3D Motion Design for Self-Care - MODE Summit
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Scrolling through social media during those dark months of quarantine,
I started to see more of these 3D animations and began to wonder: Is 3D
motion design newly relevant in popular culture? Advancements in GPU
3D Motion Design for Self-Care rendering along with qualities and capabilities specific to 3D are leading to
the production of sophisticated, short, shareable content that has found
an audience and purpose in our tumultuous, stress-filled times. To be fair,
3D motion design has been thriving for years at motion design studios and
Steve Harper other motion design specific communities. But what follows is an exploration
University of Connecticut, United States of the online cultural context in which 3D motion design gained favor on social
media, before non-fungible tokens and crypto art, and a hypothesis as to why
3D motion design may have been particularly suited for and embraced by
ABSTRACT The pandemic has made us more reliant than ever on social media audiences during this troubling time.
social media and other digital platforms to stay connected while
physically distanced. In the mix of influencers, celebs, and ‘randos’ Oddly Satisfying
posting challenges, signaling virtues, promoting products, and masking For years before the pandemic, the ‘Oddly Satisfying’ social media meme has
humble brags are a stream of well-designed 3D animations: seemingly been a repository for a steady drip of images, videos, and gifs featuring deliber-
useless machines, astonishing visual brain-ticklers, and soothing ately squeezed tubes of paste, squishy slimes, jiggly gels, obsessively placed
loops that invite viewers to take a break, slow down, and ponder. This objects, perfectly balanced compositions, otherworldly natural phenomenon,
short paper explores the intersection of a social media meme deemed and meticulously timed actions (Matchar, 2019). The ‘Satisfying’ meme can
#satisfying and 3D motion design. include found, performed, or manipulated media, but no matter the source or
content, it must be deemed pleasing in some manner by its audience to be
Keywords: 3d, motion design, self-care, social media, oddly satisfying a part of the canon (Schonig, 2020). The satisfaction effect varies: repetition
can lull you into a trance; surprise can bring you delight; order can deliver a
restorative peace. At the meme’s core is a seemingly inexplicable, unanalyzed,
Introduction and unapologetic positive feeling derived from a visual experience (Faramarzi,
As the pandemic was taking hold in 2020, two Viacom executives gave an online 2018). Much as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (A.S.M.R.) purportedly
presentation called “#AlltheFeels” for Promax Connect. The webinar discussed functions as a pleasant auditory experience for some, ‘Satisfying’ content
Generation Z: their needs, motivations, trends, and how marketers or content viewers self-report sensations such as ‘the feels’ and ‘brain tingles’ (Kwong,
providers can decode their social media use, production, and tendencies to 2019). At times, these viewers also suggest the content either focuses the
better reach them (Callen & Daly, 2020). Memes that might seem impenetrable mind, or conversely, provides a much-needed distraction (Mazzo, 2017).
or absurd at first glance, they asserted, are meaningful reactions to our times
and express shared themes and concerns. For example, the memes they Focus and distraction, attention and inattention, parallels language often used
described as ‘Brain Breaks’ were a social media response to ‘angst’. In that to describe mindfulness and meditation practices. Mindfulness can bring an
category was a 3D motion design loop of eggs tumbling down toast shaped open attention to one’s thoughts, actions, and environment, interrupting the
mattresses (See Link 1) and waterfalls of bacon (See Link 2), a pleasing looping casual cognitive neglect and reactivity we sometimes bring to our lives. In
animation later revealed to be a campaign created for McDonalds (See Link 3). meditation, the practice encourages one to bring awareness to an object: the
These posts didn’t function like advertisements. They were not overtly selling breath, body, sound, or an actual, physical object (Behan, 2020). While errant
anything; no jingle, no logo, and no call to action, just a constantly unfolding thoughts and actions can interrupt and distract the meditative process,
designed experience with the slightest reference to a product, a good amount practitioners are encouraged to keep focus on the meditative object and
of visual interest, and a gentle loop that holds your attention. allow inevitable distractions in the mind or environment to come and go without
struggle or attachment. In meditation, one practices letting the mind wander
while rooting the self in the present moment via that object of focus. In mindful-
ness, one brings attention to their present thinking self with a hope to see the
world, and their thoughts, anew. Each posits a mind that is prone to unproduc-
tive obsessing or reacting to the noise within itself and the world.
86 MODE 2021 Edited Conference Proceedings
3D motion designers also have a toolkit of traditional animation techniques such
as eases, secondary actions, arcs, follow through, and others that allow them
to recreate the ‘illusion of life’. The ‘illusion of life’ is an animation project that
operates by serving the eye and mind the habituated details of lived, observable
experience that naturalize and exaggerate fabricated, animated motion (Thom-
as & Johnston, 1995). This is an important step to having the viewer accept the
animated action and elements as having weight and substance or feeling ‘real’.
Exaggerating those nuances of observable phenomenon, or mapping those
details onto new surfaces and forms, creates opportunities to play with expec-
tations. The mind says, ‘This is like what I have seen and experienced before’, at
the same time as, ‘This is nothing like what I have seen or experienced before’.
Pleasure can come from the intersection of the familiar and the new. As Jordan
Figure 1: Oddly Satisfying Images, Videos, and Google Trends Data Schonig explains in his article “Liking” as creating: On aesthetic category
Sources: Oddly Satisfying from Knowyourmeme.com, Giphy.com, Google Trends, 2021 memes, what could be satisfying about things considered ‘Oddly Satisfying’,
“might be understood as a kind of perceptual adventure that searches not for
‘Satisfying’ media viewers appear to be embracing self-care language and using strange and exotic objects of perception, but strange and exotic ways of
the ‘satisfying’ meme to be an anecdote to the reactivity, agitation, and noise perceiving familiar and mundane objects in the world (2020).” Appreciating this
experienced online (Mazzo, 2017). During the pandemic many were pushed distinction and connecting to others in a community where they too recognize
to spend more time online over a period that also included many contentious and appreciate the distinction, can be part of the joy one gets from the meme.
events and moments of collective crisis: George Floyd’s murder, the focus And according to a social media analysis tool from Brandwatch, ‘joy’ is the
on police brutality, and systemic racism including the subsequent protests; dominant emotion most associated with the posts that combine hashtags
the 2020 presidential election; economic uncertainty; lockdowns; and the #satisfy, #satisfying, or #oddlysatisfying with #motion, #motiondesign, #3D,
list seemed to go on and on (Rosenwald, 2020). Discussion of online mental or #motiongraphics (See Figure 2).
hygiene and productive habits are increasingly part of the news in online
media (Miller, 2020 and Parker-Pope, 2021). In a social media ecosystem
where engagement can be provocative and addictive, adding this ‘satisfying’
content to your feed provides an opportunity to pause, reflect, or wonder
before diving back into the endless scrolling melee.
Physics, Loops, and Magic
3D motion design can recreate and control natural phenomena such as
dripping fluids, squishy substances, jiggly objects, and other dynamic kinetic
interactions in a digital environment. Global illumination and rendering software
such as Octane or Redshift can harness advanced GPUs to create natural
looking light and light interactions. All these effects help to create a visual
experience that feels tactile and rich with subtle optical details or lens-based Figure 2: Emotion Breakdown and Word Cloud for #satisfying and #motion
nuances, even if the content and actions are abstract or utterly fantastic. Source: Brandwatch.com, 2021.
Lastly, cloners can duplicate shapes and/or animations, and effectors can act
as 3D fields of influence over shape, time, and action, creating the potential
for even more complex and organic movements. The first time I showed my
3D Motion Design class the Cinema 4D Cloner tool this semester, and offset
the rotation of multiple primitives, I heard an audible, ‘That is satisfying’ from
one of my students. It is a satisfying trick that has been in use for years, and
apparently, still works (See Link 4).
3D Motion Design for Self-Care 87
Social media demands a steady flow of content to retain engagement Social media serves both tension and release. By creating content that is
(McLachlan, 2021). Creating high end 3D content for the platform contains decidedly visual, formal, and sometimes absurd, motion designers escape the
several barriers of entry: equipment, software, technical skills, and artistry. 3D more divisive tendencies of social media. This work is purposefully void of direct
motion designers generating work for a platform like Instagram for instance meanings and problematic representations. Like the ‘Satisfying’ meme, this
are most certainly using the platform for promotion of their skills and services, work favors experience and phenomenology (Schonig, 2020). The otherworldly
just as sizzle reels and portfolio sites have traditionally functioned. That said, escapism and digital zeitgeist offered by the ‘satisfying’ meme makes a fertile
for some there is an almost obsessive display of experimentation and iteration: playground for brands like McDonalds, BMW, and others (See Link 11 and Link
themes, colors, objects, and actions get reconfigured, reformulated, and 12). It may not be profound, and yet I believe its presence, and potential effects
sometimes, more sophisticated (See Link 5 and Link 6). And almost all loop and impacts, can’t be ignored, literally. Once you like it, the algorithms make
to perfection. This is a key element of the genre and part of the satisfaction certain there’s a steady flow in your feed.
these videos deliver. Loops can capture a viewer’s attention, whereas cuts and
montage more easily invite entry and exit. The viewer caught even momentarily As a motion design educator, I am interested to see if this trend impacts the
in a loop can find no seam, no beginning or end (See Link 7 and Link 8). appreciation of motion design as an art form among general audiences, what
other contexts might motion design find currency, and what needs, motivations,
Paul Pfieffer leveraged this effect in his looping video, John 3:16 (Roberts, or behaviors might shape motion design content in the future.
2007). Installed in a gallery on a tiny monitor in the early 2000’s, the artist used
advanced (for the time) compositing software to stabilize the motion of a
basketball in an NBA game so that it stayed perfectly centered. The rotating
ball magically held in suspension is passed from player to player, meaning that
the hands of those players would appear along the edge of the frame, touch Figure 3: Examples of ‘Satisfying’ 3D Motion Design on Instagram
the ball, and move out of frame in an endless looping procession. The ball Sources: (From Top Left) @wannerstedt, @loop.cut, @fentyskin, @0scarpetersson, @bmwusa
became a transcendent object. It behaved like a ball, and like no other ball
has ever behaved. The world revolved around it in an endless loop. Unlike Figure 4: 3D Motion Design I, Student Projects
appropriated GIFs that reset an action or a scene upon looping, animated or Source: (From Left) Kelsey Jackson, Spencer Steinke, Paula Guerrero, 2021
digitally altered content like Pfieffer’s John 3:16 can create perfect loops that
never resolve. And with each repeat viewing, the effect is intensified rather
than diminished: “The loop heightens the scene: what is funny, emotive, silly,
or weird after one viewing can become more intensely so with repetition”
(Miltner & Highfield, 2017). The combination of both an infinite loop and
some kind of visual contradiction or complication locks the viewer into an
Escher-like illusion (See Link 9 and Link 10).
Conclusion
Art high and low has been used for reflection and meditation: from the Rothko
Chapel to lava lamps, from James Turrell’s light installations to app-connected
LED programmable lights that set and reset our spaces based on mood
playlists. We seek out and surround ourselves with art and objects that
facilitate reflection and meditation: in our homes, gardens, parks, architecture,
and now, our devices. Picking up on this trend, companies such as Headspace,
Apple (Breathe app for Apple Watch), and others are creating purposeful motion
design content to promote reflection, awareness, meditation, mindfulness,
and healthy habits.
88 MODE 2021 Edited Conference Proceedings
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[4]
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90 MODE 2021 Edited Conference ProceedingsAUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Steve Harper
Assistant Professor
Digital Media & Design
University of Connecticut
Education:
MFA in Studio Art, University of Connecticut
MS in Digital Design and Animation, New York University
BFA in Visual Art, University of Texas at Austin
Areas of Research/Artistic Focus: Motion Design & Animation
Steve is a motion designer and director with master’s degrees from NYU and
the University of Connecticut, and a BFA in Art from the University of Texas at
Austin. At motion design studios Big Star, Joyride, and Blue Room, Steve has
led teams of designers and animators to pitch, execute and deliver projects for
television, film, communications, and advertising. He has worked with the NFL,
ESPN, HBO, Nickelodeon, Showtime, History, Lifetime, A&E, Animal Planet,
Food Network, Novartis, Verizon, and more. His work in branding, visual effects,
and animation has been recognized with many industry awards. In addition to
teaching courses in Motion Design & Animation at UConn and overseeing a
student agency, Steve continues his professional practice working with clients
to add clarity, depth, and delight with motion design.
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