PUTTING THE ‘AE’ IN AEXERS Going in-depth with the motion graphic talent 22 November 2019

Aexers’ founder, Hans Lin, is a motion graphics designer with a keen eye for details. Currently based in Taipei, he has worked with renowned agencies such as Bito and Finger and Toe as an animator/designer after studying Adobe After Effects for more than nine years. Since establishing Aexers, he has participated in numerous events including China Trust, League of Legends, Golden Melody Award 25, TEDxTaipei, Cytus, and other animation productions. Once, he was invited to be a lecturer in a work camp and he now dedicates more time on the YOTTA online teaching platform.

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Q: How do you pronounce it ‘Aexers’?
A: Everyone I know seems to think that the correct way to read it is “Ae-xers”.

Q: What is the story behind ‘Aexers’?
A: I coined the term when I was studying After Effects, or AE, as a student. People familiar with AE will know that “.aex” represents the extension of the plugin; it is where I got part of the “Aex” from, and the “ers” to refer to AE users. When put together, the word “Aexers” are regarded as “a group of AE users and studios”.

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Q: What got you into the world of motion graphics? When did you realise that this would be your career path?
A: When I was younger, I was infatuated with Japan and its art of minimalism. I once studied a lot of works by Watanabe Akio. In university, I came across motion graphics during my research about European and American works. That’s when it all started. At my graduation exhibition, I was very fortunate to meet Liu Keng Ming, who is the founder of Bito. He is one of the important figures in the motion graphics industry in Taiwan. He was going through my exhibited works when he asked me to join his studio. From that moment, I knew I was going in the right direction. Perhaps, the secret of success is having to walk one’s own path and not have it be pre-defined.

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Q: For a lot of your animated projects, you incorporate elements of simple shapes and vector-based characters. Is there a certain ‘house style’ that you are developing, which we’d get to see across all your other projects?
A: I am not sure if what I am doing is considered a house style. I’m just doing what I know and feel is relevant to a project.

Q: Some people think that in order to be a good motion graphic designer one needs to be a good graphic designer as well. Do you agree with this statement?
A: Yes. Although I am not a good graphic designer myself, I must at least be able to distinguish the quality of the graphic design. It is like a chef who doesn’t go fishing but he has to be able to distinguish the quality of a fish.

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Q: Are you specific with what goes into your portfolio reel? In other words, do you set goals in terms of what you would want to add in your portfolio?
A: For me, a reel is not the most important thing. The reel is just a snippet of my work. My dream is to make every piece of work as good as possible. I hope that everyone can see the complete work and enjoy the visual impact of each animation.

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