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INTERVIEW WITH MOTION GRAPHICS DESIGNER: KUDOS
Yaroslav (aka kudos) is the co-founder of Kudos.tv and Creative Director at Wight Visuals.
The streaming space has been and continues to grow rapidly in the last few years. The rise of dedicated streaming software and platforms has carved out a special niche for dedicated stream overlay graphics. Videobolt has recently joined the Twitch overlay space by offering online customization of streaming packs. To mark the occasion we decided to sit down and have a chat with our foremost streaming overlay author: Yaroslav a.k.a kudos. We picked his brain about motion graphics and the streaming/gaming industry at large.
Petar Drndarević
In your view, how has the world of video changed since you became part of the global motion graphics community?
kudos
It definitely became a more inclusive space. Nowadays everyone can find hundreds of tutorials that cover even the most advanced motion design techniques completely free. The software became a lot cheaper as well - now you don’t need to spend a fortune to get the After Effects license as you can get a fairly cheap monthly subscription.
Petar Drndarević
Do you have any design heroes who inspired you?
kudos
I won’t be original in my answer - Andrew Kramer. He started it all.
Petar Drndarević
Most of your recent work has been in the area of streaming overlays. What inspires you to stay in this niche?
kudos
Putting it simply, stream graphics combine two things that every member of our team loves the most - video games and design :)
Petar Drndarević
Can you remember the moment you discovered Videobolt? What was your first impression?
kudos
We’ve been thinking about developing some kind of animated overlay maker for quite some time and after one of my teammates sent me a link to Videobolt I was immediately blown away - that’s what I was thinking about all the time and it became crystal clear that it’s a perfect match for us :)
Petar Drndarević
As a gamer yourself — what is your favorite game to play? And which do you like to watch?
kudos
Call of Duty 4 has a special place in my heart because 1) My passion for motion design started from editing videos of my gameplay 2) I even met the cofounders of our company in a public server of this game about 12 years ago :) And when it comes to watching, I’d say that Genshin Impact is very interesting - my girlfriend plays it extensively and the game looks amazing.
Petar Drndarević
Twitch and other streaming platforms are starting to cater to way more than gaming content. What new streaming categories do you see on the horizon?
kudos
"Just chatting" as it’s called on Twitch, is probably gonna rise even more and there’s another niche that grows rapidly - VTubers. I think that it’s going to transform into something even bigger with further development and implementation of VR and AR.
Petar Drndarević
What do you think are the key reasons why a streamer should use overlays in the first place?
kudos
On top of creating a distinctive brand identity, stream overlays include many different widgets that can enhance the experience for streamers and their audience - interactive chatboxes (aka webcam overlays), waiting screens, animated alerts and much more!
Petar Drndarević
You’ve been at this for a while and your designs are available and popular on various streaming platforms but also your own kudos.tv. Speaking from such a rich experience, what do you consider good design when it comes to overlays?
kudos
As it goes with everything design-related it’s all very subjective - especially in the niche of stream overlays. Some people love sci-fi designs with different HUD elements and glitches on top of everything, others like everything Asian, and so on. What’s common in all overlays is a clean structure (they can get overloaded with dozens of scene variations easily) and space for user input - not only customization of overlay’s elements but also free space to include their own media - texts, images, widgets and so on.
Petar Drndarević
With Videobolt, your designs have become customizable by users themselves. How do you feel this will improve their streaming?
kudos
I guess that we’ll see a lot more happy streamers as they will be able to create something truly unique.
Besides being a very talented designer, Yaroslav was truly an engine that put our entire streaming category into motion and we are ever thankful for that. In addition to Videobolt you can check out his designs on kudos.tv. We wish you all the success in the world and hope to see the streaming overlay category blossom into a major hit.
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