Motion Design
Artmonkee Promo Video
I AM ARTMONKEE & this is my promo video!
The storyArtMonkee is my creative studio -
A space where surrealism, maximalism, and storytelling collide. Rooted in the idea of creating a sensory feast, we blend graphic design, motion graphics, and visual experimentation to craft experiences that go beyond the ordinary. This promo video is a window into the world of ArtMonkee. Every frame celebrates the bold, the vibrant, and the unexpected, expressing our philosophy of art that sparks curiosity and emotion.
Making this promo video was all about mixing classic design with new tech. I started with hand-drawn sketches in Illustrator, then brought everything to life using After Effects for 2D animations and motion graphics. To keep things fresh, I used AI tools like ChatGPT to create these fun 3D avatars that really capture ArtMonkee’s playful vibe. My goal was to create something vibrant and exciting,something that feels like stepping into a different world. I learned how to blend traditional design with emerging AI tools, push my creative boundaries, and keep the process fun.
It’s a reflection of my constant experimentation and love for playful visuals.
The IdeaArtMonkee has always been more than a logo or a personal brand to me. It is the part of me that isn't afraid to make things loud, strange, colourful, and a little unexpected. Whenever I create under ArtMonkee, I give myself permission to experiment without trying to fit into what design is "supposed" to look like.
This promotional video became a way of introducing that mindset before introducing my work. I wanted someone watching it to understand the personality behind the studio within the first few seconds. Instead of explaining what ArtMonkee is, I wanted the animation to make people feel it.
Every colour, transition, movement, and piece of typography was chosen to create a world that feels curious, playful, and constantly evolving.
The ProblemOne of the biggest challenges was that ArtMonkee doesn't fit into a single visual style.
It combines branding, illustration, motion graphics, digital art, surrealism, maximalism, and now AI experimentation. Trying to communicate all of that in less than a minute without confusing the viewer felt almost impossible at first.
My early versions had another problem. I was trying to showcase everything I could do instead of focusing on what I wanted people to remember. Every scene was colourful, every animation moved quickly, and every transition tried to compete for attention. Ironically, the more I added, the less memorable the video became.
That forced me to stop thinking like an artist for a moment and start thinking like a designer.
I asked myself a simple question. "What do I actually want someone to leave with after watching this?" The answer wasn't "she knows After Effects." The answer was "this studio feels different." Once I had that, every design decision became much easier.
My ApproachRather than creating one long animation, I treated the video like a conversation.
Some scenes are loud and energetic while others slow down just enough for the typography to breathe. That change in pacing became just as important as the visuals themselves because it gave viewers time to absorb what they had just seen before introducing something new.
Typography became one of the strongest storytelling tools in the project. Instead of simply appearing on screen, every word reacts to the mood of the scene. Some words bounce with excitement, others stretch, rotate, scale, or fill the screen entirely. I wanted the type to have personality instead of behaving like subtitles.
I also paid close attention to colour relationships. ArtMonkee naturally leans toward bold palettes, but if every frame is equally saturated, nothing stands out. I balanced bright colours with negative space and quieter moments so the visual energy could rise and fall naturally throughout the animation.
The transitions were another area I spent a lot of time refining. My goal was to make every scene feel connected rather than stitched together. Instead of cutting abruptly between ideas, objects transform, scale, rotate, or evolve into the next composition, making the entire video feel like one continuous experience.
The ProcessThe project started inside Adobe Illustrator where I created and refined the illustrations, icons, and graphic assets that would later be animated.
Once the visual language felt cohesive, I moved everything into Adobe After Effects and began building the animation scene by scene. Rather than animating everything at once, I focused on solving one sequence at a time, constantly previewing the video as a whole to make sure the rhythm stayed consistent.
One thing I learned very quickly was that motion isn't just about making objects move. Timing completely changes how something feels.
There were moments where an animation technically worked, but it felt too fast, too slow, too heavy, or too predictable. I found myself adjusting keyframes by just a few frames at a time until the movement felt natural. Those tiny changes ended up making some of the biggest differences.
As the project evolved, I also wanted to explore how AI could become part of my creative workflow instead of replacing it.
Using ChatGPT, I developed playful 3D monkey avatars that expanded ArtMonkee's personality beyond flat graphics. Instead of treating AI as the final designer, I used it as another creative tool alongside illustration and motion design. The final direction still depended on my own design decisions, editing, composition, and storytelling.
What I LearnedThis project completely changed how I think about motion design.
Before this, I thought animation was mainly about movement. After making this piece, I realised it is really about control. Knowing when to move, when to pause, when to simplify, and when to let one idea shine instead of introducing five at once.
It also reminded me that experimentation only works when it has intention behind it. Every bold colour, unusual transition, and playful visual needs to support the message rather than distract from it.
Most importantly, it reinforced something I carry into every project I work on today.
I don't design to decorate. I design to communicate personality, tell stories, and create work that people remember long after they've stopped looking at it.
Final ThoughtsArtMonkee continues to evolve alongside me.
As I learn new software, explore emerging technologies, and discover different ways of creating, the studio grows with me. This promo isn't just a showcase of technical skills. It's a snapshot of how I think, how I experiment, and how I approach every creative challenge.
For me, good design isn't about following trends or making something look expensive. It's about building experiences that make people pause, feel curious, and want to explore a little further.
