Motion Graphics for Social Media and Brands

Make designs move with purpose: timing and easing, storyboards, kinetic type, shape animation and logo stings, explainers and Lottie, from free tools to After Effects, and files that play properly everywhere.

• Free
• Beginner to intermediate
• 5 weeks · ~4 hrs/week
• 10 lessons
• ~3 hours
• Certificate on passing the project

Free account required to open the lessons. No card, no fees.

About this course

Animated posts, reels intros, church and event screens, logo stings, ad creatives and app explainers: motion graphics are everywhere in Nigerian feeds and venues, and clients pay more for designs that move well. This course teaches motion as design over time. You will learn the principles that make movement feel natural (timing, easing, spacing, anticipation and settle), how to storyboard and compose for each platform's safe areas, how to animate in free tools like Canva and CapCut and when to move up, how to animate text that people can actually read, how to build shape animations and a logo sting, how the professional After Effects workflow is organised and what the free alternatives offer, how to plan explainers and animate app screens and deliver Lottie files, and how to export, price, license music and fonts properly and build a showreel that wins clients. Every lesson follows a young Abuja designer working for a church, an events company and a fintech start-up. Free, like every Skillnaija course.

On a Thursday evening in Abuja, Zainab Musa's phone lights up. It is Deaconess Ruth from Covenant Life Church, where Zainab has designed the Sunday flyers for a year. 'The flyers are lovely,' Ruth says, 'but on the big screen they just sit there. The youth pastor wants the announcements to move. Can you do it by Sunday?' Zainab has never animated anything. She says yes, quotes ₦20,000 for five animated slides, and spends two nights in Canva and CapCut. On Sunday the slides play. Words fly in from four directions, the church logo spins for no reason, and the offering account number vanishes before anyone can copy it. The church pays anyway. Zainab goes home knowing she has been paid for motion, and that she does not yet understand it.

What you'll learn

• Timing, easing and spacing
• Storyboards and style frames
• Platform safe areas and formats
• Canva and CapCut animation
• Kinetic typography
• Shape animation and logo stings
• After Effects workflow
• Explainer videos and UI animation
• Lottie in outline
• Export specs and file delivery
• Music, font and stock licensing
• Showreels and client pricing

Course syllabus — 10 lessons

1. What motion graphics are and who pays for them15 min
2. The principles: timing, easing and spacing16 min
3. Composition and storyboarding for motion16 min
4. Animating in Canva and CapCut16 min
5. Kinetic typography16 min
6. Shape animation and logo stings16 min
7. After Effects and the professional workflow16 min
8. Explainers, UI animation and Lottie16 min
9. Delivering files, pricing and clients17 min
10. Your showreel and the project16 min

Frequently asked questions

Is Motion Graphics for Social Media and Brands free?

Yes. Motion Graphics for Social Media and Brands is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does Motion Graphics for Social Media and Brands take to complete?

5 weeks · ~4 hrs/week. There are 10 lessons, about 3 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start Motion Graphics for Social Media and Brands?

Beginner to intermediate. Some prior grounding in the subject will help you move faster.

What will I learn in Motion Graphics for Social Media and Brands?

You will build practical skills in Timing, easing and spacing, Storyboards and style frames, Platform safe areas and formats, Canva and CapCut animation, Kinetic typography, Shape animation and logo stings, After Effects workflow, Explainer videos and UI animation, Lottie in outline, Export specs and file delivery, Music, font and stock licensing, Showreels and client pricing. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for Motion Graphics for Social Media and Brands?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your Motion Portfolio and Showreel and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

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