"Creating motion can be tricky. Too much and it's distracting. Too little and a design feels flat. Ambient animations are the middle ground - subtle, slow-moving details that add atmosphere without stealing the show. Unlike timeline-based animations, which tell stories across a sequence of events, or interaction animations that are triggered when someone touches something, ambient animations are the kind of passive movements you might not notice at first. But, they make a design look alive in subtle ways."
"In an ambient animation, elements might subtly transition between colours, move slowly, or gradually shift position. Elements can appear and disappear, change size, or they could rotate slowly. Ambient animations aren't intrusive; they don't demand attention, aren't distracting, and don't interfere with what someone's trying to achieve when they use a product or website. They can be playful, too, making someone smile when they catch sight of them. That way, ambient animations add depth to a brand's personality."
Ambient animations are subtle, slow-moving visual details that add atmosphere without drawing excessive attention. They differ from timeline-based animations, which tell stories, and interaction animations, which respond to user input. Ambient animations can include gradual colour transitions, slow movement, appearing and disappearing elements, size changes, and slow rotations. Properly used, ambient animations avoid distraction and do not interfere with user tasks while adding personality and occasional delight. A recreated Quick Draw McGraw comic cover demonstrates ambient animation implemented with CSS and SVG. Original cover artist Ray Dirgo drew Hanna-Barbera characters for Charlton Comics; the recreation's complete code is available on CodePen.
Read at Smashing Magazine
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