A New York–based motion designer bridging storytelling, branding, and performance-driven creativity

In today’s rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape, the way brands communicate is shifting. Static visuals are no longer sufficient to capture attention in an environment defined by speed and constant information flow. Increasingly, brands are turning to motion, not just as an aesthetic layer, but as a core storytelling tool.



For New York–based motion designer Yani Sun, motion design is not simply about making visuals move. It is about constructing a language through which brands can communicate emotion, rhythm, and narrative. By integrating timing, color, and movement, her work transforms information into something experiential, something audiences can feel, not just see. For Sun, motion is not only a communication tool, but also a temporal medium, one that allows meaning to unfold over time rather than exist as a fixed image.
What sets Sun apart is her ability to operate across two domains that rarely intersect at a high level: systematic brand design and performance-driven creative output. In an industry where many designers focus either on visual identity or campaign execution, Sun has built a practice that connects both. Even within commercial constraints, her work retains a distinct sense of authorship, where each motion decision reflects a considered balance between clarity, emotion, and visual identity.



Her work spans venture-backed startups and global corporations. As an independent designer, she contributed to a 54% increase in downloads for an AI application within just two and a half months. She later led the social media visual rebranding of Jose Cuervo, one of the world’s most established tequila brands, redefining how its product lines are expressed across digital platforms. Today, she serves as a Senior Motion Designer at Walmart Connect, the important advertising division of Walmart, where she produces high-impact video content for brand advertisers across the United States. The range from building brands at their inception to operating within large-scale commercial systems, positions her within a relatively small group of designers working at the intersection of branding, motion systems, and measurable business impact.



Sun’s approach to motion design reflects a broader shift in how visual communication is understood. In her practice, motion is not an embellishment but a structural element, one that shapes how information is experienced and remembered. Rather than treating motion as decoration, she uses it to structure information and guide perception. When applied effectively, motion can create a sense of rhythm that allows audiences to process content intuitively, even within the short timeframes typical of social media environments. Her professional path began in digital marketing and social content production, where speed and adaptability are essential. She has developed campaigns across industries including fashion, beauty, technology, education, and consumer products, working with brands such as The Atlantic, Playboy, NARS, Noggin, Ralph Lauren, and Jose Cuervo. These projects often required translating ideas into finished visual outputs within tight production cycles—a process that helped shape her ability to balance creative ambition with executional efficiency.



At the performance branding agency WITHIN, Sun played a key role in redefining the company’s visual identity system. Her work introduced a unified approach to color, typography, and motion, which was later implemented across the company’s website, LinkedIn presence, and external communications. A logo animation she created for the project was featured by the company’s official LinkedIn account and selected as the opening sequence of its 2023 showreel, which became the most-viewed video on the channel.
Her campaign work has also demonstrated measurable commercial impact. For the leading e-commerce platform Yami, she led the production of motion content for major seasonal campaigns, contributing to a 300% increase in video views and a 90% increase in sales for targeted product categories. In another project, she developed a dynamic visual system for an AI application, contributing to a 54% increase in downloads within a short timeframe.
In 2024, Sun joined Walmart Connect’s Lightbox Creative Growth Video Team as a Senior Motion Designer. In this role, she contributes to sponsored content for brand partners as well as internal brand initiatives, including promotional videos and large-scale event visuals. She has also been involved in the development of motion language for Walmart’s evolving brand system, helping to establish a more cohesive dynamic identity across platforms.
Outside of commercial work, Sun maintains an independent creative practice. Her work has been featured in The Realm of Possibilities, an international juried exhibition organized by WhosMuseum, and has received coverage from Phoenix Television and Sing Tao Daily. Her moving image projects have also been recognized by international film festivals, including semifinalist placements at Film Revolution Montreal and AREA51 FilmFest. Her dual engagement in both commercial and artistic contexts reflects a broader perspective on motion as a medium, one that extends beyond branding into cultural and expressive territory. This perspective positions her not only as a designer, but as a visual storyteller shaping narrative through movement and timing.
Working in New York has further shaped her approach. The city’s creative industry, defined by its cultural diversity and density of talent, provides a context where different perspectives continuously intersect. Within her own team, collaborators come from a wide range of cultural and professional backgrounds, contributing to a process where ideas are constantly reinterpreted and expanded. At the same time, the rise of artificial intelligence is transforming how motion design is produced. Tools that once required significant time and technical effort are becoming increasingly accessible. For Sun, this shift is not about replacement, but about expansion. As execution becomes more efficient, creative focus can shift toward concept, storytelling, and intent.
As motion continues to evolve into a central language of brand communication, designers like Yani Sun’s work offers a clear example of how motion design is becoming a defining force in contemporary brand communication.