In this week's podcast, we chat it up with Brady Erickson—pro musician turned design master.
From playing guitar in the underground music scene with his band Slowburn, Brady's journey shifted gears to tweaking pixels in LA and founding Texturelabs, an online tutorial and assets site. His transition from the world of music to the realm of visual arts is a testament to the fluidity of creative expression.
Brady shares actionable insights from his design journey — tips you can use to amplify your own projects.
Short on time? Here are 5 of our favorite takeaways:
- Explore Color Science: Understanding how colors work in digital formats can unlock new creative possibilities. Brady recommends delving into color theory and experimenting with different color settings to enhance your design work.
- Refine Your Design Process: Continuously evaluate your designs from different perspectives. Use techniques like zooming in and out, flipping the design, and adjusting saturation to assess the composition and balance of your work. This practice can help you identify areas that need improvement and enhance the overall quality of your designs.
- Embrace Iteration: Accept that perfection is rare in the initial stages of design. Embrace the iterative process of refining and adjusting your work. This mindset will help you overcome discouragement and lead to better design outcomes.
- Experiment with Blending Modes: Brady highlights the potential of blending modes like "Blend If" for creative results. Explore these lesser-known modes to achieve unique effects and add depth to your designs.
- Capture Real-World Textures: Incorporating textures from the real world can add authenticity and emotion to your designs. Brady suggests taking the time to photograph textures yourself, experimenting with different objects and lighting to create unique effects.
Dive into real-time 3D with our Unreal Engine beginner's course by Jonathan Winbush. Master importing assets, world-building, animation, and cinematic sequences to create stunning 3D renders in no time! Perfect for motion designers ready to level up.
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Unlock the secrets of character design in this dynamic course! Explore shape language, anatomy rules, and motifs to craft animation-ready characters. Gain drawing tips, hacks, and Procreate mastery (or any drawing app). Ideal for artists seeking to elevate their craft.
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Elevate your freelance motion design career with our guide to client success. Master a repeatable method for finding, contacting, and landing clients. Learn to identify prospects, nurture leads, and develop a thriving freelance philosophy amidst chaos.
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Rev up your editing skills with After Effects! Learn to use it for everyday needs and craft dynamic templates (Mogrts) for smarter teamwork. You'll master creating animated graphics, removing unwanted elements, tracking graphics, and making customizable templates.
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Stand out with Demo Reel Dash! Learn to spotlight your best work and market your unique brand of magic. By the end, you'll have a brand new demo reel and a custom campaign to showcase yourself to an audience aligned with your career goals.
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Illuminate your 3D skills with Lights, Camera, Render! Dive deep into advanced Cinema 4D techniques with David Ariew. Master core cinematography skills, gain valuable assets, and learn tools and best practices to create stunning work that wows clients.
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Master After Effects at your own pace with Jake Bartlett's beginner course. Perfect for video editors, you'll learn to create stylish animated graphics, remove unwanted elements, and track graphics into shots. By the end, you'll be equipped for everyday AE needs and more.
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Revolutionize your Premiere workflow with customizable AE templates! Master creating dynamic Motion Graphics Templates (Mogrts) in After Effects to speed up your team's work. By the end, you'll craft easily-customizable templates for seamless use in Premiere Pro.
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Not sure where to start?
If you’re a beginner, here are some great courses to help you get started:
After Effects Kickstart
Dive into the fundamentals of motion design with our most popular (and recently updated) After Effects course.
Photoshop + Illustrator Unleashed
Master the basics of Photoshop and Illustrator and gain invaluable insights in this introductory level course.
Design Kickstart
An introduction to the design principles behind all great work.
More Advanced?
If you’re a more advanced student looking to up your game, here are some great options:
Animation Bootcamp
Learn the art and principles of creating beautiful movements in Adobe After Effects.
Design Bootcamp
Learn to design for motion in this intermediate-level, project-based course.
Cinema 4D Basecamp
Learn Cinema 4D from the ground up in this exciting introductory C4D course.
Now is the time to learn the skills you need to advance in your motion design career:
