How does Ollie Catton approach motion as an extension of design?

Motion thinking has made Ollie Catton a better designer, and strong design foundations have sharpened his motion work. The UK-based designer arrived at this interdependence through years of self-directed learning – staying late in the office during his early career to teach himself After Effects through trial and error. That same commitment to experimentation shaped The Type Animation Presets, a collaboration with us that pushed Catton into unfamiliar territory. The project became its own experimental piece, generating learnings he now pulls into client work. Catton’s philosophy is refreshingly direct. Presets and plugins are efficiency tools, not shortcuts – he believes designers should understand the manual process before reaching for automation. Failure, meanwhile, is where the deepest learning happens. When renders break or motion feels off, deconstructing the logic reveals what success alone cannot teach. TBI: Hey Ollie! How are you? OC: I’m good, thank you!