# Motion graphics Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/motion-graphics Last updated: 2026-10-08 > Definition: Motion graphics are animated graphic design elements, such as text, shapes, charts, icons and logos, added to video to explain an idea, show information or add emphasis. Unlike character animation, they usually don't tell a story through characters. Motion graphics are designed elements that move. A counter rolling up to "10,000 users", a bar chart growing as the speaker explains growth, an arrow drawing itself toward a button in a screenshot: all motion graphics. They sit somewhere between graphic design and animation, and they're the main way videos make abstract information visible. ## What are common types of motion graphics? The common types of motion graphics are: - **Titles and [title cards](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/title-card).** The video's name, chapter headings, big statements. - **[Lower thirds](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/lower-third).** Names, roles and context labels. - **Numbers and charts.** Count-ups, progress bars, bar and line charts. - **Annotations.** Arrows, circles, underlines and highlights that point at something in the footage. - **[Kinetic typography](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/kinetic-typography).** Words animated in time with speech. - **Calls to action.** Follow, comment and save prompts, end cards. - **Logo animations** and product inserts like a website shown in a browser frame. ## How are motion graphics used in YouTube, short-form and product videos? Motion graphics turn a claim into something the viewer can see. In a YouTube explainer they visualise data and structure ("three reasons"). In short-form videos they add emphasis on key words and give the eye something new every few seconds. In product and launch videos they frame screenshots, show before and after, and reveal the logo. The good ones are timed to speech: the number lands as it's said, not two seconds later. ## What's an example of motion graphics in a talking-head video? A founder says, "We went from 40 to 400 customers this year." As they say "40", a number appears beside their head and rolls up to 400 on the word "400", with a small "+10×" badge popping in after. The speaker never moves; the graphic does the explaining. ## How do you make motion graphics in Vidiyo? In Vidiyo you describe the graphic in chat and the assistant builds it. It can use a starter template (lower thirds, titles, number counters, charts, hand-drawn annotations, calls to action and kinetic type), adapt one, or write an original scene. Scenes are HTML graphics rendered frame by frame on your Mac, with their beats anchored to transcript words, so they stay on the right line when you trim. They use your project's brand colours and fonts, and they render identically in preview and export. You can edit a placed scene's copy, colours and timing in the inspector. For simpler moves, text and shapes have their own Animate presets and [keyframes](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/keyframe). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between motion graphics and animation? Animation is the broad craft of making things move, including characters and stories. Motion graphics is the part of it focused on animated design: type, shapes, data and logos that support a message. ### Do I need special software for motion graphics? Traditionally, motion graphics were built in dedicated compositing apps. Many editors now include templates for titles, lower thirds and charts, and some, like Vidiyo, can build them from a description. ### What motion graphics work best in short-form video? Simple, fast ones: a word that pops on the key line, a number that counts up, a hand-drawn circle around a detail, a short label. Each should appear on its spoken word and leave before it clutters the frame. ## Related terms - [Kinetic typography](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/kinetic-typography) - [Lower third](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/lower-third) - [Keyframe](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/keyframe) - [Easing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/easing) ## Where Vidiyo does this - [Motion graphics without After Effects](https://getvidiyo.app/features/motion-graphics) - [Layers and keyframes, by hand or by chat](https://getvidiyo.app/features/layers-and-keyframes) - [How to make motion graphics without After Effects](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/motion-graphics-without-after-effects)