How We Use Motion Design
We know how to use motion to bring ideas to life and elevate a project, helping it stand out and increase engagement. Whether it’s used to simplify complex ideas or improve creative storytelling, animation adds clarity and visual interest that draws the viewer in and boosts performance, particularly in social content.
Part of why it works is control. A static graphic hands someone everything at once and hopes they assemble it in the right order. Animation decides what they see first, what follows, and what they’re left with.
Social Content
Animated posts, stories and reels, animated statics and subtitled video, all built in the right ratios for each platform and designed to work with the sound off, since that’s how most of it gets watched.
Explainer Animation
Service and process animation that takes something complicated and makes it clear. Useful for onboarding, how-to content, or anything that needs walking someone through step by step.
Data & Infographics
Animated charts, figures and infographics that build in sequence rather than landing all at once, so the numbers actually register instead of getting skimmed past.
Campaign Motion
Animated versions of campaign key visuals, digital display, paid social animation and large format OOH screen content, all built to sit consistently alongside the wider campaign artwork.
Web Animation
UI and interaction animation, scroll-triggered motion and animated hero sections that add polish to a site without slowing it down or getting in the way.
Internal Comms
Announcement and comms video, training content and presentation animation for anything that needs to land with an internal audience rather than a public one.
“There are design teams and then there is the Umpf design team. Always responsive to our needs and with little direction they deliver innovative and engaging design solutions. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.”
Kirsten Wilson | Leeds Health & Care Partnership
Case Study: NHS Online Help Animated Explainer
The NHS needed to show people a new way to get medical advice without picking up the phone or booking an appointment. We created a 60 second animated explainer video as part of a digital-first awareness campaign, breaking down how the service worked in a way that felt clear and approachable. Check out the animated explainer on the case study page below.
Read the case studyAnimation & Motion FAQs
What is motion design?
Motion design is graphic design that moves. It covers everything from animated type and icons through to fully animated sequences, and it’s used to add clarity, draw attention or bring static artwork to life across social, web and video.
What’s the difference between motion design and animation?
The terms overlap and often get used interchangeably. Motion design usually refers to shorter, targeted movement applied to graphics, type and existing assets. Animation more often means a longer piece built from scratch, sometimes with characters, narrative and voiceover.
Why does animated content perform better on social?
Movement stops people scrolling. Animated posts hold attention longer than static images, and most social platforms favour video and motion content in what they show people. It’s one of the most reliable ways to improve engagement without increasing spend.
What is an explainer video?
An explainer video uses animation to break down a product, service or process into something easy to follow. They work particularly well for anything with multiple steps or technical detail that would lose people written down.
Where can animation be used?
Just about anywhere a brand shows up. Social posts and Reels, websites, digital display advertising, in-store and event screens, presentations and internal comms. The format changes depending on where it’s going, but the same creative idea can usually be adapted to work across all of them.
We also do…
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Brand Design
Your brand is more than a logo. We build the whole identity (guidelines, assets, tone, the lot!) so it holds up whether it’s on a website, business stationery or social content.
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Campaign Design & Event Promotion
If you need creative support for a campaign, we’ve got it covered. From initial concept through to artwork and multi-channel rollout, our team handles the whole process.
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Illustration
Illustration is one of the most flexible things we do – bespoke iconography, hand-drawn work, infographics, diagrams and illustrated elements for animation.
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Social Media Creative
Social content is something we produce a lot of, across organic posts, carousels and animated assets, for channels including Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok.
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Website Design & Build
We design and build custom WordPress websites from scratch – marketing sites, campaign landing pages, sub-brand sites and microsites.
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