Type Design with Procedural Animation Techniques by Martin Naumann

Pick a word, draw the letters, then let chance do half the work. This course shows you how to build grid-based type in Illustrator and bring it to life with procedural animation in After Effects.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• How to design grid-based letters and custom type motifs
• How to prep and export vectors from Illustrator for animation
• How to apply procedural distortion and gradient effects in After Effects
• How to generate and animate random color textures
• How to create organic line patterns and abstract looks
• How to export loops as video and generative image sequences

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic familiarity with design software, no prior motion experience needed
• Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects
• Hardware: Computer capable of running After Effects, minimum 16GB RAM recommended

📝 Description

You start with something simple: one word or one letter. Martin shows you how to sketch it on a grid, think in shapes instead of fonts, and lock in a color direction with a quick moodboard. It is all about type design basics without the heavy theory.

Then you move into Adobe Illustrator to draw the vectors cleanly. You will learn what to keep simple, how to space and balance the forms, and how to export them so they do not break later. That prep saves you a lot of pain in animation.

The fun part happens in After Effects. Instead of keyframing everything by hand, you use procedural animation, distortion effects, gradients, and random seeds to generate looks. Change one slider and you get ten new variations. That is perfect for abstract posters, loops, and titles.

Finally, you collect your best renders into a small effects portfolio. Martin also walks through handy plugins and Filter Forge for pushing the same ideas further. You leave with reusable setups, not just one finished clip.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Anyone curious about experimental type, abstract art, or generative motion who wants a clear starting point
• Designers and motion folks who want quick procedural methods for titles, loops, and portfolio pieces

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Martin Naumann is an interdisciplinary designer and digital artist known for vivid color and futuristic, abstract systems. He works across motion graphics, illustration, and generative art, often letting randomness drive the final look.

He has delivered award-winning work for clients like Die Zeit, Laroché, Universal Music, and Anjunabeats. In class he teaches the way he works: practical, playful, and focused on building tools you can reuse.

🏁 Final Result

• A portfolio of abstract type animations built from your own lettering, exported as video loops and generative stills ready to share