35 RESOURCES

RESOURCELIBRARY.

Tools, references + resources curated for the modern art director. Collected from years of making, mentoring, and looking at the right things.

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35 resources — click any card to explore
INSPIRATION
EYECANDYopen_in_new

Visual technique library full of GIFs and clips showing actual camera moves, effects, and techniques used in music videos, ads, and films. One of the best references for understanding HOW the best work was actually made.

via Jason Murray
INSPIRATION
DAVE DYE'S PINTEREST BOARDSopen_in_new

The art director's art director. Iconic advertising AD who made all his Pinterest boards public. Gold mine of inspiration organized by theme and famous artists. Curated with serious taste.

via Jason Murray
INSPIRATION
ART OF THE TITLEopen_in_new

Online publication dedicated to title sequence design in film, TV, and beyond. Great for logo lockups and type design inspiration. The craft writing is exceptional.

via Jason Murray
INSPIRATION
COSMOSopen_in_new

Discovery engine for creatives. Save anything on the web, curate into clusters, share with the world. Pinterest without the ads and recipes — more art, design and unique aesthetics.

via Jason Murray
INSPIRATION
LOVETHEWORKMOREopen_in_new

Cannes Lions-winning work without the paywalls. Browse the best advertising ideas in the world, organized by category. Studying great work is one of the fastest ways to level up your creative thinking.

via Jason Murray
INSPIRATION
VIDCLUEopen_in_new

World's largest library of short-form video inspiration for brands and businesses. Study trends, formats, and storytelling techniques that actually work.

via Jason Murray
INSPIRATION
ACTIVATIONIDEAS.COMopen_in_new

Constantly updated archive of the most innovative brand activations, stunts, and experiential marketing ideas. If you're looking for how to bring ideas to life in fresh, unexpected ways — this is it.

via Jason Murray
INSPIRATION
CENTO LODIGIANI — ANIMATIONopen_in_new

Beautiful short film bringing all 12 animation principles to life. One of the best pieces on animation fundamentals ever made. Required viewing.

via Corey Jones
INSPIRATION
DROPMARK ARCHIVE VOL. 1open_in_new

Curated visual archive. Collected references for motion, design, and art direction. Years of looking at the right things.

via Corey Jones
INSPIRATION
DROPMARK ARCHIVE VOL. 2open_in_new

Curated visual archive. Collected references for motion, design, and art direction. Years of looking at the right things.

via Corey Jones
CONCEPTING
DECK OF BRILLIANCEopen_in_new

Idea generation prompts, conceptual devices, and storytelling frameworks for creative professionals. Whether you're stuck on a campaign, script, or social post — this is a creative jumpstart for your brain.

via Jason Murray
CONCEPTING
IDEA GENERATING MACHINEopen_in_new

Jason Bagley's philosophy on idea volume. It's all about unlocking your subconscious and accessing the more creative part of your brain. Not magic — a process. The only philosophy on ideation I fully ascribe to.

via Jason Murray
CONCEPTING
MANIFESTOWRITING.COMopen_in_new

Brand manifestos are the backbone of great campaigns. Breakdowns, examples, and writing tips. We use manifestos to sell ideas to clients — and those manifestos often become the foundation for video scripts.

via Jason Murray
CONCEPTING
TEXTFXopen_in_new

Google AI creative writing tools built for rappers, poets, and storytellers. Unique word associations, lyrical structures, unexpected phrasing — perfect for breaking out of writer's block.

via Jason Murray
CONCEPTING
DYNAMIC COMPOSITIONSopen_in_new

Matthew Encina on how to create compositions with energy and visual tension. One of the best practical design articles for building styleframes. Read the article AND watch the video.

via Corey Jones
CONCEPTING
HOW TO NOT SUCK AT COLORopen_in_new

Practical color theory for working designers. The basics of building palettes that actually work in motion and brand contexts. Short, direct, useful.

via Corey Jones
CONCEPTING
STORYBOARD BASICS — EVAN ABRAMSopen_in_new

Great overview of storyboarding for motion. Evan breaks it down clearly and his narration is hilarious. Subscribe to his channel while you're at it.

