A Not-So-Animated Guide to Animation

Animation is a great way to grab attention, make almost any concept easier to understand or add personality to your brand. Today animation is well within the reach of the average marketing or training video budget. However, different types of animation are suitable for different companies, purposes and budgets levels. Let’s take a brief look at the three basic types of animation:

• Motion Graphics Animation in its simplest form … A highbred of graphic design and animation, motions graphics is just what it says—graphics and type that moves in order make it (slightly) more exciting, communicate a concept or help tell a story. Think of the movement you might expect in a darn good Power Point, an internal training or corporate video or even digital out of home signs where the animation runs in a loop.
• 2D Animation Historically used for children’s cartoons, 2D animation can be silly and fun or serious and packed with valuable information. It catches attention and allows you to create grrrrrreat spokes characters (Hello, Tony the Tiger), explain a complicated subject like Schoolhouse Rock or give your logo a life of its own. Depending on your brand personality, 2D animation could be an ideal fit for your marketing videos.
• 3D Animation 3D animation can run the gamut from the latest Pixar release to a realistic fly-through of the off ramps, roundabouts and bridges in a new complex urban interchange design. There’s no limit to what can be done with 3D animation, but it’s resource intensive and might be overkill for many video marketing projects and budgets. That said, if you’re looking to position your brand as a cutting-edge thought leader, 3D animation might be worth your investment.

Ready to Animate your next digital media production? SPI partners with some of the top animators in the region to enhance the videos we write, produce and direct. We’re ready to talk about how animation could bring your amazing ideas, concepts and products to the screen!