It’s not AI. Refreshing, right?

Being a cutting edge designer means being aware of the creative ecosystem; knowing whats in tend and whats out, learning about new technologies and practicing the programs that have been with you since the start. In the graphic design community over the last two or so years, there has been a lot of hype around motion design and the reason why makes total sense. It can get attention better and tells stories easier, so naturally we've added it to our toolbox. There’s a time and place for it, but really it’s as simple as that.

But what next?

In an environment where everything is flat, going 3D is the obvious next step for those who want to rise above the rest. Users attention span are becoming shorter and shorter in this digital age so showing them the full picture in this way can be a great way to effectively communicate your product/experience, and as a new-ish technology in the advertising space, there’s a lot of room for creatives to show their audience something they’ve never seen before. Learning every tool under the sun is almost impossible to achieve (or afford) but getting a grasp of the basics and using your knowledge of design fundamentals can result in some really impactful work.

How am I adapting?

My way of approaching this is by learning Blender, a professionally recognised, 100% free and open source program that's considered one of the harder but more rewarding options. Feeling comfortable enough to share my progress has taken a while but I’ve documented my practice projects on TicTok and Instagram @im_in_a_blender (funny right?.. Right?).

Spline has also been on my radar as an alternative. It's an up and coming Web Based program that brings 3D into an interactive web space by allowing creatives to share their work as embeddable components (used by Microsoft, Google, Meta, Webflow and more). An awesome way to add gamification to your website and definitely worth checking out if you are interested in adding an engaging and fun new element to your websites home page.

Whether it’s as simple as a rotating logo or a full blown narrative, 3D animation is the next big thing in the creative space.