WHAT THE HECK IS A STYLE FRAME IN MOTION GRAPHICS?
If you’ve witnessed animated commercials utilizing motion graphics, you might assume that the artists who bring these creations to life can simply open animation software like After Effects or C4D and start crafting. After a few hours, a stunning work of animated art emerges. While personal projects might commence this way, I'm unaware of any commercial endeavor that follows such a streamlined process! Typically, crafting an advertisement through motion graphics entails a lot of communication, collaboration, and revision. That's why dedicated tools such as a Written Visual Treatment (WVT), storyboards, or style frames were conceived - to exchange ideas and ensure everyone shares the same vision.
So… What exactly is a style frame!?
In the realm of motion graphics, style frames serve as visual cornerstones, offering a sneak peek into the potential appearance of the final video. Allow me to delve into some technicality for a moment. Remember creating flip books as a child? Flipping through the pages made the drawings seem animated. Animation follows a similar principle, even with the advancement of tools. A style frame, in essence, is akin to a page from that flipbook – meticulously outlined, colored, and textured. It embodies a single animation frame, fully realized to demonstrate the possible final look of the video.
A style frame in a soft, flat vector character style
A style frame in a edgy, bold, geometric character style
But why invest in style frames?
Animation and Motion Graphics demand a significant amount of time. Not only do you need to sketch, design, and illustrate all assets for the final video, but animation is also crucial. If you delve into 3D, modeling, texturing, and lighting become part of the process. Once everything is pieced together, rendering is still necessary. Motion design takes time. Style frames serve as a means of communication between the creative director, art director, artist, producer, and client, ensuring everyone understands the ultimate goal. By minimizing revisions and time spent altering the final video, style frames effectively reduce the overall project cost.
Engineered for speed.
But what happens when a design doesn’t align with the client's or creative director's vision? A designer can tweak or start anew without wasting time. Since a style frame is precisely that – one frame instead of a full 30 frames per second (fps) sequence – making adjustments is quick and simple. Furthermore, using tools like Wacom tablets, Photoshop, or ProCreate allows scenes to be drawn rather than meticulously constructed for animation. This enables artistic development without being bogged down by technical execution. When the design doesn’t match the intended goals, recreating a single frame is far more efficient than overhauling an entire animation.
From frame to frames.
Once a style frame gains approval from the creative director, art director, and client, it acts as a beacon for illustrators. They use it to maintain the established style throughout the entire design package. When illustrators hand over the digital assets to animators, they provide a roadmap that ensures a consistent look and feel across the entire project.
In conclusion
Style frames play the role of unsung heroes in motion graphics. By laying the foundation for the final animated video, they act as vital visual anchors to ensure design, direction, shape, aesthetics, and emotions align with project expectations and goals. Embracing style frames as an essential bridge between concept and execution guarantees a remarkably smooth trajectory for your upcoming project.
