Antonino Iacona | Apple, Google Creative Lab, Motion with Intent & Studio Santo

Learn more about Antonino at https://antoninoiacona.it

Learn more about the podcast at ⁠https://jackvaughan.com

Today I’m speaking with Antonino Iacona — motion designer & director. Antonino has worked at Apple, Google Creative Lab and is now running Studio Santo.

We spoke about:

• How Apple shaped his craft through slow, iterative, detail-obsessed design.
• The experimental mindset he developed at Google Creative Lab — and why ideas, not tools, come first.
• What it means to design "motion with intent", and why expressive and functional motion must work in tandem.
• The way he and his co-founder Ben work — blending motion and design from the start.
• And a discussion around the value or product that Studio Santo actually delivers to its clients. Not finished mp4s — but more like motion systems & identities — flexible, collaborative toolkits.

Summary (AI generated)

In this conversation, Antonino Iacona, a motion designer and co-founder of Studio Santo, shares insights from his experiences at Apple and Google Creative Lab. He discusses the importance of crafting motion design with intent, the collaborative design process at Studio Santo, and the balance between expressive and functional motion. Antonino also reflects on the evolving role of AI in design and the future direction of his studio.

Chapters (AI generated)

00:00 Introduction and Title Clarification

04:58 Key Projects at Apple

14:53 Collaboration and Client Engagement

17:36 Expressive vs Functional Motion

21:12 Navigating Language and Comfort in Communication

23:44 Transitioning to Google Creative Lab

26:08 The Role of Prototyping in Innovation

26:32 Defining a Motion Designer's Role

30:08 Tools and Techniques in Motion Design

31:47 The Role of AI in Design

34:24 Future Directions for Studio Santo