Motion Design Patterns

Framer Motion (Motion) patterns for React — springs, staggers, layout animations, micro-interactions, scroll-triggered effects, and exit animations. The #1 differentiator between generic and polished UI.

When to Use

Building or improving UI animations in a React project
User asks for "polish", "delight", "micro-interactions", or "make it feel good"
Adding entrance/exit animations, hover effects, or page transitions
Making lists, cards, modals, or navigation feel premium
User references Magic UI, Motion Primitives, or Framer Motion

Core Philosophy

Motion should be purposeful. Every animation should communicate something — state change, hierarchy, spatial relationship, or feedback.
Less is more. One well-tuned spring beats five competing animations.
Performance first. Animate transform and opacity only. Never animate width, height, top, left, or margin.
Consistency matters. Use the same spring configs throughout a project.

Dependencies

npm install motion

Import: import { motion, AnimatePresence, stagger, useScroll, useTransform } from "motion/react"

Note: The package was renamed from framer-motion to motion in late 2024. Both work, but motion is the current package.

Spring Configurations

Springs feel more natural than easing curves. Use these as your defaults:

Recommended Defaults

// Snappy — buttons, toggles, small elements
const snappy = { type: "spring", stiffness: 500, damping: 30 }

// Smooth — cards, panels, modals
const smooth = { type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 25 }

// Gentle — page transitions, large elements
const gentle = { type: "spring", stiffness: 200, damping: 20 }

// Bouncy — playful UI, notifications, badges
const bouncy = { type: "spring", stiffness: 400, damping: 15 }

Quick Reference

Feel	stiffness	damping	Use for
Snappy	500	30	Buttons, toggles, chips
Smooth	300	25	Cards, panels, modals
Gentle	200	20	Page transitions, heroes
Bouncy	400	15	Notifications, badges, fun UI

Rules of Thumb

Higher stiffness = faster animation
Lower damping = more bounce
damping ratio < 1 = will overshoot (bounce)
For no bounce, set damping ≥ 2 × √stiffness

Pattern 1: Fade + Rise Entrance

The bread-and-butter entrance animation. Element fades in while sliding up slightly.

<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 25 }}
>
  Content here
</motion.div>

When to use: Cards, sections, any content appearing on the page.

Anti-pattern: Don't use y: 100 or large values — subtle (12–24px) feels premium, large feels janky.

Pattern 2: Staggered List

Children animate in one after another. The cascade effect that makes lists feel alive.

const container = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    transition: {
      staggerChildren: 0.08,
      delayChildren: 0.1,
    },
  },
}

const item = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0, y: 16 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    y: 0,
    transition: { type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 25 },
  },
}

<motion.ul variants={container} initial="hidden" animate="visible">
  {items.map((i) => (
    <motion.li key={i.id} variants={item}>
      {i.content}
    </motion.li>
  ))}
</motion.ul>

Timing guide:

3–5 items: staggerChildren: 0.1
6–12 items: staggerChildren: 0.06
12+ items: staggerChildren: 0.03 (or animate as a group)

Anti-pattern: Don't stagger more than ~15 items individually — it feels slow. Group them or use a wave effect.

Pattern 3: Layout Animations

Automatically animate between layout states. Motion's killer feature.

<motion.div layout transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 25 }}>
  {isExpanded ? <ExpandedContent /> : <CollapsedContent />}
</motion.div>

Shared Layout (Tabs, Active Indicators)

{tabs.map((tab) => (
  <button key={tab.id} onClick={() => setActive(tab.id)}>
    {tab.label}
    {active === tab.id && (
      <motion.div
        layoutId="activeTab"
        className="absolute inset-0 bg-primary rounded-md"
        transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 400, damping: 30 }}
      />
    )}
  </button>
))}

When to use: Tab indicators, expanding cards, reordering lists, filtering grids.

Performance tip: Add layout="position" if you only need to animate position (not size). It's cheaper.

Pattern 4: Exit Animations (AnimatePresence)

Elements animate out before being removed from the DOM.

<AnimatePresence mode="wait">
  {isVisible && (
    <motion.div
      key="modal"
      initial={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.95 }}
      animate={{ opacity: 1, scale: 1 }}
      exit={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.95 }}
      transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 25 }}
    >
      Modal content
    </motion.div>
  )}
</AnimatePresence>

AnimatePresence modes

Mode	Behavior	Use for
`"sync"` (default)	Enter and exit at the same time	Crossfade effects
`"wait"`	Wait for exit to finish before entering	Page transitions, modals
`"popLayout"`	Exiting element pops out of layout flow	Lists where items are removed

Pattern 5: Hover & Tap Micro-interactions

<motion.button
  whileHover={{ scale: 1.02 }}
  whileTap={{ scale: 0.98 }}
  transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 500, damping: 30 }}
>
  Click me
</motion.button>

Hover Patterns by Element Type

Element	whileHover	whileTap
Button (primary)	`{ scale: 1.02 }`	`{ scale: 0.98 }`
Card	`{ y: -4, boxShadow: "0 8px 30px rgba(0,0,0,0.12)" }`	—
Icon button	`{ scale: 1.1 }`	`{ scale: 0.9 }`
Link	`{ x: 2 }`	—
Avatar	`{ scale: 1.05 }`	—

Anti-pattern: Don't scale buttons more than 1.05 — it looks cartoonish. Subtle (1.01–1.03) feels premium.

