Things you should know about animated videos

 

Animated Explainer videos are very versatile. They are basically short videos that are made in a way so as to deliver a brand message. Their versatility comes from the fact that they can be in any form be it digital drawings, claymation or hand-drawn. These videos give a chance to brands to be able to communicate their value proposition better.

They allow for better verbal and visual learning

Research shows that a lot of people are slowly becoming visual learners, away from the verbal and bimodal mode. A script instead of being read can be turned into a compelling animated video. This will really help because it offers verbal as well as visual cues. People tend to retain more than 50% of information with verbal learning cues through a visual medium.

No scope for confusion

A webpage can be really confusing for the audience if not presented in the right way. It can be crammed with lots of flashy animation, pictures and numerous colourful fonts. This can confuse the potential client, some may even forget why they came to your site. The best thing about an animated video is that all these cool ideas can be put together to explain a concept better.

They liven up the pitch

Nothing is more boring than a paper pitch. An animated explainer videos can really liven it up. A PowerPoint presentation can distract the audience with a lot of pie charts and words and images. What an explainer video does is, it combines a good script with engaging visuals to grab your audience’s attention, almost immediately. If your service/product is a little complicated, the best way to go is with an animated video.

They shoot up conversion rates

Video Rascal conducted a survey recently and the results said that 85% of the people are very likely to buy a product only if they see it accompanied by an explainer video. An animated video can help budding business owners to keep a tab on the number of visitors on their site who could actually become customers. They keep a track of what the customers are interested in by displaying the number of views.

They help you showcase your personality

There’s one thing that makes a customer come back repeatedly and that is your personality. It is very important for a customer to associate a face with the brand name. It helps the customer to have a sense of trust in both you and your products because it helps to create a virtual connection between you and your products. With the world going into the online business mode now, associating a face with a brand is very important.

How a branding agency helps

 

A lot of companies don’t understand the need to hire a branding agency. There’s a wrong notion that the current internal marketing team can handle building a company’s brand or rebranding it for that matter. Marketing and branding are two very interdependent yet very distinct areas of expertise. Neither one is more valuable than the other but it is important to know the difference between the two so as to not be confused between them.

A branding agency asks the following questions-

• Beyond making money, why are you in this business?
• What are your core values?
• Why do your customers buy from you? Who is the ideal customer?
• Where does your brand stand in the market?
• What is the brand essence?
• How do you keep good on your brand promise?

If you’re struggling to answer any of the questions, a branding agency will answer them for you by further building on it. Let’s see what a branding agency can offer you

An unbiased and strategic perspective

Rebranding needs a strategic and a big picture approach and isn’t something that can be handled by an internal marketing t

eam. In the case of rebranding, it’s unrealistic to expect the internal marketing team to do an objective assessment of the brand they have helped to build or to survey the competitive landscape with an unbiased eye.

A branding agency has the ability to do a strong big picture analysis of the entire organization from an objective standpoint along with bringing the brand to life in the most dynamic way possible.

Cross-Industry Experience

Most branding agencies have been experts in the domain for quite some time. They offer the collective benefit of having worked in a variety of industries. Branding requires a company to have a broad perspective that isn’t just confined to the industry it operates in. Cross-industry experience allows for new ideas to be brought into your brand. This fresh perspective helps brands to meaningfully differentiate from the competition.

Proven and Unique understanding and expertise

Branding agencies provide the best strategy, research, and identity services. You won’t find this working with your internal marketing team or any digital marketing firm. Research is the most important thing when it comes to rebranding. Only a branding agency can identify the opportunities to allow you to position your brand in the best possible way in the competitive landscape for long term success.

Design expertise

The amount of design expertise that is needed to create a powerful corporate brand and identity is something that even a number of graphic designers are incapable of. When you get a branding agency in the board you also sign up for a design team that helps in the creation of a dynamic brand identity that is based on the values of strategy and research. The team usually has experience rebranding dozens of projects before coming to yours.

Do’s and Don’ts while choosing a graphic design agency

 

Getting the right graphic design agency in the first go can be tough. With the sheer number of agencies to choose from, we have a list of do’s and don’ts to help you in your search.

