Animation for Typographic Compositions
A course by Holke 79, Graphic Designer
Joined June 2015

Learn the techniques to animate your typographic designs and share them on social media
In a world dominated by GIFs and videos, animation is the key to making your letters stand out. In this Domestika course, learn how to bring words to life using Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D Lite and take your typographic compositions to the next level.
Join motion graphics designer Borja Holke, better known as Holke 79, and learn the secrets, techniques, and approaches to create experimental typographic animations from scratch.
If you’re new to animation or want to brush up on the basics, check out his other course
Introduction to Motion Design and Animation Curves in After Effects.
What will you learn in this online course?
20 lessons & 8 downloads
What's included in this course?
Meet your teacher Borja and hear about his career as a graphic designer and how became an expert in motion design. See several examples of typographic animation that inspire him and some of his favorite typefaces.
Start by learning how to install the two design and animation tools that you’ll use in the course: Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D Lite. Then, explore their interfaces and check the setting to make sure you have the tools set up like your teacher.
Now it’s time to focus on everything type related. Review the basic concepts of typographic design and learn how to work with and search for fonts in Adobe Fonts. Then, explore two distinct approaches to your work as a graphic designer and animator: concept-based or reference-based.
Next, practice different ways to animate texts with some specific exercises in After Effects and Cinema 4D Lite.
To wrap up the course, design and animate a typographic poster by applying everything you have learned so far. Borja guides you through the process step by step and gives you some tips on how to choose the right format for sharing your work on social media.
- 97% positive reviews (1.1K)
- 47,301 students
- 20 lessons (3h 8m)
- 8 additional resources (1 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Design and animate a typographic poster using the new skills and techniques you learn during the course.

Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Graphic designers and typography lovers who want to bring their typographic compositions to life with eye-catching animations.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of graphic design, a working knowledge of the Adobe suite, and experience working with 3D software are needed for this course.

New to Adobe After Effects? In that case, we recommend taking Domestika Basics courses to learn how to use the software: Introduction to After Effects.
Reviews

Holke 79
A course by Holke 79
Borja is a graphic designer specialized in motion graphics from San Sebastián, Spain. He studied journalism at the University of San Pablo in Madrid, but he soon discovered that his passion was in graphic design. After taking courses in design and animation, he began to work as a broadcast designer for TV networks like Canal+, creating motion graphics for sports matches like El Clásico (Real Madrid versus FC Barcelona) and Copa América.
He worked as a senior motion designer for Saffron Brand Consultants in Madrid, where he helped brands build their visual identity through animation. In 2019, after over a decade of working in motion design, Borja started his own motion graphic design company, Holke 79. Some of his projects include online campaigns for Converse, Aerosmith’s Last Vegas residency, an official lyrics video for Green Day, and a number of animated graphics for TV shows.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation (Who I am)
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Influences
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What will we do in the course
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U2
Let's tune up our weapons: After Effects and Cinema 4D Lite
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Install and prepare Adobe After Effects
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Cinema 4D Lite. How to access it and a first look at the interface and some basic functions
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U3
Basis on typography and methods to approach this type of work
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What is Adobe Fonts and how is it used?
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Typographic Foundations: What we can and shouldn't do with our animated lyrics
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Approach work from a concept
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Focus the work from a previous reference
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U4
Experimenting with moving typography
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Happy-Sad: A basic exercise in After Effects
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Creating elastic letters in After Effects
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Multiplicity and typographical madness in After Effects
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Just finish it: The crazy roller in Cinema 4D Lite
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The infinite wave in Cinema 4D Lite
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Twist in Cinema 4D Lite
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The eternal loop in a vortex
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U5
The animated poster
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What kind of poster we can animate
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Designing our poster
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Making our animations and final assembly in Cinema 4D and After Effects
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Tips on output formats for social networks
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FP
Final project
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Animation for typographic compositions
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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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.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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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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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
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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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Kinetic typography involves animating letters and words to visually communicate messages in an engaging way. It’s widely used in graphic design, motion graphics, and animated posters to grab attention and creatively convey ideas.
This is an intermediate-level course, and it’s recommended to have basic knowledge of graphic design or experience with software like After Effects or Cinema 4D to get the most out of it.
You’ll need Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D Lite (which comes with After Effects), and access to Adobe Fonts. Having Adobe Creative Cloud is also recommended to manage installations and fonts.
You’ll learn how to apply typography principles, manage fonts with Adobe Fonts, design animated typographic posters in 2D and 3D, and integrate workflows between After Effects and Cinema 4D.
You should have an Adobe account, install Creative Cloud, download After Effects, and set up composition settings like size, square format for Instagram, and custom duration.
Yes, you can create and extrude 3D text using Cinema 4D Lite, link projects with After Effects via Cineware, and apply materials, deformers, and advanced animation techniques.
You can search, filter, and activate fonts directly from Adobe Fonts, which automatically sync with After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator—no manual downloads needed.



Muy recomendado. Me encanta la animaciòn de tipografìa y me vuela la cabeza todas las posibilidades e influencias actuales
me ayudó bastante!
Gran curso, muchas herramientas nuevas de animación de tipografías. Sin duda las aplicaré de ahora en adelante.
Very helpfull!
Me ha gustado muchísimo, ya que después de venir del curso de Introducción de AE viene genial para coger inspiración para realizar animaciones y ver algunas de las opciones que hay y que no pensabas que podías hacer. Lo recomiendo mucho ya que lo explica todo de una manera muy sencilla y los ejemplos son muy chulos.