Pattern 6: Scroll-Triggered Animations

Animate on Scroll Into View

<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 40 }}
  whileInView={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  viewport={{ once: true, margin: "-100px" }}
  transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 200, damping: 20 }}
>
  Appears when scrolled into view
</motion.div>

viewport.once: true — Only animate the first time (most common for landing pages). viewport.margin — Negative margin triggers earlier (before element is fully visible).

Scroll-Linked Progress

const { scrollYProgress } = useScroll()
const opacity = useTransform(scrollYProgress, [0, 0.3], [1, 0])
const y = useTransform(scrollYProgress, [0, 0.3], [0, -50])

<motion.div style={{ opacity, y }}>
  Parallax hero content
</motion.div>

Pattern 7: Page Transitions

// In your layout or page wrapper
<AnimatePresence mode="wait">
  <motion.main
    key={pathname}
    initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 8 }}
    animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
    exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -8 }}
    transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 30 }}
  >
    {children}
  </motion.main>
</AnimatePresence>

Keep it subtle. Page transitions should be fast (200–300ms feel) and small (8–12px movement). Flashy page transitions feel like 2015.

Pattern 8: Number/Text Transitions

// Animate a counter
<motion.span
  key={count}
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: -10 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  exit={{ opacity: 0, y: 10 }}
>
  {count}
</motion.span>

Wrap in AnimatePresence for the exit animation. Great for dashboards, pricing, live data.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Don't	✅ Do Instead
Animate `width`/`height` directly	Use `scale` or `layout` animations
Large movement values (`y: 200`)	Subtle values (`y: 16–24`)
Bounce on everything	Reserve bounce for playful/celebratory moments
Animate on every scroll event	Use `whileInView` with `once: true`
Different timing for every element	Use consistent spring configs project-wide
Animation on page load for everything	Prioritize above-the-fold; stagger the rest
Custom easing curves	Use springs — they respond to interruption better

Recommended Component Library References

When building animated components, reference these for patterns and inspiration:

Magic UI — 150+ animated React components, shadcn/ui compatible
Motion Primitives — Copy-paste motion components for React
Aceternity UI — Trendy animated components (heavier, more dramatic)

When a user wants a specific animated component (text reveal, animated border, gradient animation, etc.), check these libraries first — there's likely a battle-tested implementation.

Quick Decision Guide

Scenario	Pattern	Spring Config
Card appearing	Fade + Rise	smooth
List loading	Staggered List	smooth, 0.08s stagger
Tab switching	Shared Layout (`layoutId`)	snappy
Modal open/close	AnimatePresence + scale	smooth
Button press	whileHover + whileTap	snappy
Landing page sections	Scroll-triggered	gentle
Page navigation	Page Transition	smooth
Dashboard counter	Number Transition	snappy
Notification popup	Fade + Rise + bounce	bouncy
Accordion expand	Layout animation	smooth

Examples

Example 1: "Add animations to this card grid"

Apply staggered fade+rise entrance to the grid, hover lift effect on each card:

<motion.div
  variants={container}
  initial="hidden"
  animate="visible"
  className="grid grid-cols-3 gap-4"
>
  {cards.map((card) => (
    <motion.div
      key={card.id}
      variants={item}
      whileHover={{ y: -4, boxShadow: "0 8px 30px rgba(0,0,0,0.12)" }}
      transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 25 }}
    >
      <Card {...card} />
    </motion.div>
  ))}
</motion.div>

Example 2: "Make this modal feel better"

Wrap in AnimatePresence, add scale + opacity entrance/exit, overlay fade:

<AnimatePresence>
  {isOpen && (
    <>
      <motion.div
        className="fixed inset-0 bg-black/50"
        initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
        animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
        exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
      />
      <motion.div
        className="fixed inset-0 flex items-center justify-center"
        initial={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.95 }}
        animate={{ opacity: 1, scale: 1 }}
        exit={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.95 }}
        transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 25 }}
      >
        <ModalContent onClose={onClose} />
      </motion.div>
    </>
  )}
</AnimatePresence>

Example 3: "Add scroll animations to this landing page"

Apply whileInView with staggered children to each section:

<motion.section
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 40 }}
  whileInView={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  viewport={{ once: true, margin: "-100px" }}
  transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 200, damping: 20 }}
>
  <h2>Feature Section</h2>
  <motion.div
    variants={container}
    initial="hidden"
    whileInView="visible"
    viewport={{ once: true }}
  >
    {features.map((f) => (
      <motion.div key={f.id} variants={item}>
        <FeatureCard {...f} />
      </motion.div>
    ))}
  </motion.div>
</motion.section>

motion-design-patterns