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Register by February 19, 2025

USA - March 1 SATURDAY – US PDT - 9AM - 12noon

9-week course, with one 3-hour class each week.
27 Hours of LIVE, Instructor-led, Zoom Training

EUROPE - March 2 SUNDAY – CET - 9AM - 12noon

9-week course, with one 3-hour class each week.
27 Hours of LIVE, Instructor-led, Zoom Training

Course Orientation & Tech Set Ups are one week before the start of each course.

Small Class Size - Maximum 8 Trainees.  US $850 per Trainee.

"A Responsive Motion Graphics Design System consists of one or more brand assets with dedicated

Motion Curves and Responsive Features, which are interconnected to provide a modular, robust,

consistent, and scalable content-creation solution."  — Roland Kahlenberg

This quote is paraphrased from Donella Meadows' general definition of a system.

Develop Advanced

Intelligent Design Assets (RSPSV - 1001)

Develop Scalable & Repeatable Motion Graphics Systems

LIVE - Instructor-led Online Classes

Course Dates

Taking Roland Kahlenberg’s "Develop Advanced Responsive Motion Graphics Systems" course has fundamentally transformed my approach to systems thinking and responsive motion graphics. Before this course, I saw expressions as isolated tricks.

Now, I understand how to create intelligent, scalable, and optimized brand toolkits—and I even authored my first script file. Roland’s generosity with his time, along with his boundless knowledge and wisdom, made this experience invaluable. The insights I've gained will undoubtedly change the trajectory of my work for the better. If you’re a motion designer aspiring to become a brand architect, this course is a must.

I'm finding the Develop Advanced Responsive Motion Graphics System course to be highly informative. The solutions in the project files are well thought-out. Roland conducts insightful class discussions that encourage a deeper understanding of the AE tools and techniques, which is a rare quality in many courses.

Congrats on getting this course out there! Definitely needs to be spread far and wide!

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Country flags of our Trainees

Course Introduction

This course is designed to empower intermediate and advanced Adobe After Effects users to create intelligent content solutions using Expressions.

The core focus is on Intelligent Design Assets (IDAs), which serve as the building blocks of Motion Graphics Systems. These assets are essential for developing innovative solutions for motion graphics content creation.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to prototype most intermediate and advanced Motion Toolkits in just minutes or a few hours.

You’ll also gain the skills to lead and guide creative teams, consult clients on requirements and processes, and ask the right questions to define clear development paths. In essence, this course prepares you to become a Motion Graphics Systems Consultant.

To achieve this, you’ll apply concepts from Systems Thinking and Design Thinking; equipping you with a problem-solving framework that’s both practical and visionary.

We’ll dive deep into Expressions, applying Modern JavaScript using interesting algorithms to address real-world challenges. This course emphasizes leveraging After Effects, Expressions, and Systems Thinking to tackle complex problems to create transformative, future-proof solutions—even in an AI-driven world.

I'm Roland Kahlenberg, the Course Developer, Trainer, and Facilitator for Develop Advanced Intelligent Design Assets. I earned my first After Effects Expert Certification in 2002 and I am currently a member of the Adobe Video Partner Program. In this role, I provide consulting and development services to help brands establish and scale their Motion Graphics Design Systems. Additionally, I am a BorisFX Mocha Certified Trainer and a Dataclay Templater Affiliate Partner.

This is a project-based course with a strong emphasis on practical applications, complemented by theoretical insights. The theory will help us approach real-world problems with a holistic perspective. We’ll leverage a Systems Thinking approach to problem-solving, treating each Intelligent Design Asset (IDA) as part of a larger Motion Graphics System. We’ll also incorporate Design Systems and Identity Branding principles into our UI and designs.

We’ll dedicate ample time for discussions because understanding the why behind design and technical decisions is crucial. This knowledge will equip you to tackle complex problems, recognize recurring patterns, lead teams effectively, and work confidently with clients.

You'll receive about 200 assets; Responsive AEPs and Compositions, IDAs, Responsive Containers and Text Layers. This course is all about using exceptional techniques and workflows to develop world-class MoGraph Design Systems.

Course Developer | Trainer | Facilitator

Course Fees & Syllabus

Course fees for Develop Advanced Intelligent Assets is US $850. 

