Author: Bob Jan 24, 2022 8 min read
Today, businesses and customers want something less polished in such a digital age with the real human touch and human warmth. And that’s what animation delivers!
Animation videos are currently mainstream and grew from an indie animators’ occupation to an innovative way to promote products and services. They help brands introduce concepts and visuals in more expressive styles – the ones that live-action cannot deliver. Besides, animation can be more affordable than a live-action with pricey talent.
As the industry evolves and grows, some trends already shape the markets. Let’s have a look at what will shape animation trends in 2022 and how organizations can benefit from it.
Around 65% of individuals are visual learners, which means they process information and remember it best via visual communication. The fact greenlights the development of different visual trends, including in animation and video illustration. So, we’ve selected the most innovative animation trends that help not just stand out from the crowd but lead the pack in your specific niche.
This technique is about breaking traditional rules of typography and manipulating letters, creating a ‘moving text’. Digital artists stretch, twist, or distort them. And guess what? It resonates with people!
Nowadays, eCommerce websites and mobile apps widely use animation videos with kinetic typography to draw more attention to a brand. The platforms become more compelling and demonstrate high performance. What’s more, the method has become an integral part of explainer videos. With a wild amount of information, core messages can be highlighted with “moving text”.
Thin lines are one of the animation styles widely applied in promotional and explainer videos, tutorials, or social media ones. By making them super thin and yet expressive, artists create real, hand-drawn images. As a result, videos get their unique signature and deliver the message straight to the point.
Additionally, thin lines are a great way to convey difficult technical information. For example, Amazon Web Services is fully animated. Scenes, characters, and icons are represented in plain strokes. As a result, animations look coherent and communicate complicated subjects in an elegant and understandable manner.
Here’s an interesting fact about mainstream social media: users mostly watch video content there vertically. Moreover, AdNews revealed that 70% of Millennials do not bother themselves with flipping their devices when watching horizontal videos. This added to the increasing popularity of vertical videos for Tik Tok, Facebook ads, and Instagram stories. So, to win viewers’ attention, vertical animation videos become a no-brainer.
The mixed media technique suggests an intentional use of eclectic imagery, footage, and video illustration in one digital collage. To convey quickly and efficiently the story, artists combine real-life elements like live-action visuals and motion graphics. This makes the whole thing interesting, funny as well as informative, and with the brand’s personal flair.
An excellent example here will be a “How to start saving for college in 3 easy steps” video of the financial services company Northwestern Mutual. It came out instructional and helpful and, in the meantime, nice and fun.
The transition through 2D frames with 3D objects allows companies to convey multiple cool animation ideas within one perfect viewing experience. Such a mix lends an especial sense of style to a video and makes it more delightful for customers. Luckily, this technique works great for big-budget advertisement projects, digital ads with a low budget and boasts a positive ROI.
This approach allows bringing to life the most creative and surreal ideas. Digital surrealism suggests adding fantastic visuals that hit home for the target audience. People see evaporating items, the magical transformation of things, and so on. It is an amazing option to create psychedelic themes. If the organization strives to tap into a particular emotion or feeling, with surreal animated clips, it’s absolutely possible.
The typography used to be information-based. Now, it is also becoming playful, including immense and bold texts. Used in graphic animations, they deliver the messages by giving them an additional emphasis. Bold texts are just the thing when it’s necessary to change the focus from nice graphics to the actual message. The technique is particularly a way out for presentation videos.
In the pursuit of an outstanding and memorable online presence, companies strive to integrate animation in diverse branding materials. To outshine the competition, they use animated logos in brand identity design.
Motion graphics liven up static objects and typography, making a product or service more appealing and dynamic-looking for the target audience. With animated logos featuring sudden movements and twists, organizations can demonstrate their will to innovate and offer something exclusive to customers.
The idea of morphing logos, images, characters in one visual piece is becoming highly popular today. This digital phenomenon is an effect in motion pictures and animated videos that transforms one image or object into other thanks to a flawless transition. It is a kind of visual magnet that draws attention and makes customers watch the video until the end.
The technique is powerful for retaining customers on the website’s page, which also increases the session duration rate. The session duration rate marker, in due turn, adds to better search engine optimization. Moreover, Google promotes those websites that users find interesting and engaging.
One of the animation styles, creative storytelling is crucial in marketing. The story puts the service or product in a context and breathes life into the way it might be represented to customers. Artists create an incredible plot and make the products alive in the video.
For example, in a rebranding campaign for Ketel One vodka, doodles on a cocktail napkin have suddenly sprung to life and acted like bar’s visitors at the counter. Character animation, which is a part of creative storytelling, can help deliver complex subjects through fun and interesting characters put in the commercial narrative.
Graphic animations are definitely what make people stay longer on your marketing channels and platforms as they become more engaging. For example, digital surrealism brings to life “crazy” ideas where existing laws of physics cannot limit your message. And that’s what makes it fascinating.
Every trend boasts a positive impact on a brand, had it been implemented in its marketing strategy. Let’s overview each of the animation styles in terms of business goals.
Animated videos are a godsend for forward-looking businesses who want to communicate product and service value in a winning and compelling way. They are capable of getting your message across any platform to the right customer and demonstrating a light-hearted side of the organization.
Nowadays, businesses and customers want something less polished in such a digital age, where there’s the real human touch that translates human warmth. And that’s what animation delivers!
If you’re new to the subject and want to give it a try with graphic animations, or, perhaps, you strive to move forward with your business ideas, you need to partner up with a professional animation team. Reach out to us and we’ll make your wow ideas sell in a smart, elegant, and engaging way.
