. REPEAT: Tales & Advice from Mograph Heros

This 250+ page ebook is a deep-dive into the minds of 86 of the biggest motion designers in the world. The premise was actually pretty simple. We asked some of the artists the same 7 questions:

  1. What advice do you wish you had known when you first started motion design?
  2. What is a common mistake that new motion designers make?
  3. What’s the most useful tool, product, or service you use that’s not obvious to motion designers?
  4. In 5 years, what’s one thing that will be different about the industry?
  5. If you could put a quote on the After Effects or Cinema 4D splash screen, what would it say?
  6. Are there any books or films that have influenced your career or mindset?
  7. What’s the difference between a good motion design project and a great one?

We then took the answers and organized them into an easy-to-digest format along with artwork from some of their most recognizable projects.

Artist Bio Layout for Experiment Fail Repeat.png
You're probably going to recognize a lot of the artwork in this book.

We also asked the artists to share their favorite artist or studio and their favorite motion design project (if they could answer such a difficult question).

Written by the World's Most Prominent Motion Designers

We couldn’t believe how many incredible artists contributed their insights to the book. Like we said before, 86 MoGraph heroes submitted their contributions. It would be crazy to list them all here, but here are just a few of the artists that collaborated on this project:

  • Nick Campbell
  • Ariel Costa
  • Lilian Darmono
  • Bee Grandinetti
  • Jenny Ko
  • Andrew Kramer
  • Raoul Marks
  • Sarah Beth Morgan
  • Erin Sarofsky
  • Ash Thorp
  • Mike Winkelmann (Beeple)

And that is only a small selection!

Names of Artists.jpg

The book includes motion designers from the biggest studios in the world including Buck, Giant Ant, Animade, MK12, Ranger & Fox, Antibody, Cub Studio, and more! These artists have worked for huge clients including Google, Apple, Marvel, and Nike, among countless others...

In each chapter you’ll find the artist’s name, studio, a link to their work, a short bio, their answers, and artwork.

In the back of the book you’ll also find a bonus appendix section with an organized collection of the responses, with recommendations for books, films, artists, directors, studios, authors, and tools. We even let you know how many times an inspiration piece appeared in the book. What is the most popular book among motion design celebrities? You’re about to find out.

THANKS FOR BEING AWESOME!

Again, this incredible project wouldn’t have happened without the amazing support of the entire motion design community. We can’t say ‘thank you’ enough to all of the talented MoGraph heroes who contributed to this book. Motion design is an exciting artistic journey, hopefully this book helps you get one step closer to achieving your MoGraph dreams.

EXPLORE ALL COURSES

Dive into real-time 3D with our Unreal Engine beginner's course by Jonathan Winbush. Master importing assets, world-building, animation, and cinematic sequences to create stunning 3D renders in no time! Perfect for motion designers ready to level up.

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Unlock the secrets of character design in this dynamic course! Explore shape language, anatomy rules, and motifs to craft animation-ready characters. Gain drawing tips, hacks, and Procreate mastery (or any drawing app). Ideal for artists seeking to elevate their craft.

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Elevate your freelance motion design career with our guide to client success. Master a repeatable method for finding, contacting, and landing clients. Learn to identify prospects, nurture leads, and develop a thriving freelance philosophy amidst chaos.

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Rev up your editing skills with After Effects! Learn to use it for everyday needs and craft dynamic templates (Mogrts) for smarter teamwork. You'll master creating animated graphics, removing unwanted elements, tracking graphics, and making customizable templates.

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Stand out with Demo Reel Dash! Learn to spotlight your best work and market your unique brand of magic. By the end, you'll have a brand new demo reel and a custom campaign to showcase yourself to an audience aligned with your career goals.

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Illuminate your 3D skills with Lights, Camera, Render! Dive deep into advanced Cinema 4D techniques with David Ariew. Master core cinematography skills, gain valuable assets, and learn tools and best practices to create stunning work that wows clients.

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Master After Effects at your own pace with Jake Bartlett's beginner course. Perfect for video editors, you'll learn to create stylish animated graphics, remove unwanted elements, and track graphics into shots. By the end, you'll be equipped for everyday AE needs and more.

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Revolutionize your Premiere workflow with customizable AE templates! Master creating dynamic Motion Graphics Templates (Mogrts) in After Effects to speed up your team's work. By the end, you'll craft easily-customizable templates for seamless use in Premiere Pro.

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Not sure where to start?

If you’re a beginner, here are some great courses to help you get started:

After Effects Kickstart

Dive into the fundamentals of motion design with our most popular (and recently updated) After Effects course.

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Photoshop + Illustrator Unleashed

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Design Kickstart

An introduction to the design principles behind all great work.

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More Advanced?

If you’re a more advanced student looking to up your game, here are some great options:

Animation Bootcamp

Learn the art and principles of creating beautiful movements in Adobe After Effects.

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Design Bootcamp

Learn to design for motion in this intermediate-level, project-based course.

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Cinema 4D Basecamp

Learn Cinema 4D from the ground up in this exciting introductory C4D course.

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Now is the time to learn the skills you need to advance in your motion design career: