Graphic design
Motion and Video Graphics
Animated banners, social video, titles, lower thirds, and caption styles for campaign video.
What this covers
Motion and video graphics are the designed elements that appear in and around campaign video: titles, lower thirds that identify speakers, end cards with the call to action, logo animations, and caption styles. The service also covers short animated pieces that stand on their own, such as animated social posts, short social video built from graphics and agency or stock footage, and animated display banners.
Much campaign video is watched on a phone, in a feed, often with the sound off and for only a few seconds. That shapes the design. The message has to read without audio, text has to stay clear of the buttons and labels each platform lays over the video, and the same piece is usually needed in vertical, square, and horizontal versions.
Video also carries accessibility requirements that print does not. Captions, audio description, and limits on flashing and moving content apply to video an agency publishes, and the easiest time to meet them is while the graphics and script are being designed, not after the edit is locked.
Typical activities
- Style frames. Design still frames for titles, lower thirds, end cards, and captions before animating anything, so the look is approved on stills rather than through repeated renders.
- Graphics package for video. Build titles, lower thirds, transitions, and end cards that the agency's video producers place into their edits, sized for each delivery format and its safe areas.
- Logo animation. Animate the agency or sub-brand logo for openings and closings, within the brand guidelines and brief enough not to delay the content.
- Short social video and animated posts. Produce short pieces from campaign graphics, stills, and footage, cut for each platform's aspect ratios and interface overlays, with the key message readable without sound.
- Animated display banners. Build banners to each ad network's published specifications for file weight and format, ending on a frame that works as a static ad.
- Caption styling and caption files. Set a caption style for font, size, background, and placement, and prepare caption files checked against the final audio.
- Audio description planning. Review scripts and storyboards so information that appears only on screen is also spoken, and flag where a separate described version is needed.
- Motion safety review. Check every piece for flashing and for movement that cannot be paused, against the WCAG criteria.
What you receive
- A motion style guide. Approved style frames with timing, easing, type, color, and caption style, so later pieces match.
- Editable motion templates. Titles, lower thirds, and end cards as templates for the editing software the agency uses, with text fields editable and brand elements locked.
- Rendered deliverables. Final files in the formats, resolutions, and frame rates each platform or producer requires, including versions with transparent backgrounds for overlays.
- Caption files and transcripts. A caption file for each video and a transcript that can be posted with it.
- Animated banner sets. Each size in the media plan, with a static fallback for each.
- Working files and a rights list. Organized project files, fonts, and licensed music and stock, with the license terms for each and where each can be reused.
Considerations for public agencies
Captions are a requirement, not a style choice. Under the Department of Justice rule implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, state and local government web content, including video, is expected to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which calls for captions and audio description for prerecorded video. Compliance dates depend on entity size. Confirm current obligations and dates with counsel.
Burned-in and closed captions do different jobs. Burned-in, or open, captions are always visible and survive platforms that ignore caption files. Closed captions can be turned off, resized by the viewer, translated, and read by assistive technology. Use both where the platform allows, with matching text.
Flashing and motion can cause harm. WCAG limits flashing to no more than three flashes in any one second period unless the flashes fall below its thresholds, because flashing can trigger seizures. It also requires a way to pause moving content that starts automatically, lasts more than five seconds, and appears alongside other content. Large zooms and parallax can cause discomfort for people with vestibular disorders. Confirm these criteria against the current WCAG version.
Rights must cover public use. Music, stock footage, fonts, and images need licenses that cover the platforms, the duration, and any paid placement. People who appear on camera should sign releases under the agency's policy. Keep the terms with the files, since a reused clip can outlive its license.
Names on screen must be right. Spelling and titles of officials, staff, and residents should be confirmed by the people named, and titles change after elections and reassignments, so lower thirds should be quick to update.
Published video is a record. Final video, caption files, and approved scripts generally fall under the retention schedule. Confirm with the records officer.
Working with HQT on this
HQT designs motion as part of the campaign design system, using the same type, color, and rules as the print and digital pieces, and builds it as templates the agency's video producers can fill and update. Caption placement, safe areas, and text contrast are set in the templates and checked automatically, so a change made late in the edit still meets them.
An engagement usually starts with the agency's video producers: the formats they deliver, the software they edit in, and the next video on the schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Should we use burned-in captions or upload a caption file?
Often both. Burned-in captions are always visible, which suits social feeds where many people watch with the sound off and some platforms handle caption files inconsistently. Uploaded closed captions can be resized, turned off, translated, and read by assistive technology, which burned-in text cannot. Where a platform accepts caption files, upload them, and keep their text consistent with anything burned in. On the agency website, use closed captions in a player that displays them.
Are automatic captions good enough?
Usually not as delivered. Automatic captions commonly mishear names, street names, program titles, and technical terms, and they leave out speaker identification and meaningful sounds. Accessibility standards expect captions that are accurate and synchronized, not just present. Use automatic captions as a first draft, correct them against the final audio, and have someone who knows the subject review them. Confirm the standard that applies to your agency with counsel.
Do our short social videos need audio description?
WCAG Level AA expects audio description for prerecorded video when important information is shown but not spoken, such as a date on a title card or a step shown without narration. The simplest approach is to write the script so everything that matters is also said aloud, which can make a separate described version unnecessary. Music-only animations with on-screen text usually need narration or a described version to meet Level AA. Confirm requirements against the current WCAG version and with counsel.
Can our in-house video team update titles and lower thirds themselves?
Yes. HQT delivers titles, lower thirds, and end cards as editable templates for the editing software your team already uses, with text fields open and brand elements such as logo placement, color, and type locked. The templates keep graphics clear of the area where captions appear, so a lower third does not collide with them. They come with short instructions and the font files or font licensing details your team needs.
Is animation in our digital ads an accessibility problem?
It can be, and it is manageable. Avoid flashing, which WCAG limits because it can trigger seizures. Keep animation short and end on a frame that works as a static ad. On the agency's own website, moving content that starts automatically, lasts more than five seconds, and appears alongside other content needs a way to pause it under WCAG, and large zooms or parallax should respect a visitor's reduced motion setting. Confirm against the current WCAG version.