Type Design with Procedural Animation Techniques
A course by Martin NaumannInterdisciplinary Designer and Digital Artist
A course by Martin Naumann, Interdisciplinary Designer and Digital Artist
Learn to create grid-based type designs and animate them using procedural animation methods
Ever wanted to learn how to convey complex concepts in an eye-catching, understandable way? In this online course, interdisciplinary designer and digital artist Martin Naumann shows you how to create grid-based type designs and animate them using procedural and random methods.
His pieces are characterized by vivid colors and futuristic aesthetics, and throughout his career he has collaborated on award-winning projects for clients such as Die Zeit and the chocolate brand Laroché, as well as for the record labels Universal Music and Anjunabeats. Join him on this exciting journey, let yourself be seduced by chance, and create impressive graphic animations.
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 16 downloads
Introduction to Type Design
4 minutes, 56 seconds
Introduction to Generative Art
5 minutes, 12 seconds
Letter Design
17 minutes, 22 seconds
Export of the Letters
3 minutes, 57 seconds
Distortion Effects in After Effects
8 minutes, 43 seconds
Effect 1: Organic Line Patterns
8 minutes, 12 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course by meeting interdisciplinary designer and digital artist Martin Naumann. After telling you about his professional background, he shares his main sources of inspiration.
Martin goes on to explain the basic concepts and terminology of the fields of type design and generative art. Afterwards, familiarize yourself with color theory and create a mood board with references for your type design, then choose a word or letter as the base motif for your piece.
Next, your teacher shows you how to design and export the vectors of your lettering work in Adobe Illustrator, and then transfer them to After Effects. Explore some procedural distortion and gradient effects and see how to apply them to your project.
At this point, Martin shows you how to generate and animate random color textures to give your piece a vibrant aesthetic. He then shows you how to export individual animations in video format or as a series of generative images and put them together into a single design.
Finally, learn about some plug-ins for After Effects and the Filter Forge program, which you can use to do similar projects.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Starting with a word or letter as a central motif, create abstract type designs and build a portfolio of effects that you can use in modules.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone with an interest in experimental type design, animation, or abstract digital art who would like to get started in these disciplines.
It is also appropriate for anyone working in design, motion graphics, and type design in particular.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you need access to a computer with Adobe Illustrator and After Effects.
It is advisable to have some experience in using these programs, but it is not absolutely necessary as Martin will explain each step in detail.
Reviews
- 3 months ago
Great course!
- 5 months ago
Open up a lot of doors and showcased parts I wasn't familiar or comfortable with. Helped me see and expand what's possible.
- 5 months ago
Curso bastante completo y he obtenido nuevas formas de trabajar mis proyectos. Altamente recomendable, excelente!
- 5 months ago
excelente!
- 9 months ago
Very nerdy effects... I was curious to try but it's not my style definitly.
Throughout his career he has worked on numerous award-winning projects for clients such as Die Zeit and the chocolate brand Laroché, as well as for the record labels Universal Music and Anjunabeats. His pieces, which can be defined as experimental and transversal, are characterized by bright colors and futuristic aesthetics.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Inspirations
- U2
The Basics
- Introduction to Type Design
- Introduction to Generative Art
- Color Theory
- U3
The Type Design
- Type Design Mood Board
- Letter Design
- Export of the Letters
- U4
Distortion Effects
- Distortion Effects in After Effects
- Effect 1: Organic Line Patterns
- Effect 2: Pixel Glitch
- U5
Colored Effects
- RGB Gradients
- Effect 3: Organic Gradients
- Effect 4: Lava Lamp
- Effect 5: Multilayer
- U6
Export and Continuation
- Exporting the Videos
- Generative Art with After Effects
- Plugins for After Effects
- Filter Forge
- FP
Final project
- Type Design with Procedural Animation Techniques
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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FAQs
This course is aimed at designers, artists, and creatives with basic digital design skills who want to explore new approaches in generative art, abstract typography, and creative coding.
Basic knowledge of After Effects or digital design tools, along with a fundamental understanding of typography and an interest in coding, is helpful but not required. The course guides you step-by-step through the key techniques.
You’ll learn how to create generative art, abstract typography, animated visuals, and experimental fonts using After Effects, Houdini, and Processing — from moodboards all the way to export. The focus is on innovative techniques and creative workflows.
The course uses After Effects, Houdini, Illustrator, Processing, TouchDesigner, and various plugins and tools. You’ll see how to apply these programs to generative typography and digital art.
Generative art uses algorithms, randomness, and procedural methods to create unique visual pieces. This course teaches you how to creatively control and apply these processes with common software.
Yes, after completing the course, you’ll be able to design custom digital album covers, animated typography, and eye-catching social media visuals using generative and experimental techniques.
You’ll explore letter anatomy, artistic and experimental type design, identifying serif fonts, optimizing readability, creating custom display fonts, and tackling typography challenges.