Animation
Motion City
This graphic pulls together some of Seattle's most recognizable landmarks. The whole scene sits above a reflection in the water below, which felt like the right way to represent a city that's so shaped by its relationship to the water.
Team:
Sara Moen, Designer
Project Goal:
Make a captivating graphic that represents the city of Seattle, WA. The graphic would be able to be used as a poster, social media post, or other marketing material.
Process:
My process started by breaking each element down individually, which made it easier to explore different color variations without committing too early. Once I had pieces I liked, I composited everything into one file and finalized the color palette, organizing and naming each layer carefully so it would import cleanly into After Effects. From there, I brought the file into After Effects and color-coded each element to keep the layers manageable as the animation got more complex.
Final Outcome:
The final piece brings the static Seattle poster to life by adding motion. Style-wise, it reads as a vector/flat-design travel poster — geometric shapes, gradient shading for depth (especially on the mountain and Space Needle), and a limited, cohesive color palette of deep blues, teals, cream, and forest green.
Altogether, the animation keeps the poster's original color palette and composition intact, but adds just enough layered movement — clouds, water, wildlife, and traffic — to make the city feel alive rather than static.