Figma UI UX Design Essentials vs Expressive Typography in Motion with After Effects
Same Bayesian formula, same rubric — so the difference in scores reflects the difference in the courses, not the difference in how we evaluated them.
Skillshare · Design
Figma UI UX Design Essentials
Domestika · Design
Expressive Typography in Motion with After Effects
Per-criterion
111 lessons span UX/UI basics through advanced auto layout, components, variants and interactive prototyping. Comprehensive for a subscription course; slightly capped because Figma ships new features faster than course updates follow.
Daniel Scott is Adobe-certified with 14+ years of teaching experience and founder of Bring Your Own Laptop. His methodical, shortcut-dense style is consistently praised by independent reviewers as clear, practical, and professional.
The Skillshare subscription (~$14/month) also unlocks the companion advanced Figma course at no extra cost. No completion certificate and the rising subscription price are the main drags on value.
Real desktop and mobile projects produce shareable portfolio pieces with genuine creative latitude. Depth of feedback is limited compared to mentored programmes; learners self-assess their output.
Auto layout, components, variants, constraints and prototyping are exactly the skills hiring managers test for. The frames-over-groups discipline and shortcut density transfer immediately to professional Figma workflows.
15 lessons over 2h32m walk from kinetic-type fundamentals and phrase research through lettering composition, colour, animation, and GIF export. Reviewers praise the clear step-by-step process, though some wanted deeper After Effects technique beyond the ~20 minutes of pure animation.
Mat Voyce — a Top-5 GIPHY artist who has worked with Netflix, Disney+, Adobe, BBC, and Nike — is the most-praised element. Learners repeatedly call his teaching fun, clear, and encouraging, saying he makes you feel you can recreate what he shows.
A one-time purchase (~$34.99, often discounted to ~$0.99 with a Domestika Plus trial) with lifetime access — strong value for a best-seller course. The main caveat is that you also need paid Adobe Illustrator and After Effects to follow along.
The final project — an animated typographic phrase built in Illustrator and animated in After Effects, then exported as a shareable GIF — produces a genuine portfolio and social-ready piece. Reviewers single out the GIF export section as especially practical.
Kinetic typography is in steady demand for social, branding, and motion work, and a working designer reviewer reported the course unlocked a new skill on top of existing After Effects experience. It is an introduction, so advanced motion designers may find it foundational.
Scoring methodology applies identically to every course on the site — see the formula.