via Corey Jones
CONCEPTING
STORYBOARD SKETCHING DEMOopen_in_new

Hands-on sketching demo for storyboards. Do this step before you ever touch the computer — it saves everything downstream and forces you to commit to the idea first.

via Corey Jones
CRAFT
MANEKENopen_in_new

Mockup editor entirely in the browser. Plenty of free and paid mockups. Saves hours not having to deal with PSD smart objects and hunting down good looking mockups just for an idea slide.

via Jason Murray
CRAFT
VISUAL ELECTRICopen_in_new

Gen AI built specifically for designers and art directors. Unlike generic AI tools, Visual Electric lets you fine-tune images with an art director's eye — style, composition, and concepting.

via Jason Murray
CRAFT
HEMINGWAY EDITORopen_in_new

Good writing is clear and punchy. Hemingway highlights overly complex sentences, passive voice, and unnecessary adverbs — helping you tighten your writing and get straight to the point.

via Jason Murray
CRAFT
12 PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATIONopen_in_new

The foundational principles every motion designer needs to know. Fundamentals are important — knowing what motivates things to move is key to giving them a lifelike feel.

via Corey Jones
CRAFT
THE 12 PRINCIPLES (TUMBLR)open_in_new

Visual walkthrough of all 12 animation principles. Simple, digestible, essential reference. Bookmark this and come back to it.

via Corey Jones
CRAFT
MOTION DESIGN SCHOOL — AEopen_in_new

Solid After Effects fundamentals course from a studio producing some of the best motion education out there. Start here if you're new to AE.

via Corey Jones
CRAFT
INTRO TO THE GRAPH EDITORopen_in_new

The graph editor is where animation goes from mechanical to alive. This is the tutorial that breaks it down clearly. School of Motion at their best.

via Corey Jones
CRAFT
4 TYPES OF TRANSITIONSopen_in_new

Clear breakdown of the core transition types used in motion work. Essential vocabulary for any animator or director. Knowing the language makes everything else easier.

via Corey Jones
CRAFT
UX IN MOTIONopen_in_new

Motion principles applied to UX and interface design. Bridges the gap between animation craft and purposeful design thinking. Mostly After Effects based.

via Corey Jones
CRAFT
WORKING WITH ARTBOARDSopen_in_new

How to work with artboards in Photoshop and Illustrator for styleframe and motion design workflows. Gets overlooked. Shouldn't be.

via Corey Jones
GROWTH
THE AUDACIOUS SCHOOLopen_in_new

Founded by Jason Bagley, former ECD of Wieden+Kennedy. Designed to help ad creatives make the best work of their lives. If you want to break into top agencies or level up — this is one of the best investments you can make.

via Jason Murray
GROWTH
CREATIVE LADDERopen_in_new

Nonprofit dedicated to helping underrepresented talent rise in advertising and marketing. Mentorship, resources, and career guidance for creatives who deserve more opportunity.

via Jason Murray
GROWTH
THE FUTURopen_in_new

Chris Do's legendary channel on design, freelancing, branding, and business skills for creatives. If you want to level up your work and get paid what you're worth — start here.

via Jason Murray
GROWTH
OREN JOHNopen_in_new

Making YouTube videos that are better than university. Breaks things down in a way that's practical, no-BS, and actually useful. If you're navigating a creative career — start watching.

via Jason Murray
GROWTH
ONE SCHOOLopen_in_new

Free portfolio program for Black creatives looking to break into advertising. No tuition, just high-level training from industry pros. This one meant a lot to see on Jason's list.

via Jason Murray
GROWTH
PATH TO MOGRAPHopen_in_new

Free. The clearest roadmap for learning motion graphics. Where to start, what order to go in, and how to build real skills. I've pointed more people to this page than anything else.

via Corey Jones
GROWTH
DAILY QUESTIONS EXERCISEopen_in_new

A daily practice for getting clear on what actually matters. What will I make happen in 5 years, 1 year, this month, today — and what gets done today that develops my main craft.

via Corey Jones
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