You get 27 Hours of Instructor-led LIVE, online Training + 1 Hour of Course Orientation & Tech Testing. You'll receive lots of Interactive Compositions and tons of Responsive MoGraph Components and Templates.

This is a very advanced course. You will learn strategies to develop Intelligent Design Assets (IDAs) that are to be used within a Motion Graphics System or even on its own. These IDAs will form your Component Library which is an integral part of a Design System. You will use advanced Expressions and Modern Javascript to develop IDAs that work under hundreds and even thousands of use-cases.

You will learn how to quickly transform an IDA so it can be used in different ways within a Design System.

The topics covered in this course are listed below. To prevent unwanted issues with bot and human scrapers, Weekly Lesson Plans, Project Files and Assets will be provided prior to each class. 

All practical work is done in Adobe After Effects. However, the majority of the theory and processes shared in this course can be applied to any application for use within the scope of Developing Motion Graphics Design Systems. From the 5th week onwards, you are encouraged to practice using your own assets and designs. This ensures you leave the course with samples of work you can truly call your own - you will leave with a sense of ownership and confidence to build even more Responsive MoGraph Systems.

This course covers the following areas of study –

Advanced After Effects Expressions & Modern Javascript

Advanced After Effects Text & Shape Layers

Advanced MoGRT Development

Applied Motion Design

Graphics Design

Systems Thinking

Design Thinking

Design Systems

Identity Branding

...
What is an Intelligent Design Asset (IDA)

What are Responsive & Adaptive Features and Why are They Critical
What is Systems Thinking and How Does it Apply to Motion Graphics

How to Apply Systems Thinking in the Development of IDAs & Motion Design Systems

How to Apply Design Thinking Principles

Managing Projects, Establishing Project Goals & Deliverables & Client Expectations

How to Guide and Advice Clients & Team Members

Drawing Out the Development Process

Working with Brand Assets, Brand Guidelines, Design Tokens, Components and Templates

Understanding Users & Scope of the Project

Master Pixel-perfect Responsive Layouts with Dynamic Content
Master Pixel-perfect Responsive Animations with Dynamic Content
Creating a Modular Development System & Component Libraries

Applying Consistent Motion Design & Graphics Design Principles within a Modular Design System

Scaling IDAs for other use-Cases

Creating Linear & Non-Linear Responsive Relationships
Developing IDAs with Existing Designs/Animations

What is Reproducible Code and When to Use Them

Creating & Working with Component Libraries

...
Mastering Text & Shape Layers
Working with Text Styles & Text Animators (including Text Expression Selectors)
Point & Paragraph Text Layers - When to Use Them

What is RegEx and Why it's Critical
Why, When, & How – Applying Javascript String Manipulation
Creating Text Layers with Responsive Features

Creating Text Reflow (Word Wrap - Adjustable Paragraph Width)
Creating Text Highlights
Creating Robust Solutions for Language Versioning
Working with Javascript Locale for International Currencies, Numbers & Dates.
Working with Shape Layers, Raster Images and Vector Graphics as Containers
Creating Simple Containers
Creating Complex Compound Containers

 

...
What are Functions and How do They Work

Working with forLoops
Animating with Code & Keyframes
What is Good Code
Writing Readable Code
Writing Performant Code - Optimizing Code. How and When.
Writing Reproducible Code
Debugging Expressions
Obfuscating Code
Obfuscation Workflows
Code Governance

...
WHO is ChatGPT/Claude
Applying the GUT-E Prompt Engineering Framework
Creating & Tweaking Expressions with ChatGPT/Claude
Creating & Tweaking Scripts with ChatGPT/Claude
High Level View of the Anatomy of an AE Script

 

...

Best Practices for Naming & Grouping

Creating the UI for the User (Video Editor/Marketing Executive/Content Creator)
Create Controller Layers, Expression Controllers & EGP Properties
Organizing AeMoGRTs for Use in Adobe Premiere Pro
Creating Thumbnail Images & Animated Thumbnail Previews
Exporting to Adobe Premiere Pro
Managing & Sharing AeMoGRTs - CC Library & Local Folders

Course Syllabus
Course Benefits

COURSE BENEFITS

  • Develop Intelligent Design Assets in record time. Cut down development by weeks!

  • Develop more functional, intelligent and easy-to-use MoGRTs that do not break.

  • Apply Systems Thinking when developing IDAs with Responsive Features.

