Motion Design
03 / Kinetic Typography
Key question
How does type move?
Kinetic typography makes text speak, quite literally. Words appear in rhythm with the voice, emphasising, whispering and disappearing. For this to work, text must remain legible even when in motion.
Learning objective: You can animate text effectively, choose the right effects for content and tone, and ensure readability in motion.
Writing can speak.
3.1 / Type in Motion
Three ways to move text.
Almost all text animations can be traced back to three basic forms.
01
Appearance
Text appears: from the bottom, from a mask, letter by letter.
02
Emphasise
One word gets bigger, bolder or coloured, while the rest remains still.
03
Transform
One word merges into another, letters shift to new places.
Animate by meaning, not by length: the single important word gets the movement, the rest stays still.
Animate according to meaning.
3.2 / Using effects purposefully
Fewer effects, more impact.
Every effect sets a tone. Coming from below feels friendly and clear, the typewriter functional or mysterious, blur soft and dreamy, letter-spacing sophisticated. A project rarely needs more than two effects.
Words are moved as units, not letters, otherwise the meaning is lost. The typewriter is the exception, as it mimics typing.
Words move, not letters.
3.3 / Legibility in Motion
Allow time for reading.
Text needs to stay on screen long enough to be read. As a rule of thumb: three words per second, plus an extra second to spare. A sentence with nine words therefore needs around four seconds.
Movement needs contrast: bold cuts, a calm background, and no thin lines that flicker when moving. For people who are sensitive to motion, there is always a calm version.
Allow time for reading.
Exercise
One sentence, three voices
Task: Animate the phrase 'Sound needs space' for Museum Klang in three moods.
STEP 1
Choose an effect for every mood: calm, energetic, and playful.
STEP 2
Choose which word is stressed.
STEP 3
Adjust the duration and staggering so that the sentence remains on screen for at least two seconds at the end.
STEP 4
Export a still version without motion.
Evaluation: Does a stranger recognise the mood without you mentioning it?