Freelance designers Jody Sugrue and Vincent Diga presented a course at the ONA08 on motion design for web video. Sugrue and Diga, who met while working at MSNBC, have backgrounds in the world of broadcast and design. Their presentation, "Creating Detailed Runners and Graphics for Web Video," demonstrated techniques for producing professional-quality graphics and title slides in Photoshop and Final Cut Pro.

Once the domain of broadcast journalism, video packages are increasingly prevalent on the Web, whether as stand-alone features or supplements to print stories. In recent years, the widespread availability of production tools coupled with the growing ease of online distribution has made it possible for anyone to publish video on the web. But the quality of web video is still sub-par in comparison to traditional broadcasts, according to Sugrue.

Sugrue says that good motion design is more than just mastery of the software, but the result of deliberate, conscious production. Good design elevates content and makes a package stand out from the crowd.

Tips from the broadcast and design world for web journalists

1. Be conscious of type design
Many new producers make the mistake of never branching out from the default toolkit that came with their editing software, says Diga. Instead, "look to other resources to find fonts that are more appropriate to your material."
Recommended resources for fonts: MyFonts.com, Fontstruct.com, FontShop.com, Veer.com

2. Don't overuse canned effects
Resist the temptation to use every single transition or effect available. An overload of glittering, bouncing, flipping and spinning graphics is jarring and distracts from the content. "When in doubt," says Sugrue, "go for simple and subtle."

3. Try a variety of visual formats
Motion design joins elements of photography, typography, video and animation. Consider which combination of formats best reflects the story, and don't be afraid to experiment with different techniques like parallax in photos and use of text in abstract ways (for a great example of the latter, see the girl effect). Effective design is dynamic and moved by words, shapes and colors.

4. Think outside the video window
Take the overall design of the web page into account to create a cohesive, themed feel for your video package. Sugrue and Diga recommend checking out the visual techniques used in magazines, books, film title sequences, and extreme sports films for inspiration.

"There are so many dynamic surfaces on the Web," says Sugrue, "eventually motion design won't be constrained to just the video window. As the Internet becomes more of a space rather than just a destination, you could incorporate that into the space and it becomes part of the experience. It opens the door for a lot of things."

--Jackie Hai