The Power of Animation

Animation is an extremely useful tool for many sectors world-wide when aiming to engage an audience. We have seen a shift in the use of animated features since the digital revolution and the process can now be used for not only the traditional film purposes, but to convey complex messages, data, products and more. With this being said there is a rise in demand for animators which I believe will continue to grow with the escalating increase in technology and hunger for more creative and dynamic content.

Over the past 10 years the animation industry has been consistently rising due to a high demand of new and unique content, in the digital world we now live in. Technology provides users the ability to easily and rapidly transfer information. We have shifted from a time of solely story telling animated movies to an era of fast moving, effective motion graphics. They can explain complex stories to create an emotive response from the viewers whilst capturing their attention easily, opposed to a monotony text or static images. The process allows a vast range of communicative methods from commercials, movies, advertisement, mobile applications, websites and more; all whilst having the ability to educate, inform and entertain an audience.

In recent years, animation has been significantly developed to support the popular culture and push boundaries by advancing traditional disciplines and enhancing new methods. The digital revolution has resulted in a prolific growth in internet and technology and has been key in assisting the rise of the animation techniques. With more reliance than ever on mobile technology, the need for visually advanced and unique graphics is demanded on a daily basis to keep people engaged and interested. The increase in interest has dramatically evolved over the past few years with an interest that is likely to grow and spread over the coming years. Today, animation pervades through modern day society, with the opportunity to support many different sectors across the world. It is used commercially with in retail, advertisement, marketing and branding and on social media, as a way of targeting its consumers about its services; it can be accessible and shared world-wide in just the click of a button.

Animation is an extraordinarily engaging and cost-effective form of motion visual which has proven over the past decade to be extremely useful when explaining ideas, telling stories and promoting products/ businesses. It is a perfect asset for the marketing and branding industry as a tool to promote products and goals as you are not restricted to a ‘life-like’ outcomes. Typically, our eyes tend to follow moving objects which is why bringing static information to life in an interesting way, can increase your conversions by as much as 80%. It has been found that viewers retain 95%.. of information explained through video as opposed to only 10% when reading through written text. By explaining a complex solution through a moving graphic, improves the effectiveness of capturing the viewers attention and keeps them wanting more.

It is predicted by 2022, 82% of all internet traffic will be the consumption of video content. 

With this being said, it is important that the branding industry continues to evolve with the current interests and technology advancements by bringing their brands to life through "branimation".

Speaking with the freelancer, Josevisuals, he stated “I think with the ever growing change in technology, moving imagery is key for the success of a long lasting and memorable impression of a business..” also commenting that he thinks “…it will not be long before motion graphics is the focal point in design”. The advancement of use of the process aids companies in sectors such as Science, Geography and History to explain complex messages and solutions effectively, as you do not have to be realistic with the visuals allowing you to capture a viewer’s imagination while you tell a story. A lot more businesses are turning to animation to advertise their products, services and concepts. With this being said I am confident that the shift in the market for requirements of digital content will result in a demand for animators with knowledge of the fundamentals of design.

Its versatility is very useful when applying to different sectors across the world. “It has the potential to reach developed, fledging, or emerging audiences,  and depending on the content, it can be created so it is not subject to cultural or social limitations, meaning it has the ability to appeal to young and old regardless of the religion, nationality, ethnicity or gender. Using animation to assist the conceptual demands and important information, whilst promoting services and goods, will have a positive impact. When promoting services and wanting to directly get your message across without using a copy of text, motion graphics works extremely efficiently. For example, the animated advert which was ran for Ancestry DNA kits; The video explains the concept quickly, in just over a minute. We are able to find out more find out more about the brand by the tone and non-diegetic sounds used with in the commercial, which allow the viewer to piece the information together and get an insight on the type of brand they are. This is far more engaging than if you were to read the information on a website and, 64% people are more likely to complete an action, whether that’s fill out a contact form or complete a purchase, once they’ve watched a video.

Upon entering the animation and branding industry, there are a variety of different skills which are required. When speaking with Josevisuals he advised that “storyboarding skills are absolutely essential. Without this, it’s hard to communicate your ideas with clients and your stories or concept won’t make sense. It’s like the production time is almost doubled without a vigorous, in depth storyboard because you’re always trying to force it to make sense when you’re putting it together.” The storyboard is the visual blueprint for animated production. There are several steps which need to be considered when creating a story board such as angles, pace, sound and many more. Starting is never easy but by using a “small post-It notes” and being able to “scribble loads of quick, rough thumbnail ideas.” (Hunt, 2018) allows you to begin to make sense of mixture of the ideas you have before beginning to arrange them in a sequence “until it feels coherent and in balance.” (Hunt, 2018). Everything should remain a rough copy until final decision has been made and the shots should not be over cluttered to ensure that the readers do not miss any information. Similar to the foundations of graphic design, using grids are an extremely helpful asset when ideating as it “makes it easier to place elements within every scene” in a “solid, convincing way”.