Having a budget and still being flexible

Having a budget is very important before you approach a Creative design agency. This way they’ll know what you want and what they will be able to offer to you within that budget. As important as it is for you to be realistic about the money if you find a design that’s a little out of your budget but will suit your company, be ready to shell out some more.

Explain your target audience and your brand

It is impossible for a graphic design agency to give you something good if they don’t have a clear idea of what you do and whom you want to connect to. Zero down on the design agencies that understand your brand and understand the way it relates to your target audience

Give them a trial project

You can give your candidates a sample project. This can be anything from a rough logo sketch to touching up a prior design. This will showcase each agency’s talent and will help you narrow down your options.

Be clear about what you’re looking for

Having an idea about the design world, the skills required and the types of design are important. Do you want the graphic design agency to take pictures and create them or are you okay with stock images? Getting the basics in your head will really help you with a smooth process.

Get them to think on their feet

A very good way to figure out the right graphic design agency is to ask them something unusual, like the visual appeal of a competitor’s design and how they would have done it if it was in their hands. The answer will allow you to understand the candidate’s creative mindset and how they think on their feet.

How storytelling helps in creating great designs

 

Visual storytelling is now a very important part of digital marketing. It’s the very basis of the graphic design and website development sector.

When we talk about evoking emotions, visuals play a big role. Their influence lies in the fact that they get audiences to take action, thereby making it a fantastic marketing tool.

Visual storytelling

The concept of visual storytelling has been taken a step further by apps such as Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and Snapchat. These applications are all about visuals and are used widely because they say more than plain texts. Storytelling in the visual world is all about incorporating great writing with vibrant and interesting visuals. Let’s learn about some more techniques.

Show don’t tell

It’s important that you don’t explicitly tell your audience what you’re trying to say and allow your creativity to convey the message. In visual storytelling, you can use eye-catching designs and vivid pictures. For example, in an advertisement about a hand blender, you don’t show it works but you show the kind of things it takes to give an idea to the audience.

Your first impression should be impactful

A human mind is impressionable, especially in the world of digital marketing where the audience can generate a wrong idea in no time. Good storytelling but a bad design means that no time gets invested in understanding the product. However, great design hooks the audience from the start.

Use animation in your stories

Digital marketing depends a lot on videos. The power of animation is being used a lot by digital marketers in the form of visual storytelling tactics. This takes the shape of online advertisements and explainer videos. Animated explainer videos can retain the attention of the viewer for a very long time.

Storytelling needs a three-act structure

A story should ideally be divided into beginning, middle and end to form the narrative arc. This is important for a character to travel from one point to another. Without the three-act structure, the design is flat. In visual storytelling it is important to have closure otherwise the primary purpose of the story will be lost.

Always show conflict by addressing problems

If you don’t address the problems of the audience, the audience will not even realise they had one. The storytelling technique works only when the audience is able to relate to the story, there are a solution and a call to action.

The right time to start your own creative design agency

 

Most design freelancers just don’t know when they should start their own creative design agency even with all the signs looking at them in the face. In this article, we discuss what those sure shot signs are.

You are burdened under the workload

As a design freelancer most of the days you take on more work than possible for you to do and in the course of doing it on time, you stay up all night.

If this is this case, it’s a great time to start thinking of opening a creative design agency.

You have more work but no growth

If you’re someone who has a full schedule even on weekends and you’re constantly rejecting projects because of the growing workload, it is time to say yes to the design challenges and take on more work.

• Build up your creative design agency by hiring professionals like website designers, publishing designers, SEO specialists etc to divide the workload.
• Initially, you won’t earn revenues but slowly you’ll get more clients and better profit.

You are constantly collaborating with other freelancers

In the freelance design industry often one specialist collaborates with another on a project.

• A computer systems designer may need the help of a publishing designer to work on the same project.
• If this is the case, you can join hands with other graphic designers, start a creative design agency and take on more projects.

This way you can even charge more for your specialized design services.

Clients are always asking for more

Most businesses these days are on the lookout for numerous aspects of digital marketing.

