MARIIA PANITSKOVA // MOTION DESIGNER
Hi, I’m Masha — a Motion Designer and Visual Storyteller from Saint Petersburg.
I create videos, animations and dynamic visuals that turn ideas, stories and observations into visual experiences. I’m interested in exploring different ways of communicating through movement, imagery and graphic language.My work combines visual storytelling with experimentation, from concept development and graphic design to animation and audiovisual projects.Primary audience: creative studios, production companies and organizations (B2B).
My portfolio brings together projects exploring different approaches to animation, visual storytelling and sound design. Each case focuses on a different combination of techniques, ideas and audiovisual solutions.
Here, I share not only the final results but also the concepts and creative decisions behind them. Explore the projects to discover different ways I approach motion, visuals and sound.
[01] Metempsychosis // Motion Explainer // 02:46
Context
Metempsychosis is a motion explainer exploring the belief in the immortality of the soul and its rebirth into a new body after death.
The narrative is divided into four sections, moving from the theoretical foundations of the belief to examples that illustrate its manifestations.
About
The brief was to create an educational motion explainer on a philosophical concept.
Goal
My goal was to explore this idea through animation, creating an engaging visual narrative that could communicate an abstract concept without relying on voice-over.
Visual narrative
The explainer unfolds across four distinct dimensions, each with its own visual environment. A central character guides the viewer through these worlds, transforming its form in response to each new setting. The character connects the four sections into a continuous journey, reflecting the idea of transition and rebirth.Sound design
The text remains unvoiced: instead of listening to a narration, the viewer follows the lines of text alongside the central character. Sound effects, ambient textures and music merge into a rhythmic soundscape, building a sense of space around the visuals and shaping the pace of the experience.
[02] The Artist // Alternative Movie Titles // 01:26
Context
An alternative title sequence for The Artist (2011), a black-and-white silent film about the evolution of cinema, the arrival of new technologies and the love of filmmaking.
About
An alternative title sequence for The Artist, inspired by the film’s idea of cinema within cinema.
Goal
My goal was to extend the film’s concept into the title sequence, creating a visual journey that reflects its atmosphere and explores the relationship between the screen, the stage and the audience.
Visual narrative
The title sequence unfolds across three spaces. It begins backstage, with a table covered in filmmaking props, then takes the viewer through the screen into the main titles, before returning to the stage and revealing the cinema auditorium.The main title sequence is built around shadows cast by spotlights, using light and shadow as key visual elements.Sound design
The soundtrack features Who? (Who Stole My Heart Away?), written for the 1925 Broadway musical Sunny. Sound effects accompany the titles, as the text appears reversed when viewed from behind the screen.
[03] TDFF Posters // Open Call Project
Context
Terminal Design Future Fest 2026 explores the future of design and its evolving tools, methods and visual languages.
About
A series of two motion posters created for Terminal’s open call, exploring the intersection of graphic design, typography and creative coding.
Goal
My goal was to investigate how programming can become a design tool, shaping both visual systems and new interpretations of familiar graphic elements.
Poster 01 — Components
Created in TouchDesigner through programming, the poster explores components and their role in structuring and systematizing design. The animation was designed for continuous playback as part of a permanent exhibition, allowing the visual system to unfold over time.Visual narrativeThe project explores how coding reshapes visual language, aesthetics and design processes. Focusing on the role of components in systematizing design, I developed a custom grid that visualizes this process.Sound design
The animation is synchronized with the soundtrack, allowing rhythm and sound to shape the movement of the visual system.
Poster 02 — The Letter T
Visual narrativeThe goal was to create an original letter T as a symbol of the future and bring it to life through animation. The poster takes the form of a mini-explainer, exploring how the perception of a familiar letter might evolve over time.Sound design
The poster is almost silent. Subtle sound elements complement the visual narrative without distracting from the transformation of the letter.