“Sound design is necessary to convey the theme of the film to the audience effectively.”

And can also help to improve the “experience of a film” and “bring life to the animation.” Combining the appropriate sound and image is a “work of art which needs skills and collaboration” to ensure it creates maximum impact and allows integration of sound and image seamlessly. Once done effectively, it can heighten and increase the entertaining and engaging factors. In a short film I created on my version of home, during lockdown. I worked with a variety of different sound effects to create an emotive response from the viewer. The combined sounds work well together to build up suspense whilst introducing light-hearted and witty sound effects when the banana hits the orange. Remove the sound from the video altogether, and you would just see an orange moving around on the table, encouraging the audience to feel a completely different way when watching the video.

Scripting a storyboard is extremely important to tie the animation together as it involves creating an outline of all the events taking place in an animation. In the industry, the script will be shown to a client or colleagues to “accurately express the storyline” of the animation so its crucial that this is written well as a script really helps to ‘sell’ the idea to prospective directors or studios who may be interested in the idea. The script focuses on three main aspects such as, location, action and dialogue to ensure it runs systematically and organised.

Alongside this, Josievisual commented that it would be important to have some kind of knowledge on “…different animated production methods and the software used…” and the ability to adapt my style on different briefs “as they require different visual outcomes”. I have knowledge on different animated methods and the importance of understanding these is crucial to enable me to have the option of creating a wide range of media outcomes. I’ve created a combined stop motion and motion explainer video, on reusing clothes to help the environment. Along with a motion graphics animated title sequence, using animated illustrations and working with sound to heighten impact. These techniques are vital to know for the possibility of exploring further when creating engaging content for brands.

A great example of a large company which uses a combination of stop motion and motion graphics for advertisement is Innocent Drinks. Their commercial which was first aired in France, is a great way of explaining to customers the ingredients in the drinks, whilst creating a brand identity which is memorable, encouraging a fun and light-hearted response from the viewer. This is done well through a combination of music, language and branding which persuades the consumer to go back for more.

Despite having a small portfolio of animated outcomes, I still need to expand on this before graduating in 2022. Over the summer my goal will be to learn and produce the following to ensure I have as much knowledge as possible before entering the industry:

- Motion graphics explainer video for a complex product/ solution.

- Mixing animation with live action

- Motion branding, bringing static brand designs to life.

According to Explain Ninja, animation is sensitive to global design and technology trends which is fast-evolving in 2021 too. This is something to consider applying to my work when extending on my portfolio. 

The animation and motion design trends of 2021 consist of:

- A restricted colour palette: Using a limited colour palette with many “semi-tones” looks “straightforward and sophisticated”, often giving a sense of “retro and nostalgia”.

- Thin lines have been popular this year as they help to give a look that is “unique” and “hand-drawn”

- Mixing 2D and 3D adds “ a particular sense of style to a video” making it “even more enjoyable for customers”

- Kinetic typography is a great way to draw “more attention to a brand, make it memorable and demonstrate high performance.”

Animation “… is not always the best route to go down when producing brand materials and can sometimes over complicate the message. If the sequence of information doesn’t make sense i.e. they haven’t done their storyboarding or ideating well, then it can often be confusing to understand.” It should be carefully considered whether you should include animation as it is the means to a goal, not the goal itself…. The use must be justified

Overall, the animation industry is blooming with different possibilities and avenues for a brand or designer to explore. It’s vast significance in our popular culture results in hunger for more engaging and interactive content, whilst having the ability to assist companies worldwide through social media, branding, retail and more. Its ability to put information into perspective for a consumer through a moving visual is something which will aid many sectors in the future and will continue to grow through the advancement of the digital revolution. Brands across the world are starting to use animation more as a way of attracting their target audience and building a relationship with their customers. Moving visuals are a key asset when trying to convey your brands personality and there are many different animation techniques which can be explored to accompany the correct tone and identity. I believe with the ever growing technology, animation will continue to pervade through modern day culture and with the rise in technology, we will begin to see a large market for this industry. To ensure I am ready for the industry I will continue to explore different animated methods and apply these to different sectors. I believe “Branimation” will be a key contender and asset for companies which will increase a demand for animators in both agencies and freelance.

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