Game of Thrones Opening Titles by Leanne Dare and Elastic

And of course, no study of motion design would be complete without giving a nod to one of the most well-known title sequences to come out of the last decade. Created by Leanne Dare and Elastic, this title sequence is just so very nice to watch every time it comes on.

Godzilla (2014) Opening Credits by Kyle Cooper

Yet another movie that really didn't do well at the box office, but had amazing opening titles. The titles for this movie were created by Kyle Cooper, and are absolutely gorgeous, which is not surprising, since they were made by Kyle Cooper. And when I say gorgeous, I don't mean clean and shiny and pretty. I mean they are absolutely the right credits for this movie. They fit like a puzzle piece, and I can't imagine this movie with any other sequence introducing us to the story.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Sarofsky Corp.

Yes, I know, I'm doing two Captain America movies in a row, but these are some really well done titles as well! Created by Sarofsky Corp., based out of Chicago, this end credit sequence is gorgeous in it's minimalism. While I love motion design that goes all out and can wow me with levels of complexity, I think my favorite is the simple design that is able to do its job without getting complicated.

Captain America: The First Avenger Ending Credits by Method Studios

I loved this movie, and I was a huge fan of the end credits by Method Studios. I love seeing so many classic, wartime propaganda posters coming to life. You may not like the movie itself, but you have to admit that these titles are very well done.

"The Avengers Intro - Firefly Style" by Hud1313

This is an old video created by YouTuber Hud1313. I'm not sure if it counts as motion design, but I think it's an impressive example of editing and shows an understanding of both source materials.

"Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short" by Warner Brothers Animation

The video description credits this video as a collaborative effort between Bruce Timm, creator of some of the most amazing animated stories to ever come out of the DC Universe, and Zach Snyder, who is currently too busy trying to be cool to make a decent DC live action movie. I love this animation because it is a simple tribute to one of my favorite superheroes of all time. Yes, I'm a Superfan. Fight me. I really enjoy the transitions between eras, and I feel like all representations and styles were shown well.

"5 Innocent Words with Dirty Origins" by CollegeHumor

This video was created by staff artists and animators at CollegeHumor. I did some digging, but wasn't able to figure out who the primary artist/animator was. It's kind of a stupid and click-baity video, but even those have to be conceptualized, proofed, animated, and someone gets paid to make them. So, while stupid, it still counts.

Dr. Strange Title Sequence by Alex Silver

This opening sequence was designed by Alex Silver, and, for my money, is way more interesting than the opening sequence that they ended up putting at the front of Dr. Strange. It makes me sad that Marvel seems to be doing away with opening credits because they have such a wealth of art and history and different styles to draw on, but they never seem to properly utilize any of it. Hopefully that changes.

X-MEN: Apocalypse Opening Sequence by Nadia Tzuo

This opening sequence was art directed and designed by Nadia Tzuo. I know a lot of people weren't huge fans of this movie, but I very much enjoyed it, and I remember particularly liking the opening sequence. It shows the passage of history from the ancient Egyptian era to modern day, and it does so with one continuous shot.

Guardians of the Galaxy UI Elements by Territory Studio

These UI elements for the movie "The Guardians of the Galaxy" were created by Territory Studio, a design firm with studios in London, New York, or San Fransisco. I've always loved graphics like this in movies because, if they are done correctly, no one notices them at all. I appreciate the time that designers put into elements like this to make sure that they are never noticed.

"Shirley Jackson eBook Trailer" by Lena Steinkühler

I absolutely love this animation by Lena Steinkühler. The cutout animation look is beautiful, and even though I don't really speak any German at all, I still can enjoy the visuals of this trailer.  It's beautifully done, and I can only hope to someday be creating animations of this caliber.

"Historic Heston Book Trailer" by Peter Muckleston and Tom Britton

This is a trailer for the book Historic Heston, made by Peter Muckleston and Tom Britton. The use of space moving through the book is absolutely amazing, and the complexity with all of the moving parts honestly makes me drool. I realize that this is made on a very high budget and probably over the course of a couple of months, but this is the kind of motion design that I want to do. It's complex and simple at the same time, and very engaging, even considering the book is about the history of British cooking.

Kenetic Typography by Jarrett Heather

Kinetic typography has been a fascination of mine for quite some time, and I always enjoy seeing it done extremely well. Jarrett Heather is an amazing animator of kinetic typography, though he only seems to have done two videos that I can find. 

While most kinetic typography animators are successful in utilizing timing and rhythm, Heather goes above and beyond. He uses differing iconography and visual styles to give the narrative of the song an extra kick in the pants that propels it from kinetic typography to a fully fledged music video.

"How Small We Are in the Scale of the Universe?" by Yukai Du

This informational video was designed by Yukai Du, and was made for TED-Ed. It's simple and stylized, but it manages to capture the complexity of the subject matter. Du's simplified style, colorful transitions, and sweeping motion softens the hard edges of science and makes it approachable, with is perfect for the classroom settings that TED-Ed is intended to be used for. The Behance page for this project is a wonderful example of all of the effort and passion that had to go into making it.

Justice League: The Final Frontier Opening Sequence

This is the opening credit sequence for the Warner Brothers animated feature, Justice League: The New Frontier, based off of the graphic novel by the late Darwyn Cooke. The opening credits are a tribute, I feel, to the Saul Bass style of motion design, as the period in which the movie and book are set (the 1950s) would have been the beginning of Bass' heyday. I'm not sure whether this credit sequence falls under the umbrella of animation, since it does tell a story, or motion design, but I enjoy every second of it.

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