Tight typography and swish motion graphics can't be learned overnight; it's a skill that takes years to master. Sophisticated software and video editing techniques are not the instant talent that many mistakenly believe they are, and so true masters of the art should be celebrated much in the same way animators, artists and filmmakers are.

When it comes to this sort of content there's no question that Vimeo is where it's at. YouTube is all well and good for the amateur filmmaker, Let's Play gamer and dubstep cat appreciator but professionals flock to Vimeo to showcase their finest work. If you've got a bit of a fetish for sharp typography and swish motion graphics then you might want to check out the following channels.

Kinetic Typography Channel

A channel entirely dedicated to motion typography, featuring short films from a variety of talented typographers and animators. Thus far the channel has accumulated 260 videos and more than 4,000 subscribers who love watching videos like this Grandmaster Flash-inspired effort below.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/32287261

Don't forget that Vimeo channels aren't quite the same as YouTube channels in that a Vimeo channel includes content from more than just one source. Much of the time inspiration is gleaned from pop culture including movies and music, like the following movie that uses the Banana Boat Song.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/33420739

And then of course, a simple concept or phrase like "I'm going to make it better" can be responsible for an almost self-aware example of excellent motion graphic work.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/18669276

Psychedelic Soda

And now for something completely different from the self-proclaimed trippest Vimeo channel. Not strictly motion graphics or typography but a mixture of weird and wonderful using a variety of animation techniques.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/15411129

Psychedelic Soda attempts to collate anything deemed trippy or reminiscent of a psychedelic experience under one housing. The results are mixed, with dizzying animations like the above to sedate ambient experiments like the below video.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/21207983

If you've got a spare 25 minutes then you might want to watch all of this next motion graphics video called Superflow, which is a self-proclaimed audio-visual journey into the world of digital harmony - and a rather good one at that.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/13110687

Purely Motion Graphics

As the name may suggest, a channel dedicated solely to some rather excellent examples of motion graphics. The channel is intended to inspire more of the same, and with videos of such a high calibre I'd say they're doing that quite well.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/lecrcr/todor-et-petru

Music videos are a great excuse for putting motion graphics to good use, and one fine example of this is the following promotional video for "Yeah" by Impactist which looks and sounds great.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/57350341

The final video featured here from the PMG channel is all about soil. If that doesn't sound interesting to you then you'll be pleased to know the motion graphics visuals are stunningly engaging - and by proxy so is the subject matter.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/iasspotsdam/letstalkaboutsoil-english

Nice Type

Back in the land of typography, how often have you seen a film or TV program only to be left impressed by the credits and disappointed by the rest? This channel is for you! As well as the usual typographical treats are a few sequences lifted verbatim from productions, like this:

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/robotika/dankojones

Another good excuse for motion typography is to show off a new typeface like the video below for a font called Magnna. I especially like this because it doesn't just highlight the font or typography but the dedication and attention to detail involved in the process.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/45460939

Similarly this concept works even better when it comes to animated typefaces. That's an actual font that moves, yes and it's every bit as awesome as it sounds.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/animography/spirograph

Motion Soup

Another motion graphic collection aiming to showcase the very best of Vimeo talent, Motion Soup is must-watch material for fans of 2D animation and movement. Motion graphics are often important for conveying messages, like the video below which is technically brilliant and will hopefully make the viewer think.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/56093731

Attention advertisers - if your idents are as good as the next 7 second video, I will probably buy your stuff. Very short but very good:

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/43332039

MTV's idents used to be a fine showcase for independent artists with weird animations and slightly unusual shorts until the trend died out some time in the 90s. It looks like the channel is getting back into the scene if the following is anything to go by.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/49771510

Moving Image

Another channel, another wonderful selection of motion graphics, animation and typography. One such featured video is the following showreel for Arcade, a design studio, which features professionals doing what professionals do best - professionally:

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/56801071

Motion, type and music collide in this next video which describes the quest to understand music, and draws some pretty interesting conclusions.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/54763818

Finally it seems very fitting to end this article with the following video which attempts to answer the question - what is motion design?

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU61022/https://vimeo.com/29732896

I hope you've enjoyed this collection of videos and channels as much as I have putting the list together. As always leave feedback and any requests in the comments below this post.