Animation and Motion Design Conferences to attend in 2023
AnnouncementBy Thomas Dahm •
Animation and Motion Design events in:
Asia
Europe
North America
South America
Animation and motion design are closely related but very different. Animation is an umbrella term for the whole field of moving imagery, including everything from cartoons to claymation. Motion design focus on giving movement to graphic elements to support the storytelling aspect of a movie title, explainer, or gesture in a mobile app. Essentially, motion design it’s animated graphic design.
The selected festivals have in common that they are a crossover between the field. Showcasing the process behind blockbuster movies to indie animation productions, and everything in-between.
All programs are highly curated. Bring great value through inspiration, workshops, learning experiences, and provide plenty of network opportunities to energize your work and bring your ideas to life.
If you are new to the motion design industry, a great place to start would be attending a conference like The Art Department, Motion Motion Festival, or Blend, or Motion Plus Design in North America. If you are new to the animation industry Pictoplasma in Berlin is excelent.
These conferences offer a wide range of talks, workshops, and exhibitions from industry professionals, providing an opportunity to learn about new technologies and techniques, network with other professionals, and gain inspiration for your own work. They also often have sessions specifically geared towards beginners or those new to the industry.
If you have a minimum budget, attending local meetups or online events can be a great option. Many cities have motion design and animation meetups, where you can connect with other professionals in the industry and learn about new techniques and technologies. Additionally, many conferences offer student or early bird discounts, so it's worth checking the conference website or contacting the organizers to see if there are any discounts available.
The Art Department
Join the internationally acclaimed festival on art, design, and craftsmanship in film, animation, and games: The Art Department Eindhoven (20+21 April) + Berlin (13+14 May). Expect a smashing program packed with artist talks, demos, a free exhibition, interactive installations, panel discussions, screenings, live sketching sessions, portfolio reviews, recruitment, an art market, a book shop, book signings and so much more!
Don't miss the chance to join this inspirational playground for the creative industry!
Europe
Pictoplasma
Pictoplasma Berlin 2023: Join the world’s most vibrant meeting point for artists trailblazing the face of tomorrow’s visual culture.
📅 May 3-7, 2023
📍 Berlin, Germany
🎟️ Tickets: €320, students and groups get discount.
Motion Motion
The Motion Motion festival let's you discover motion design in all its diversity: 3D, 2D, stop motion, etc... in various graphic universes, through a program of exhibitions, workshops, concerts, mini-conferences and meetings. The festival was born from the initiative of the French motion designers association.
📅 May 5-27, 2023
📍 Nantes, France
🎟️ Tickets: From €149
Blend
Playgrounds Blend Rotterdam is a catwalk of inspiring, progressive and innovative makers. Artists known for stretching outside of a genre and mashing things up take over our stage. With Blend, Playgrounds aims to signal new trends and developments in the industry and to connect visual art with other genres.
- November 02, 20223
- Breda, The Netherlands
- From €15
- Plan your trip
VIEW Conference
VIEW Conference is a computer graphics event in Italy and is held yearly in Turin. Topics represented at the event include interactive techniques, digital cinema, 3D animation, gaming and VFX.
📅 October 15-20, 2023
📍 Torino, Italy & Online
🎟️ Tickets: From €149
Motioin Plus Design Paris
Motion Plus Design promotes the art of motion design across the world by creating international events and sharing its best resources. On June 11, Motion Plus Design invites the cream of the crop of the best worldwide Motion Designers for one full day of talks.
📅 November 25, 2023
📍 Paris with live stream
🎟️ TBA
Trojan Horse was a Unicorn
Launched in 2013 by designer André Luís, 'Trojan Horse was a Unicorn' grew out to a networking ecosystem created to share knowledge, inspire and empower creators from all areas of the digital entertainment & interactive industry. Their annual main event includes talks, workshops, recruitment sessions, and many other activities
📅 TBA
DEMO - Design in Motion
Design in Motion is an initiative of studio Dumbar. Celebrating the best motion design from the finest studios, amazing designers, emerging talents, and art academies around the world
📅 TBA
Asia
Motion Plus Design Tokyo
Motion Plus Design Tokyo promotes the art of motion design across the world by creating international events and sharing its best resources. On June 11, Motion Plus Design invites the cream of the crop of the best worldwide Motion Designers for one full day of talks.
📅 June 17, 2023
📍 Tokyo
🎟️ TBA
SIGGRAPHAsia
The annual event SIGGRAPHAsia, rotates around the Asian region, attracts the most respected technical and creative people from all over the world who are excited by research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education, and emerging technologies.
SIGGRAPH Asia 2023 Computer Animation Festival will convene to celebrate the vibrant, diverse, and inspiring world of computer animation. This year’s festival promises its most comprehensive and compelling program, from short films to scientific visualizations to AI-enhanced deep fakes.
📅 12 - 15 December, 2023
📍 Sydney, Australia
📅 3 – 6 December, 2024
📍 Tokyo, Japan
North America
HalfRez
HalfRez is a one night event crammed with guest speakers, networking, drinks and lively conversations about motion design and the industry. Covering motion design and 3D.
📅 TBA
📍 Chicago, IL, USA
Adobe Max - The Creativity Conference
Adobe MAX is an annual event with the purpose to promote the latest Adobe releases to those in the computer design and development industries.
📅 TBA
South America
The Pixel Show
This yearly event is the largest creative festival in Latin America. Organized by Zupi Magazine, The Pixel Show brings together incredible artists in illustration, motion graphics, graphic design, comics, CG, VFX, and more together for an amazing event. With over thousands of attendees each year, this event is a must for those in the Sao Paulo area of Brazil.
📅 TBA
📍 São Paulo, Brazil
That’s it for animation and motion design festivals!
I love to hear from you. Let me know what your favorite event xis. If you’re planning to attend any of the listed events and have a question, drop me an email or DM on Instagram. I am happy to help you.
If you want to share your experience, let me know. Happy to share your story.
Are you missing an event in this newsletter, feel free to submit it, I'll review and update this post.
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