Official Syllabus 2026

Animated
Digital
Image

16 Weeks Design & Digital Animation Level: Foundational UTD — 2026
Description

Introduction to the language of digital movement. Students develop a solid understanding of animation principles, 2D production tools, and aesthetic criteria for communicating with moving images.

Entry Profile

Basic knowledge of digital design. Elementary proficiency with creative software. No prior animation experience required.

General Competency

Produces animated digital image pieces applying the fundamental principles of movement, with aesthetic criteria and technical proficiency in basic 2D animation tools.

01

Learning Objectives

Understand and apply the 12 principles of animation in digital productions
Master the concepts of timing, spacing, and easing in keyframe animation
Produce basic motion graphics: text, shapes, and animated iconography
Create basic-complexity frame-by-frame animation cycles
Export animations in appropriate formats for web, social media, and presentation
Develop visual criteria to evaluate quality in animated pieces
02

Course Tools

After Effects Primary tool
Rive Interactive animation
Procreate Dreams Frame by frame
Illustrator Vector assets
EZGif / Handbrake Export
Lottie Files Web distribution
03

Weekly Schedule — 16 Weeks

Weeks 1–3 Unit 1 — Fundamentals of Movement Theory
Week 01
What Is Digital Animation?
History of movement in digital media. Differences between traditional, digital, and generative animation. Taxonomy: motion graphics, frame by frame, 2D, 3D. Panoramic overview of the field.
Research
Week 02
The 12 Principles — Part I
Squash & stretch, anticipation, staging, straight ahead vs. pose to pose. Analysis of classic and contemporary references. Observation exercises.
Analysis
Week 03
The 12 Principles — Part II
Follow through, slow in/slow out, arcs, secondary action, timing, exaggeration, solid drawing, appeal. Practical application of all 12 principles with bouncing ball exercises.
Practical exercise
Weeks 4–7 Unit 2 — Keyframes & Animation Curves Practice
Week 04
Introduction to After Effects
Interface, workspace, and basic workflow. Compositions, layers, and timeline. Transform properties: position, scale, rotation, opacity. First keyframe.
Setup
Week 05
Graph Editor — Speed & Value Graph
Interpolation: linear, bezier, hold. Easing in and easing out. Reading and interpreting speed curves. Creating organic vs. mechanical movements.
Easing exercise
Week 06
Timing & Spacing in Practice
Time control as an expressive tool. Time stretch, time remapping. Comparison of animations with different timing on the same movement. Group feedback.
Comparison
Week 07
Loops & Cycles
Basic loopOut() expression. Creating perfect loops: background loop, spinner, animated loader. Concept of infinite animation for web and social media applications.
Loop deliverable
Weeks 8–10 Unit 3 — Basic Motion Graphics Workshop
Week 08
Animated Text
Text animators in After Effects. Text properties: tracking, leading, per-character opacity. Text presets vs. manual animation. Basic kinetic typography.
Animated typography
Week 09
Animated Shapes & Iconography
Shape layers: path, trim paths, basic morphing. Icon and pictogram animation. Building an animated visual identity piece (basic logo sting).
Logo sting
Week 10
Introduction to Rive
Rive interface. Differences between Rive and After Effects. Basic interactive animation: states and transitions. Web publishing. Use cases: UI animation, micro-interactions.
Rive Widget
Weeks 11–13 Unit 4 — Digital Frame by Frame Practice
Week 11
Frame-by-Frame Animation — Fundamentals
Procreate Dreams / Clip Studio: animation canvas setup. FPS: 12 vs. 24. Onion skin. Bounce cycle and blink cycle. Frame-by-frame workflow.
Basic cycle
Week 12
Simple Character Cycles
Simplified walk cycle. Full-body animation in 6–8 frames. Principles of weight and balance. Export as GIF and video.
Walk cycle
Week 13
Frame-by-Frame Effects
Fire, water, smoke in 2D. Using secondary effect layers. Integrating frame by frame with After Effects compositing. Rough vs. clean aesthetics.
Animated effect
Weeks 14–16 Unit 5 — Export & Final Project Project
Week 14
Export Formats & Platforms
Optimized GIF, MP4 H.264, WebM, Lottie JSON. Weight and quality considerations by platform: Instagram, web, presentation. Tools: Media Encoder, Handbrake, EZGif.
Multi-format pack
Week 15
Final Project Development
Production of an integrative piece: 15–30 sec motion graphic combining typography, shapes, and at least one frame-by-frame element. Individual review and feedback.
Work in progress
Week 16
Final Presentation & Closing
Public presentation of the final project. Self-assessment and peer evaluation. Instructor feedback. Reflection on the learning process and portfolio.
Final delivery
04

Evaluation

Category Description %
Weekly exercises Technical deliverables per unit (best 5 of 8) 30%
Participation & process Visual process journal, attendance, and group feedback 15%
Unit project — Motion Complete motion graphics piece (weeks 8–10) 20%
Unit project — FbF Frame-by-frame cycle + animated effect (weeks 11–13) 15%
Final Project Integrative piece 15–30 sec. Presentation and defense 20%
Total 100%