Tech Skills You Need to Succeed as an Animator

animator
animator

An animator would be seen as a necessary in the the digital design industry and this trend is only going up. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the overall demand for animators will generate 81,400 jobs by 2026. Due to this increasing demand, animation professionals have a pretty decent salary. They could make from $64,000 to $75,000 in an annual salary.

If you’re an artist and you enjoy animation, you may want to start learning some new skills to succeed in this career. In this guide, we’ll show you some of the most in-demand tech skills to work as an animator.

Graphic Design

Animators are still designers, so having a graphic design background with experience in various graphic design tools is essential in the work. Having graphic design skills will help animators create figures and characters with  realistic designs. However, in the field of animation, you’ll be working with motion. So you should also know about motion design, which is a subfield of animation itself. 

The difference between animation and motion design is that motion design is all about providing movement to objects and figures. Once you add characters to create a story, that’s another type of animation. Dominating motion design skills will genuinely help you become a master in animation.

Color Theory

Color theory could be one of the most vital aspects of animation design. Knowing about color theory will help you transmit feelings, express the emotions of your characters, and even set up a proper emotional environment in every scene in a story. This could be the most basic knowledge for becoming an animator, so learn about it early in your learning journey.

Color theory is not only implemented in advertising, it is also widely used in movies. Think about it as telling a story with colors and emotions. Color is one of the most potent aspects in animation, along with sound and movement.

User Experience

Animation plays a massive role in user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. Animation will not only attract people’s attention, but it’ll also make digital products more intuitive and easy-to-understand for users. 

If you aspire to become a great animator, it could be beneficial for you to study the essential aspects of UX and UI. Some of the benefits of animation in UX are to communicate feedback, let the user know that there has been a change in the platform, and to draw attention to something important.

Computer Literacy and Software Familiarity

Although you don’t need to know how to code to become an animator, having basic computer literacy will help you succeed in this career. Besides, you need to know how to work with specific graphical rendering software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, which are among other great tools. 

Having computer literacy and software familiarity is a crucial aspect of becoming an animator as you need to become proficient on these tools to start designing an aesthetically-looking and functional animation.

How to Become a Proficient Animator

  • Get the education you need. While on the path of becoming a great animator, you need to study the fundamental aspects. You can do it by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in animation or by taking short-term course.
  • Get some experience. You can start by creating animated projects to sharpen your skills. Then, you can volunteer for an internship at a company you like.
  • Show your skills. Start posting your projects on social media and platforms such as LinkedIn or Indeed. It could also be helpful to create a portfolio website to show off your skills. This way, it’ll be easier for recruiters to find you. With an accessible online portfolio, recruiters will have a brief glimpse of what you can do for their company.

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