Text + animation
Textimation
AREA OF TEXT
Text animation is where motion meets meaning — not just how words look, but how they move. This page is a growing space for kinetic type experiments. From timing to delivery, and emotional impact, each project explores what happens when letters come alive.
EXPERIMENT #1
This was a class assignment designed to explore various approaches to text animation — from built-in effects to fully customized motion. It was my first deep dive into animating type beyond just “making it appear.”
WHAT I EXPLORED
CC Text Animations
I started with After Effects’ built-in CC text animation presets to understand the basics — like character-level transitions, bounces, and fades. These gave me a solid foundation for animating with rhythm.
Text Animators
I then moved to more custom animations, where I could control how each letter behaves — from timing and position to rotation and opacity. This gave me a better feel for storytelling through motion.
Trim Paths
Finally, I tackled Trim Paths, the most challenging but rewarding part. This technique allowed me to animate text strokes as if they were being drawn in real time. It took patience and precision, but it added a whole new level of craftsmanship to the piece.
FINAL PRODUCT
Although the assignment only required experimenting with text animation techniques, I went a step further and synced the entire animation to the rhythm of the Cha Cha Slide DJ Casper music track. Each letter moves with the beat, turning the piece into a playful, rhythm-driven lyrical sequence.
A short experiment in kinetic type — from character motion to line-drawing effects, all choreographed to sound.
CONCLUSION
This project was my first real attempt at letting text carry not just meaning — but emotion, rhythm, and style. Syncing each letter to a cha-cha beat turned it into more than just a motion test; it became a playful way to express energy, timing, and mood through type.
It’s not perfect — and that’s okay. Every wobble and beat was part of the learning process, and I’m proud of what it became. I want to keep exploring how type can feel alive, how it can speak even before you read it. This was just the beginning of using animated text as a way to express thoughts, feelings, and maybe even tell stories — one letter at a time.