Motion Design Style Guide
Turning a brand book into a shared motion language - so any designer on the team could ship work that felt unmistakably RD.
Context
The Style Guide is a documentation where an aesthetic standard is determined for consultation in the execution of projects, whether they are one-time or recurring, carried out by internal or external teams. Thus, unity is created among all pieces produced by a team - in this case, in pieces using Motion Design performed for RD Station and sub-brands.
Challenge
A new visual identity. Multiple hands touching it at the same time. No shared reference for how motion should feel. Style guides existed for UI, illustration, and brand graphics - never for motion.
Process
Brand absorption
Read the brand book end-to-end. Understood what RD's new identity wanted to say to the world - fonts, colors, graphic elements, and tone.
Audit
Reviewed every motion piece produced before and during the rebrand using Start · Stop · Continue. Mapped what was working, what wasn't, and what to bring forward.
Benchmark
Studied Nubank, IBM, iFood, Mailchimp, Airbnb - one company per sector. Built a segmented moodboard from in-house teams and outside references.
Translation
Mapped each of RD's five brand attributes to a distinct motion language, with examples and rules any designer on the team could pick up.
The five attributes
RD’s new brand was built on attributes - each one a pillar of what the company is and how the work gets done. Together they form the identity: Hostel, Magnetic, Mind-Shifter, Doer, Source of Truth. I took each one and translated it into a motion language.
Hostel
Footage · diverse, expressive people
Belonging - not only within the team, but across the ecosystem we're part of. Real people, real connection.
Magnetic
Geometry · repetition · guided eye-movement
Use the shapes the brand is built on. Lead the eye and create rhythm - connections that don't come undone.
Mind-Shifter
Lines and negative space
Provoke. Open the viewer's mind to new perspectives by working with what's not there.
Doer
Oversized typography · direct, efficient
Practical, no ornament. The message is the design - say it once, clearly, and move on.
Source of Truth
Overlays · mixed media · layering
Resonance and impact. Layered techniques that mirror the depth of expertise we bring to partners and clients.
Outcome
Months later, I could see each of those attributes alive in projects the team had shipped - even ones I hadn’t touched. The guide turned a personal practice into a shared craft.
The style guide became the team’s common language. New videos felt consistent with what was being shipped by the broader brand team, even when they took entirely new visual directions. The framework outlived the rebrand itself.
Credits
Research & Concept
Camila Santos
Motion & Execution
Camila Santos, Lucas Fernandes, Matheus Souza, Nayara Braga, Paula Ende, Rafael Machado
RD Station Audiovisual team · Jun 2020 – Jun 2021