What use is animation?

Animation surrounds us in the form of flickering images everywhere in the city. It has become usual for screens in waiting rooms to present new products and services, for travel terminals to instruct viewers on the rules for baggage, and many self-service points cannot do without a video showing the steps to follow either. More and more, even companies that don’t usually behave like big extroverts are using animation in their communication. There are a number of practical activities in which animation can be useful to a business owner. Right at the start, when a new entrepreneur has come up with a new business idea, at some point it has to be presented to a wider public – whether the audience is investors, staff, business partners or future customers. With every group of listeners, it is important to explain your idea clearly, interestingly and understandably. And to do so again, and again, and yet again. In recent years, the format of the animated explainer video has come into use to make this easier. It is a fast-paced video, on average a minute or two long, made using animation techniques, which tries to explain an idea or present a product simply and clearly by linking new information to something familiar. Such videos are most often seen on websites, on social media and at trade fair stands. Usually the characters and objects in this kind of animation are drawn in a stylised way, and only the most important things are highlighted. Using memorable visual metaphors, music and sound effects, it is possible to create a world that is quite captivating for the viewer. Watching an animated explainer video is in some ways similar to the experience a child has when looking at a picture book with their mother – there is a linear story, there are pictures and there are the parent’s explanations. For an entrepreneur who has been in business for a while, an animated video that tells a great story is a good tool for building an image and fixing their brand in the consumer’s mind. An animated explainer video is a useful marketing tool and works well for spreading a marketing idea. In addition to the edge it gives you in the world of search engines, it has the advantage (compared with reading text or the “talking head” format) that a future customer will listen to your message all the way through – cartoons are, after all, usually easy to follow and interesting. The animated explainer video has already become a communication genre in its own right, one that repeatedly uses the same clichés, which are expected and which viewers have already learned to understand. Nor does it matter much what field you work in – elegant original drawings brought to life lend weight to more exclusive beauty brands, and more practical promotional material based on animated drawings also benefits sellers of wooden houses. The main questions still remain: how to catch attention better, and how to tell your story more simply and effectively? Compared with filmed footage, animation has the advantages of simplicity and directness. There are also subjects where animation based on good illustrations comes across as more aesthetic than filmed footage: for example, showing the differences between surgical methods, guidelines for handling medical waste, describing how medicines work, and so on.

Although mixing different techniques and styles is also very common in animation, explainer videos could be divided by style as follows:

1. Drawing video in whiteboard style. (A story made up of pictures drawn by the artist’s hand appears on a white background before the viewer’s eyes.) 2. Simple 2D animation. (Cartoon-like animation in a cut-out style with simple characters.) 3. Animated infographics. (Animation based on infographics and visual metaphors: the visuals use lots of moving lines, symbols, signs and so on.) 4. Text animation. (Words and sentences are animated, appearing on screen in different sizes and with various expressive effects.) In text animation, composition and apt wording play an important role. Text animation works well for telling stories in which even single words, presented on their own, carry great symbolic power. In some ways, such a video looks like a moving series of posters. This style is practical in settings where sound cannot be used (e.g. public transport with video screens, large outdoor screens and waiting rooms) 5. Video mix. (Filmed video mixed with drawn objects or characters, e.g. a realistic actor walking through a drawn city.) This style works well for imaginative stories that emphasise creativity. 6. Realistic 3D animation. (Often used to describe things with engineering precision, such as how devices work or architecture)

Besides explainer videos, there are other ways to put animation to work for a company. Conference organisers are constantly looking for a new, interesting and lively touch, and are increasingly using animated opening titles in their opening ceremonies. The same method also suits conference speakers themselves for livening up their presentations. Even a simple PowerPoint presentation gets off to a livelier start if the first slide has a charming logo animation with sound or a cheerful 5-second introduction. By purpose, animated explainer videos can be divided as follows:

1. Introducing a user environment. The video introduces an online user environment. For example, how to fill in forms in an online environment or how to use a software program. The video shows the navigation step by step and gives relevant tips. The viewer feels as if an IT support person were sitting next to them, showing and explaining everything on the screen. 2. Linear story. A story is told that shows how, and which, problem can be solved with the help of the product or service being advertised. 3. Educational video. Educational content gives the viewer new knowledge. The viewer is then expected to behave more consciously with regard to the issue in question. (E.g. environmental sustainability or behaviour in traffic). It can be used in schools at different levels, on courses run by training companies and in individual learning. 4. TV commercial. Thanks to a distinctive animation technique and the artist’s interesting style, it easily stands out from the background. 5. Animated video announcement. This might be, for example, a job advertisement shared on social media or some other announcement that doesn’t quite qualify as a commercial but still contains some kind of call to action for the viewer. Video announcements often make generous use of text animation that invites the viewer to read.

Tips for anyone commissioning an animated video:

• Ask yourself: what is the single most important central message of the future video? • Show that you think creatively and are fun and sincere! A friendly, good-humoured mood always helps. Slightly humorous but modest little details also help to create it. • If possible, avoid mentioning values that date over time (employees’ names, numbers) in the voice-over, so the video can be used for longer and changes (only text changes remain) are more affordable. • Marketing textbooks say it is sensible to keep to a consistent visual style when presenting your brand. At the same time, large corporations also show their creativity (in parallel with realistic, filmed commercials) with animated series done in a completely different key.

Tuuli Lepik

Managing Director of the animation company Blue Cat OÜ e-mail: bluecat@bluecat.ee website: www.bluecat.ee