  • Apply Effective Prompt Framework in ChatGPT & Claude for Expressions and Scripts.

  • Apply Design Systems Principles to the Development Process.

  • Develop MoGRTs that do not require further input from the Motion Graphics Designer and can be used effectively by Video Editors, Producers and Marketing Executives.

  • Understand why and when Responsive Features issues occur and effectively avoid or solve them.

  • Become one of the few experts/proponents in the world at developing Responsive Motion Graphics Systems.

  • Lead the charge in understanding and implementing IDAs and Motion Graphics Systems.

  • Guide clients and team members on developing IDAs and Motion Graphics Systems

RECEIVE 2 Hours, 1-on-1 Consulting with me on a real world project; subject to a maximum of 3 Sessions of 40-minute blocks each. This has to be used up within three months after your last class. This ensures I will be there for you on your initial projects, to ensure you get to apply what you've learnt as efficiently and as effectively as possible. There is no refund or rebate if this Course Benefit is not used within the specified period.

Class Recordings will be available within 24 hours after each class. Recordings will be available for online viewing after the course ends. These recordings will be available for as long as possible. Should the recordings have to be taken down, you will be provided with 2 weeks' notice to download said recordings.

FREE & LOW COST Masterclasses & Workshops

To keep current and previous trainees fresh and up-to-date with new skills and knowledge to apply in the area of Adaptive & Responsive Motion Graphics, short classes will be held and these will either be free or paid, but capped at a maximum of $50 per hour.

 

After completing this course, you will have an excellent foundation in Responsive Motion Graphics which opens up a world of possibilities. You will be one of a small number in the world with this expertise and it is up to your imagination to apply it in whichever way you can imagine as you solve interesting content-creation issues.

These sessions WILL ALWAYS BE LIVE but may include recorded/demo sections from previous Live Recordings. An instructor will always be available to facilitate Q & As and discussions.

View samples of Intelligent Design Assets with Adaptive & Responsive Features

Coursework Samples

Coursework Samples
Each example you see is defined as a System. Every element within its system knows its purpose and it knows where other relevant elements are and their respective sizes. This allows for consistent designs and animations even as content changes. So, each System is an Intelligent Design Asset; capable of being used for different content and languages and in the Adaptive Motion Graphics Course (Level 2), you'll learn how to output to other Frame Sizes automatically. 

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Testimonials

TRAINING-RELATED TESTIMONIALS from previous courses/tutorials

Todd Kopriva | Former Adobe After Effects Product Manager
 

Roland has proven himself over the years to be one of the most consistently helpful and knowledgeable After Effects users in many contexts, including answering questions on online forums and providing detailed and accurate tutorials.

COURSE FEES

... The Introductory Couse Fee is US $850. You must Sign Up for this course using the Course Sign Up Form. Only qualified individuals will be allowed into this course. This is an Advanced Course. You should have at least 3 years of intensive Adobe After Effects experience coupled with intermediate-to-advanced Expressions knowledge. Please check the Course Pre-requisite Section for details. Upon receiving your Course Sign Up Form, I will decide if you qualify for this course. If selected, you will be provided with payment details. You will have 48 hours to complete the payment. Please keep a record of your payment. Payment via Paypal and Wise are currently accepted. Upon receiving the payment, in full, an email will be sent to you, to confirm your placement in the course. Ensure you take note of your class schedule - Date & Times. Take note there will be a Course Orientation & Technical Checkup, one week prior to the first class of this course.

TRAINING PEDAGOGY

... All classes are LIVE. We will be using Zoom. Each class will have a maximum of 15 trainees. Occasionally, there may be up to two observers. Each class is 3 hours. There will be a 10 minute break at the 90-minute mark. There will be course assignments and each trainee is expected to put in up to 10 hours per week, of their own time to complete their course assignments and revisions. A Training Completion certificate will be provided at the end of the course, upon successful completion of all classes and submission of all course assignments.

CERTIFICATION

... ... A Certificate of Completion will be provided at the end of the course. To receive the Course Certificate, a trainee must submit a Motion Brand Toolkit or an agreed upon course work. Please allow up to 4 weeks to receive this Digital Certificate which will be awarded under the broadcastGEMs banner and signed by Roland Kahlenberg.

