Although it is a new design format, Lottie is all the rage right now. In fact, Lottie animations are increasingly gaining popularity among businesses, both big and small. So, what exactly is Lottie, and how these animations can elevate logo design to set your business up for success? Read on to find out everything youneed to know about Lottie animations.
1. Introduction to Lottie Animations
In short, Lottie is an animation tool that converts animation into JSON file format. The process is far smoother and manageable as you simply have to export high-quality animations without downloading heavy and complicated animation files.
Plus, Lottieis applicable on multiple platforms meaning that you can improve both iOS andAndroid apps, as well as web apps. It is also light and flexible and improves the interactive efficiency of many applications. A great versatile tool for designing eye-catching animations while offering end-users outstanding front-end features.
However, in the years before Lottie, motion designers had a rather difficult process to complete before getting the final product – a functional and attractive animation. They used to create their animations and then send them to software developers to put them into action. A very time-consuming and costly process that soon came to an end.
In 2015, Hernan Torrisi conceived the idea of exporting the representation of ananimation created in Adobe After Effects and generating the animation at runtime. He leveraged After Effects’ scripting abilities to iterate ananimation project and released a plugin called Bodymovin that exported the JSON format description of an animation. What’s more, he provided the first-everrenderer for the format, built using Javascript.
Then, in 2017, Airbnb engineers saw the potential of these animations and partnered witha lead animator, also at Airbnb, to build both iOS and Android libraries that can render JSON animation files. They named it Lottie, after Charlotte ‘Lotte” Reiniger, a German film director who’s regarded as the pioneer of silhouette animation. And that’s how it all started!
2. The Importance of Logo Design in Branding
There’s no doubt that a professionally designed logo helps in taking your business to distinction and prominence. It is the first thing the audience notices so you have to make a great first impression, as a whopping 78% of consumers think of logos as a work of art.
And, as Paul Rand, the father of graphic design, said ‘A logo doesn’t sell (directly), it identifies’, you must remember that your logo is actually what sets you apart from the competition and makes your brand recognizable.
In other words, logos play a huge role in brand identity. A logo should have a distinctand cohesive look that establishes what your brand stands for and how you want it to be perceived. With that in mind, a logo is an effective way to tell the world about your business without using words. Indeed, a logo can tell customers who you are, what you sell, or what you offer. It is like a starting point to build upon and, thus should be aligned with the overall vision of your brand.
But, that’s not all! Logos also communicate brand values and personality. Not only do they inform customers about the type of business you are but can also convey your brand’s values and present the overall personality and vibe of your business. Put briefly, an effective logo helps strengthen your messaging without using any words.
3. Benefits of Animated Logos
An animated logo is all about adding motion to a logo, i.e. it is an upgrade of a static logo that has no effects. It can range from using simple patterns to a full video representation. It should rely on the goal, the nature, and the target audience of acompany. Thus, you should invest in professional logo animation services, like the ones from MotionAlly, to ensure quality results.
In addition, as far as the benefits of animated logos are concerned, there are plenty of them but engaging users and increasing brand recognition through motion are certainly the major ones. A dynamic logo will, indeed, drive more engagement compared to a static logo by default as it canpresent your brand identity and personality, and customers can easily resonate with it.
Moreover, increased brand recognition is one of the top benefits of using animated logos. Visual content is not only more appealing to the eye, but it also makes a more lasting and memorable impression than a still image. Since some animations can last up to 10 seconds, the likelihood of being imprinted in the memory increases significantly compared to a quick glimpse at a standard logo. Hence, your audience will recognize your brand for a long time.
4. Lottie Animations in Logo Design
Last but not least, Lottie is such a versatile tool for developing outstanding logo animation. And, one of the best things about it is that you can integrate Lottie animations everywhere, iOS, Android, the web, React Native, you name it. What’s even better, no modifications are needed for different platforms or screen sizes. You just create one JSON file and it’ll play on each platform, saving you tons of time. That said, with one animated logo, you can reap the benefits of animation across all platforms.
Here are some successful custom logo animations we did for our clients