• A business will primarily need an SEO specialist but will require a blog writer after a few days.
• You can offer these solutions but with your design work piling up, you need more helping hands.

You’re an effective manager

You’ve often felt that you thrive in work, can manage tasks, and delegate work.

• This is a sign for you to start your own creative design agency.
• There are numerous project management applications these days to help you run your new design agency efficiently with your clients all across the globe.

How a graphic design agency helps your business

 

The hard work is done and you’ve set up your own business. However, now comes the tricky bit- attracting and retaining customers. The first step is to give your brand a very eye-catching logo. For this purpose, you need a graphic design agency’s help. Given below are 5 reasons why you should use their services

It is important for you to focus on your own business

Starting a business needs focus and constantly stepping outside your area of expertise. However, once it’s set and running, you need to focus on how you do your day to day job instead of putting efforts into developing a logo for your company.

You will get a unique design

Trying out graphic designs on your own will give your brand a tacky look. A graphic design agency can develop a unique logo and image for the company that not only with grab eyeballs but will be remembered by the customers. To stand out from the competition, you need to have a brand image that stands out

You will save time

A graphic designer takes the image part of your business into his hands so you can focus on making profits. He makes sure that enough time is devoted to your project to make it stand out and the agency gives you the resources to make prints and copies that look extremely professional.

Consistency at every step

You can start with a logo for your new company but slowly you’ll begin to realize that most marketing tools require graphic design. It’s a graphic design agency’s job to make sure that everything, starting from your logo to your business cards and brochures have consistent spacing, colors, sizing, and font.

Grabbing the customer’s attention

A customer subconsciously registers graphic design. He/She can easily spot the difference between work that’s professional and work that looks like it’s been done by an amateur. A graphic design agency makes the brand look good and the company well funded, competent, and serious. This gives the audience confidence to trust.

Last but not the least, always choose a graphic design agency, who’s work you’re familiar with because, in the long run, you’ll want to stick with the same designers. Always remember that at first hiring a creative design agency may seem costly but in the long run, it will save you a lot of money and time.

The intricacies that lie in the world of 2d animation

 

When we talk about the major types of animation, 2d animation always comes first. Most of the cartoons, Animated explainer videos, marketing videos, animated movies, educational tools, video games, and advertisements are made using 2D animation.

What exactly is 2D animation?

2D or two-dimensional animation simply means that the characters are made in a two-dimensional space, meaning that they only carry height and width.

2D animation is being carried on since the 1800s and is therefore pretty traditional. It was first made by putting one frame after the other where each drawing differed from the previous one, but ever so slightly. It was made at 24fps, meaning each second of 2D animation carried 24 frames.

The gradual change in the process

Our favorite childhood animations like Snow White, Little Mermaid, and Bambi were all made using 2D animations. Now that animation services are empowered with the latest computer technologies, the process of animation has been digitized with the help of numerous software that allows you to draw the backgrounds and characters directly into the computer screen and then give them life by animating them.

Animated explainer videos

With the constant rise in the consumption of video content, businesses all around the world are now considering working with animated explainer videos for the promotion of their work. This is because 2d animation videos increase conversion rates by more than 20%.

The rise in the demand for animation services

A lot of startups try and make animated videos online using video making tools but most companies hire animation services to create visual content for them because the professionality reflects in the videos.

Impact of 2D animation

2d animation videos have a massive impact on the audience. Mostly in three ways- kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. Apart from this the fact that they can be very cute and endearing with nice background music and voice-over, gives them a high selling point.

Pointers to check before choosing a creative design agency

 

Choosing a creative design agency can be a very tricky task. With so many options around, it can be difficult to zero down on one especially when all of them talk about getting everything done in no time. To help you out, given below are 6 ways to choose your very own graphic design company.

Give your project a rough outline

The first thing you need to do is to jot down what your project entails. Do you just need a logo designed? Or do you feel you’ll need more like both branding and logo design? You might want to get your business cards designed or you simply want a revamp. When you understand your project goals, you will be able to help yourself and the creative design agency.

