Everything you needed to know about motion graphics animated explainer videos

Most animation agencies create customised videos either from scratch or take on a project from later stages such as the style creation, storyboarding , animating or from sound designing to deliver the final product. A motion graphics animated explainer video involves several items. It first starts with writing research and brief. Then it moves to concept creation, scriptwriting, storyboard development, visual design and style, subsequently moving on to voiceover recording, animation production, sound designing and final delivery.

Different types of motion graphics styles

The 2D motion graphics

This is the classic motion design style. In this style, an existing image is used and then animated. It is a great option for start-up videos, application demos, tech and software animation, blockchain explainers and more.

Motion graphics with characters

This is a very popular choice for animated explainer videos. With characters, an animated explainer video agency can showcase the customer's potential experience. It's a great option for all kinds of projects- startup videos, medical videos, sales videos, presentation and expo videos.

Isometric motion graphics video

These videos are great to create the illusion of a 3D video without modelling and rendering the video in 3D. It's quite similar to drawing a 3D cube to make a square pop out. This technique looks great and saves a lot of money and time for both the animation agency and the client while giving the graphics depth and making the visuals pop.

Motion graphics with live-action

In this form by using tracking, keying and rotoscoping, animators can seamlessly add motion graphics to a simple live-action video be it stock footage or original. Animation agencies often use 3d graphic effects of the budget permits, for added emotional effect or if the product needs to be showcased from a variety of angles.

Softwares used to deliver motion graphics animated explainer videos

Most designers use the Adobe suite for animations that include:

Adobe Illustrator: This tool is mostly used to create original designs and artwork in vector form. Vector images can be scaled to any size without any loss in quality.

Adobe Photoshop: Apart from simply manipulating and editing images, Photoshop is used to create raster images that work very well when it comes to the animation bit.

Adobe After effects: This is the tool that is used when the animation starts and everything has to be pieced out frame by frame.

Adobe Premiere Pro: Everything comes together and is mixed down in this particular software.

Apart from this several other professional tools like Cinema 4D for 3D projects are also available in the market.

Let's learn about the variety of uses for animated explainer videos

Animated explainer videos bring your brand image to life. The animation team takes all your assets- script, storyboard, voice-over and music to give you an engaging video. Animators need to work with precision to make sure the video is seamless. This involves incorporating the finest of the finest detail. An explainer video has several uses. Let's learn how and where they can be used to break down complexity.

B2B companies can use them on websites

If you're using a good B2B platform, it's very simple to lead customers straight from the homepage to the resources or blog section. Embedding an explainer video on a landing page quickly educates the prospective customers as soon as they land, dealing with their queries before they even arise. Animated explainer videos become the obvious choice for clearing any client confusion and minimising all the effort, time and monetary resources required to provide additional support. An explainer video can benefit you massively for years to come.

Use them as a tips and tricks video

A great way of incorporating animated explainer videos in the recruitment process is by making a do's and don'ts video of the hiring process of the company. This will help you make the recruitment simpler and smoother and take out the unqualified candidates before they even come in for the interview process. You can make a 'Why work for us' explainer video that will not only help candidates decide whether your company culture suits their ideals but will also help bring your company to life.

Use them as paid advertisements on social media

In the past, we were allowed to have only simple static advertisements on Twitter and Facebook but now everyone's harping on the power of video marketing. According to numerous statistics surveys, 68% of the marketers have published video content on Facebook. Not only that, 87% of those marketers have found it an effective strategy. Video marketing is the most perfect way to reach your ideal target audience because Facebook, in particular, allows you to choose your demographics, interests and location so you can choose your 'core audiences'. Choosing custom audiences helps you drive sales and foster relationships. A well made animated explainer video in combination with these targeting tools is a recipe for success. Pro tip: Design for no sound if you aim to run your video ad on social media. 85% of consumers watch with no sound. So take that out and replace it with closed captions to get the message across.