Posted on 13th January 2022
by James Walker
Are you thinking about creative and engaging ways to promote a product or service, make an announcement, explain a process or even just tell the stories that your contacts love to hear?
2D corporate animations are a great way to do this. Here are 10 top tips for your animation project plan. Get this strategy right and you’ll maximise the return on your marketing investment.
If you are considering a 2D animation, what do you want to achieve from it? Some examples include:
Knowing the purpose of the animation will help you understand what you want to achieve with the final product. Any SMART goals that you can associate with this purpose will also help you to assess return on investment, so make your targets Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based.
Most animations have a storyline or a plot. Stories are an engaging, relatable and memorable way to communicate. For example, when promoting a new product, the storyline could revolve around somebody dealing with a problem. The animation can then show that the product or service you wish to promote can directly help your audience with this issue. Structuring a script that tells your story effectively is definitely a good idea when planning your animation.
Knowing where you want your animation to be shared and what the purpose is will determine the duration. If you are sharing your corporate animation on social media, it will be a good idea to keep it short and sweet, to hold the viewers attention. Although, if you are using your corporate animation as a screensaver for meeting displays then it would need to be long enough to play without viewers noticing the repetition.
Did something inspire you to want an animation? If so, be prepared to share your inspiration, it will be useful during the storyboarding process. Mood boards are a great way of visualising how your animation could look. Equally, if you’re not sure what you want, a blank page can be an exciting opportunity to develop an animation style that is a great fit with your brand!
Illustrations are a flexible resource when it comes to visual communication. They are effective in explaining abstract concepts, especially when the idea is challenging to capture on camera. Illustrations are also a cost-effective way to bring your story to life, avoiding the need for filming equipment, actors, or crew.
Using video footage can be great and visually interesting when paired with motion graphics, however, it can be quite challenging to achieve exactly what you imagined. You may also need to supply your own footage or consider using stock videos. Planning and obtaining your video footage in advance is helpful for streamlining the animation process.
Music will help you to establish positive and emotional connotations, making it easier for your target audience to feel excited, intrigued, or nostalgic. This emotion supports the mission to make your corporate animation distinctive and memorable.
Having your story or message told by a real person gives your video more credibility and persuasion. The human touch definitely makes an animation more personable.
Animated text effectively brings more mundane, static text to life. Kinetic messages have more visual impact, which makes them more memorable.
Do you want your animation to have seamless continuation, smooth movements, and a flowing dynamic? Transitions are great at this and can also depict the passing of time. A wide variety of effects will bring a little bit of magic to corporate animations too.
In summary, there is a lot to think about as you develop a plan for your corporate animations. Yet they provide a powerful way to communicate with your audience and we’d be delighted to share our expertise with you. Let us know when you’d like to chat.