Motion graphics and animation are at an all-time high.
In the era of the Attention Economy, brands and other shiny objects vie for people’s (limited) attention. Static text, dull data, and tired visuals make it difficult to communicate a hard-to-understand concept and capture the attention of your target audience.
Count to five. That is as much time you have to stop a person in their tracks. But how do you do that? You need a gripping concept and engaging visuals, in order to stand out. That is why we are seeing a rise in the production of motion graphics and animated videos, as businesses strive to capture the audience’s attention and deliver their message.
Whether you want to create a share-worthy video post that will be the talk of Facebook Town, an explainer video to unravel a concept, or a campaign material to raise awareness of your brand or new product, motion graphics and animation videos are becoming the go-to resource for brands and businesses. In fact at PixelFish, demand for these Motion Graphics and Animation Videos has soared by 86% since 2019.
So what’s motion graphics? And what’s the difference between motion graphics and animation? Why use motion graphics and how do you make them? If these questions have been on your mind, don’t worry. Read on to get answers.
What’s the difference between motion graphics and animation?
Let’s start with the bigger picture – animation. Animation is the general term referring to any method of giving the illusion of movement to static images or objects. This includes hand-drawn cartoons, anime, computer-generated imagery, claymation, and motion graphics. Creators often use a combination of these techniques to create a video, that’s why there’s often an overlap (and a bit of confusion).
Yes, motion graphics fall under the scope of animation. In other words, it’s a type of animation. But what makes them different from animation is that motion graphics often specialize in abstract content. They’re usually used to breathe life into text, symbols, and other visual components. They’re used to demonstrate a point or highlight a fact.
Animation, on the other hand, is more associated with narratives involving storytelling methods and cinematic effects. It’s used to tell a story with at least a character and the animation depicts the emotional journey.
But both motion graphics and animation can be combined together to create a story, in order to make abstract concepts easier to comprehend. Which is best for you?
Why Use Motion Graphics?
Make the complex digestible and memorable
If you’re offering a hard-to-understand product or service, motion graphics are an effective communication tool to dissect this complex offering into simpler bits. This way your audience can more easily digest your message, due to attractive visuals.
Breathe life to dull facts and statistics
Everywhere you look, many things vie for people’s attention these days. You know your offering is awesome and the message you want to communicate is important. But if it’s presented as nothing but numbers, text, and hard-to-grasp ideas, then people will tune out of it. It will get drowned out by all the noise in the digital space.
With attractive visuals using motion graphics and other animation techniques, your brand can stand out. You can get more eyeballs to view your video and get your message across.
Easy to Share & Repurpose
Motion graphics can be shared with ease via social media, email, and other digital means. This way your content can get even more views. Not only is it easy to share, but it’s also easy to re-use for other purposes. You can convert a motion graphic into static infographics for your blog or trim it into 15-second marketing videos.
Cost- and Time-Effective
Motion graphics are easier to produce compared to animation because they’re less complex, thus, requiring less time and budget. This means time and cost savings for you.
Tasteful Style
Motion graphics offer an array of styles that are more elegant compared to other marketing videos. This allows for versatility and ensures your brand’s image.
Where Can You Use Motion Graphics?
Motion graphics can be used to create the following:
Social Media Posts
Social media platforms are now the go-to places for people to check the news, learn to do something and to keep in touch. And it’s vital that you join in their conversations by providing various forms of relevant and engaging content. Adding motion graphics into the mix will help draw more interest to your brand.
Information Dissemination
Driving an information campaign for complex concepts to create awareness can be bland and boring with plain text and figures. Motion graphics can help vivify lifeless concepts, simplify the complex and make the abstract more accessible and memorable with visuals. Explainer videos can be effective for information campaigns.
How Can You Get Started?
The PixelFish creative team will meet with you and your team to discuss the goals of the campaign. From there, we will determine the best course of action to ensure your message is clearly defined. Each video is clearly scripted before we create a storyboard that incorporates the imagery we will use. Once all is approved by your team, we begin the Production process of building out the graphics and animated pieces, choosing music, and recording the professional VO. When all the components come together, you will have content that you can showcase worldwide.