LEARNING PATH

... This course, Develop Advanced Intelligent Design Assets (RSPSV - 1001) is a pre-requisite for Develop Adaptive & Automated Motion Graphics Systems (ADPTV- 2001) which is currently in development and will be ready in late September, 2024. Develop Adaptive & Automated Motion Graphics Systems builds on this course and includes Creating Complex Compound Containers and Spreadsheet Workflows including creating multiple, optimized outputs where each output is automatically laid out perfectly to suit its frame size. This feature is much like Adobe Express' Resize Feature and similar features found in Canva except our solution involves custom layouts and animations. We will be using work developed in RSPSV - 1001 for use as assets for our Adaptive Feature which is our version of the Resize Feature.

Certification
Learning Path
Pedagogy
Course Fees
FAQ

FAQ

Who Should Attend this Course?

... The motivation to develop this advanced Adobe After Effects Course is two-fold : ​ 1 - provide exceptional, in-depth knowledge into the mechanics of Systems Thinking and Design Systems within an Adobe After Effects framework with the objective of empowering professionals to develop bespoke content creation solutions at speed and scale. This is a critical requirement for the majority of medium-to-large sized organizations today and for a long time. ​ Experienced freelancers who provide mid-to-senior level services will also want to keep up with the requirements of the industry; not only meeting them but surpassing them in terms of productivity and the quality of output. ​ Even when AI is able to generate consistent output with less human intervention, a human is still required to ensure inputs and outputs meet the desired requirements and standards and these are done with a Systems Thinking approach. This human should also have deep knowledge of the technical requirements as well as have the creative taste to ensure the process is optimal. One of the biggest issues with automation is automating the wrong process or automating a process with poor inputs. This course takes a holistic approach to content creation to help professionals create bespoke content at speed and at scale with an option for a fully automated solution. ​ 2 - Motion Graphics Design Systems is new to most of us. I am hopeful this course will be a catalyst to creating a community of leaders in this field; thinkers and exceptional tinkerers alike; those that are keen to push the boundaries, to be a part of creating solutions.

What is meant by Responsive Features

... A Responsive Feature describes a relationship between two or more properties that permanently affects the layout of a design.  ​​ We want to separate Responsive Features from Reactive Effects, which often appear visually similar. However, the problems they address, their solutions, and the problem-solving methods and algorithms/code used in each case are vastly different. Therefore, it is important to delineate between the two. ​ A Responsive Feature is used to ensure the consistency of a layout and all animations when content such as text length and size changes or a visual layer's size/position changes. The content may be input directly in an on-demand context by a Video Editor or a dataset can be read dynamically for an automated workflow. ​​ Secondly, Reactive Effects are less concerned with layouts or positions as its use-case is to create a relationship between two or more properties for kinetic and/or aesthetic purposes and is also an ephemeral effect. The most common Reactive Effect is the Audio Reactive Effect where the Audio Spectrum or Audio Waveform effect is linked via one or more Expressions to an Audio Layer.

How Much Time Should I Set Aside

... From the Start Date, you will have a 3-hour class each week. You are expected to set aside 10 hours per week for revision, homework and experimentation.  ​​ This course delivers both theoretical topics as well as practical exercises. Real-world examples will be used in the class. On your own time, you are encouraged to work with both sample files provided as well as your own assets.  ​​ Developing Motion Graphics Design Systems will be new to most of you – new After Effects Expressions or Javascript Methods or new ways of using those you have been familiar with; new ways of looking at layouts, designs and also thinking in terms of systems.  ​ Problem-solving will be a major task you will undertake and this involves scoping the project, its goals, assets, deliverables, users and your code. The more time you can set aside, the more you will get out of this course. ​ This course is also set up to allow for lots of exchanges; sharing of ideas, current problem areas, future problems and possibilities. You really want to spend some time on research too – looking at what's out there, your own work too and how what you've learned can be applied in the real world.

Will Class Recordings be Available Future Viewing

... Recordings of each class will be provided for online viewing within 24 hours after a class ends. These recordings will be available online for as long as it is viable to do so. Should there be an issue to remove them online, trainees will be contacted and provided with an option to download them within a 2-week period. This is only a precautionary measure. The aim is to have them available for online viewing for as long as possible.