The goals of your project

You need to think in specific terms. Maybe you want to use a new advertisement to increase visibility in a certain industry or maybe you want to rebrand to push forward your monthly sales. Your goals should have the following qualities- they should be sustainable, attainable, time-bound, measurable, and relevant. This will help the design agency to understand the issues you’re facing to assist you better.

The budget

Before you start looking for a creative design agency, look for articles online that will help you with ideas and initial figures for different projects. With this number in mind, you will get a figure to approach a design company. Always keep the budget flexible so that the agency can offer you better solutions.

Deadline of your project

This will specify by what time you want your project to get done. Again, it is important that you be a little flexible and realistic. Keep in mind that a creative design agency works on multiple projects at a time and that to get a good product, you must never rush it.

Show examples of things that reflect your business

The initial stage of choosing a design alone can be a very difficult task and it will waste time, both yours and the design company’s. This is why you need a starting point. Look back at the goals you have set for your company. They will give you ideas and get your creative juices flowing.

Gives examples of brands you admire

Say you are in the clothing business and you’re all about soft fabrics and daily comfort wear. It would be great to give the creative design agency examples of other big brands so that they get an idea of how you want your brand image to look like. Examples allow agencies to understand your needs better.

What goes in the production process of a 2d animation videos?

 

The production stage in the process of making a 2d animation is all about the coming together of scenes by gathering the materials made in pre-production.

How does that take to happen?

This includes a number of things like creating every 2d animation scene from scratch, painting and filling in the backgrounds, making the character activities, drawing out the rough animation, and finally painting and coloring those drawings on computer software and taking out export after export.

Breaking down the exposure sheet

To put a 2d animation services in perspective, an animator first has to create an exposure sheet that has all kinds of instructions on how the animated movie scene has to be created. This sheet is further divided into 5 parts. Which are

• Dialogues and music
• Backgrounds
• Actions and timing
• View perspective
• Animation layers

Tracing:

A polishing procedure takes place once the rough 2d animation is made. This process is known as tracing and can be done either directly over one layer with numerous colors or in a new layer altogether.

Inbetweening:

There is a process known as inbetweening and that is used to make a smooth 2d animation with the addition of a few more frames in the middle. Most animated services have equipments that are capable of doing this really fast.

Final steps:

Once all the frames are done and ready, they are put into the scanner if the animated designer company does not wish to draw it digitally. After this, all the visual elements get combined on the exposure sheet. It is during this process the compositing happens. Backgrounds are added to the 2d animation along with sounds, frames, and other audiovisual effects.

Last but not least:

Most of the above-mentioned variations can be achieved with the help of animation software. Once the composting is over, the animation gets rendered either as movies or videos.

The final stage:

The last phase of editing a 2D animation in post-production. It is here that the animation gets enhanced in the best possible way with foley sounds so as to enhance the emotional impact. With the final version done, the animated video can be rendered and exported in numerous formats.

Animated explainer videos that appeal to the audience

 

 

Animated explainer videos are short marketing videos that explain your product or service well. Here are the types of animated explainer videos that appeal to the audience.

Motion Graphics
Motion graphics is an animation style that is engaging. It creates an illusion of motion to depict abstract messages. Such animated videos can be added to be with2D animation or cartoon animation to make the messaging clear to the audience.

Character Animation
Character animation videos explain your product in a storytelling format. Infused with loads of emotion and personality, they are visually compelling and explains the communication in an effective manner. Character animation is recommended for small businesses and start-ups because they help in building trust among your audience.

Whiteboard Animation Videos
Whiteboard animation uses the illustrator’s hand who draws the story onto the white background. This video style is known to be the cheapest animated explainer video. Such types of videos can be used for explaining complex communication in an engaging and easy way.

Live-Action Videos
Live-action videos involve the recording of still or moving objects. Such type of videos is expensive than any other type of animation. These are also difficult to edit. Companies who want to shoot the real locations and experience can create live-action videos for their business.

Screencast Videos
Screencast videos are created with a digital recording of a computer screen that depicts the guide to the program usage, website, software, and more. These types of videos are low-budget videos They are a very low-budget type of video that talks about educating.