When it comes to breaking down complex topics, an animated explainer video can work like magic! With the perfect blend of illustration and narration, animation provides context, diagrams and even humour to help break down larger topics.
Here at Vmation, we’ve used animation for a range of clients – from construction giants like Hutchinson Builders to environmentally savvy Urban Utilities, to local educators like Ironside State School. Given the versatility of animation, this comes at no surprise that the range of industries that use animated explainer videos is as limitless as the medium itself.
Let’s take a deeper dive into why animation is a great medium for simplifying concepts, and how it can make difficult topics more digestible.
Graphics in an Animated Explainer Video
When tackling complex topics such as drug use or the importance of safety, sometimes less is more. Whilst showing real-life examples can be useful to reinforce the importance of a topic and create a sense of realism, for educational purposes, animation is great for depicting challenging content using more approachable or comparable metaphors.
Just look at this animation we did for Quihn. Instead of getting a real actor to drive without a seatbelt or take hot chips out of the oven bare-handed, we made a gender-neutral and ageless character to gently reinforce the importance of harm reduction. This can allow us to exaggerate without injury, whilst avoiding generalizing about our audience.
https://vmation.wistia.com/medias/994r8ijbop?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640
Seize Those Hard-to-capture Moments
For those hard-to-capture moments, like movements of cells and atoms or how far water particles can travel when you sneeze, animation is a great alternative and convenient way to capture these moments.
Check out how we’ve depicted the water flow through the underground pipes for our Urban Utilities animation. An animated explainer video easily conveys the water flow or bacteria particles, which are almost impossible to capture on camera. No mess required!
https://vmation.wistia.com/medias/p5jqrfpdio?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640
Create Creative Characters
Because animation gives you the option to choose your character, whether that be an animal, a relatable character of ambiguous gender, or a character based off a real-life person, you have a lot of creative leeway in choosing a character that fits your brand and the message you want to convey.
An example we always like to show is one of the many animations we’ve created for European tour experts, Albatross. We animated their local legend, Mo to give their video that personal edge – who can forget his signature moustache and that soothing voice!
https://albatrosstours.wistia.com/medias/v5l6fzfsl4?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640
Reinforce Clear Messages
One of the beauties of an animated explainer video is how simplified animated characters and graphics can be. In fact, in an animation, you don’t have to have a character at all. An animated explainer video can range from being a simple motion graphic right to a full-blown character animation – depends if you need a host for your video or not!
In the motion graphic we made for Typify, for example, we highlighted just how simple it is to use their automated design. The visual cues in this animation help with memory retention, as generally images are more remembered than text. Together, they have an even greater chance. Create some nifty little lingo or metaphor to help and you have the recipe for a real brain sticker.
https://typefi.wistia.com/medias/8zjbh1hwsd?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640
Create An Animated Explainer Video With Vmation
The possibilities when creating an animated explainer video is quite diverse, whether that be a motion graphic, through to a whiteboard and character animation. No matter the style, an animated explainer video can convey complex information in simpler terms and can help with information retention. And if it’s just a little entertaining too then, it can’t hurt.
If you are looking to get started on your next animation, get in touch with the team here. For more information on our animation services, visit our animation page!