Animated Explainer Videos: A Dime a Dozen?
If you’re willing to settle for stiff animation, generic illustrations, and soulless, monotonous music, you too can have an animation which is cheap, quick to produce, and says what you want to say. You will soon discover after the animation is delivered, however, these are not the ingredients of an effective animated explainer video.
Reciting your powerpoint presentation while royalty-free vector art dances aimlessly around the screen does not an effective video make. And yet, poor-quality animated explainer videos dominate the internet, maybe the logic being that as long as it’s animated, the box has been ticked. Animation used to be a great way for a business to differentiate themselves – what happened?
Animation Is Still Very Effective
There’s no denying that animated content has skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade as a way for businesses to communicate with their customers. Animations are visually stimulating, and make a message easier to understand through striking visuals and comprehensive design. This is especially true for a lot of services in the tertiary sector, where intangible goods like education or financial services can be explained in a more fun and accessible way than they could be through a predictable corporate video.
There is more room for creativity and unique expression; which is why it’s baffling that so many animated explainer videos end up as formulaic as the corporate video they were designed to avoid.
Setting yourself apart from the crowd is harder than it used to be, so how does one get noticed in an oversaturated medium?
Building An Effective Animated Video
First, find a style you like. You want to go for something that reflects the tone of your brand or the service you provide. You do need to take cost into consideration too, animated vector motion graphics are generally simpler to animate than hand-drawn, frame by frame pieces. So it also becomes a question of what you think is necessary, and what might be more of a nice-to-have.
With style in mind, also think about the contents of your video. Do you want characters, or something more abstract? What kind of story might you want to tell, or are you simply interested in getting your message across as efficiently as possible?
A good script goes a long way with an explainer video, so finding a writer who can translate your idea and message into something genuinely compelling is a must for a stand-out video.
Speaking of talent, writers, animators, illustrators, and every other creative person that will be contributing to your animated explainer video have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to look at previous work and get a feel for the style a creative is best at – and see if you could imagine them applying that style to your brand.
All Our Animated Content Is Special
Animated explainer video production is something we specialise in, and we’re good at it. We love working with businesses to create unforgettable videos that stand the test of time, and may act as a catalyst to get customers excited to work with you.
Our large network of talent allows us to pick out a team uniquely suited to work on your particular project, and make you a one-of-a-kind animation that will put your brand on the map. If you think you’re ready to make that step into animated content, contact us. We’re always ready to talk.
If you’re an animator and think you have what it takes to work with Dragonfly, we’re inviting you to apply for our talent network: where you will get the opportunity to be a part of our diverse and exciting work across animated content production.
