The HONEST Truth About Motion Design in 2025 | Year in Review

It's that time of year again—the School of Motion End of Year Podcast is here, and this one is our longest yet... by a lot. Buckle up for an in-depth look at everything that shaped motion design in 2025, and a look ahead to 2026!

🗒️ SHOW NOTES https://schoolofmotion.com/eoy2025

This year, we're joined by 17 industry veterans and special guests to break down what "motion design" even means anymore, how AI is actually being used in production, and the real state of the motion design economy. We cover major software updates from Adobe, Maxon, Unreal Engine, and more, discuss the recovery of the VFX industry, and explore how motion designers are expanding into UX, real-time graphics, and interactive experiences.

This podcast represents our commitment to helping motion designers understand the bigger picture and make informed decisions about their careers. Thanks for being part of the School of Motion community this year!

THANK YOU to this year's contributors:

John LePore - Co-Founder, Blackbox Infinite Ivan Witteborg - UX Motion Designer, @Google Justin Cone - Executive Director of Communication, Buck & Residence @SternFX - Motion Designer & Educator Kyle Hamrick - Motion Designer, Editor & Educator Bekki Leahy - Motion Designer & Illustrator Greg Stewart - Lead Animator, @bibleproject @JJMotionStudio - Director & High Torchbearer, We Ride at Dawn @sweetboy.motion - 3D Artist & Educator Urban Bradesko - Founder, @DoubleJumpAcademy & Crispy Chicken VFX Dan Maurer - Co-founder, @cartandhorse Kris Bargen - Co-founder, @cartandhorse Erin Sarofsky - Owner & Creative Director, Sarofsky PJ Richardson - ECD, Director & Co-founder, Laundry @thejoelpilger - Founder, Forum Hayley Akins - Founder, @MotionHatch Caleb Ward - Founder, @curiousrefuge

👉 CHAPTERS 👈

00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:15 Motion Design Present & Future 00:17:54 School of Motion Roundup 00:31:10 Our Favorite Work from 2025 00:52:26 Artists & Studios We Loved in 2025 01:20:24 The State of Adobe 01:32:42 Photoshop & Illustrator 01:43:10 After Effects 01:53:13 Premiere 02:06:12 Substance Painter 02:14:43 Figma on Our Minds 02:26:53 Descript FTW 02:28:43 Affinity: Adobe Killer? 02:38:22 Here Comes the Cavalry 02:54:00 The Rive Lovefest 03:27:51 Lottifiles Update 03:32:22 Greyscalegorilla Merger & More 03:36:05 Maxon's Moves 03:51:56 The Autograph Curveball 03:58:41 Will Blender Blend? 04:22:09 Houdini Happenings 04:29:17 Unreal is Unreal 04:55:14 Lottielab 04:57:27 Simulon 05:00:34 Spline & Hana 05:04:18 Womp Womp 05:09:09 Nomad Sculpt 05:13:22 Zbrush 05:16:00 Ad Industry Consolidation 05:25:49 Marketing Budgets Spread Thin 05:32:19 The Great Bifurcation 05:51:14 Pour One Out for The Mill 05:52:28 National Design Studio 05:53:00 Ben Fryc Makes a Keyboard 05:58:47 Contra is Cool 06:00:31 A New Vimeo? 06:05:42 The Motion Economy 06:16:18 Macroeconomic Trends 06:21:28 Return to Office 06:26:11 The Two Races 06:32:33 The Lost Art of Communication 06:54:21 The Race to the Top 07:21:17 The AI Conversation 07:23:22 Adobe's AI Play 07:37:11 Weavy & ComfyUI 07:49:52 MoveAI 07:53:51 Cascadeur 07:59:46 AI Image Generator Roundup 08:10:53 Firefly & Boards 08:17:41 AI Video Models 08:32:05 The AI Financial Bubble 08:39:16 The AI Vibe Shift 09:04:55 AI's Utility 09:26:01 THAT Coke Ad 09:31:42 How Artists Actually Use AI 09:41:38 The AI Ethics Question 09:49:29 2026 Predictions

🎓 SCHOOL OF MOTION COURSES MENTIONED

School of Motion All-Access: https://schoolofmotion.com/all-access School of Motion Team Training: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/training-for-teams Courses & workshops coming soon: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/coming-soon