What are the Course Pre-requisites

... Adobe After Effects Expressions is used widely in these advanced courses. We dive deep - very deep into the world of After Effects Expressions and we delve into Modern Javascript to develop world-class Motion Graphics Design Systems. ​ A list of curated, online tutorials are provided for those that want to enroll in these advanced courses but are not sufficiently confident in Expressions functionally

What Software is Required?

... Adobe After Effects V 23 or newer will be used. ** I prefer to use a version lower than the currently publicly available version. This is for stability/maturity purposes and also with keeping in mind that most clients do not update as frequently as expected. The latest versions of ChatGPT and Claude will also be used. The Free or Paid versions are OK. Latest version of Visual Studio Code. No other third-party software is required.

What are the Hardware Requirements?

... A second monitor or even a second Internet Connection will be useful to place the Zoom app onto. A camera, microphone and speakers/headphone are required, for use with the Zoom app.

What Course Materials Will be Provided?

... You will receive AEPs, FFXs, JSX and PDFs. You will also be creating Expressions, JSX Scripts and AEPs/Compositions during this course. Your Lesson Plan will be distributed 1 day before each class. Due to bot scraping and unscrupulous activities, the specific Lesson Plan for each Lesson can not be made available online. The Course Syllabus and Course Example Projects should provide sufficient details on what you will be able to create during and at the end of this course. You may also drop a message using the Let's Chat feature on this site.

What is the Learning Path for this Course

... This course, Develop Responsive Motion Graphics Design System is the first of a series of Advanced Adobe After Effects courses and Master Classes (Short Sessions) that have been planned. The next course lined up continues from this course and it is tentatively named, Developing Adaptive & Responsive Motion Graphics - Multiple Size Outputs and Automated Workflows. The Course Syllabus for this course is set to be released in mid-to-late September. The Master Classes will be 2-6 hour classes on specific topics that build upon either this course or the Adaptive & Responsive Course.

Pre-requisite

COURSE PRE-REQUISITE

Adobe After Effects Expressions is used widely in these advanced courses. We dive deep - very deep into the world of After Effects Expressions and we delve into Modern Javascript to develop world-class Motion Graphics Systems.

This course takes Expressions to another level. You will be working in Compositions with up to 40 and even 80 properties with Expressions. A single Expression may have up to 65 lines of code, and at times even more. And it is not uncommon that scripts go over 100 lines. But it's not that difficult because code is written and logically applied in a modular manner – small chunks of logic. Hence, they are relatively easy to edit to suit exacting needs.  

You should have an aptitude to succeed. This course is a lot about problem-solving from a systems-level of thinking. Your solutions involve not one or two layers but may involve multiple properties, layers, compositions while dealing with Responsive Features which are dynamic in nature.

This isn't rocket science but it's a big step from using the wiggle or Linear Interpolation Expression methods in a simplified manner. But if you persevere, the results are immense and you will find yourself having super-powers; being able to look at problems and their solutions from a strategy-driven manner. You will be able to develop complex Responsive MoGraph Systems rapidly; meeting deadlines much quicker.

Application Form

COURSE APPLICATION

The Application Page includes a form with a questionnaire to help ascertain your suitability for this course. Please complete all required fields. If you have difficulties or questions, use the Chat Button at the bottom right of this page.

If you are selected to join the course, you will be sent an email within two days to sign the Training Agreement and given 48 hours to complete the payment. The Introductory Course Fee is US $850. 

CONSULTING & CORPORATE TRAINING

I specialize in rapid development of Adaptive & Responsive Motion Graphics Systems. These solutions are critical to bespoke content creation at speed, scale and with automation processes.

On-site or online Corporate/Group Training is available on request – use this site's Let's Chat Button at the bottom right to get in touch. Post-training in the form of on-the-job-training is also available.

Consulting involves workflow improvements as well as development or co-development of Brand Assets, Components, Toolkits and Design Systems. 

If you are involved in daily content creation involving largely similar content such as sports/eSports, advertising and PR campaigns, language versioning, and hyper-personalized automated content; you seriously look at upgrading your skills and knowledge and there is nothing better than an investment in learning how to develop Advanced Adaptive & Responsive Motion Graphics.

If you're an Ad Agency or Post-production set up, you too should be looking optimizing your workflows. You will save lots of time and money by upskilling with the most powerful hands-on workflow solution today and for the foreseeable future.

Consulting
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