Introduction
With growing short attention spans and a hungry algorithm, it’s important now more than ever to be putting out creative, engaging and gripping content. An increasingly popular format is animation and motion graphics. “Whether used for explainer videos, product showcases or demos, animation puts ideas into a format that is fun, eye-catching and easy to watch.” Producing personalised motion graphics can help your business gain visual authority and appear established online.
What is motion design?
Motion design is a discipline that brings graphics to life through animation. Each video tells a story using graphics, photos, typography, video, music, 3D assets and more.
At ads creative solutions we offer a variety of motion design services to bring your vision to life. Whether you are using it for social media, websites, presentations or out of home advertising, there’s nothing we can’t cover.
Why should motion graphics be a consideration?
When it comes to marketing your business, a diverse range of content allows for consistent engagement with followers. Motion graphics are a great way for breaking up photographic, text or standard video content and can have many benefits for your business. For instance, “consumers are two times more likely to purchase from brands that use advanced video tech”. Motion graphics allow you to animate key information to ensure it is retained and understood by viewers. When completed successfully, the brand can appear professional and authoritative. In addition, the use of video in email marketing “may increase your chances to create new business leads”, therefore, it’s important to consider how the inclusion of this type of content in your marketing strategy could help increase conversion.
With consumers increasingly using social media to research a purchase, media types such as motion graphics are great ways to present information for consumers to explore what you have to offer. HubSpot found short-form video “earned the biggest ROI this year”, accounting for a share of 48.6%. Short, snappy and informative videos capture attention and set brands apart in saturated social media feeds.
Alternatively, it can be a fantastic tool for internal use. Whether it’s comprehensive and easy to follow training videos, animated brand identity and reinforcing company values or visual data presentation, there are countless ways motion graphics could be the next move for your business.
Our favourite examples
Brands across the globe are diversifying their content creation using these techniques. The following section explores our favourite examples.
Spotify
Spotify – Flow State: activated. (Instagram)
Spotify are regularly including animation in their marketing content and across their own platform. In this example, they use sound and graphics to present how songs can be mixed using their “mix” feature. This is informative with no words necessary, a visual and audible example of how we can benefit from their service. Spotify’s content is a great example of how branding can be extended, using this type of content, where colour, design and sound cement brand ideals. They create fun and colourful visuals which intertwine with useful information on their services and features.
Apple
Apple – Every product carbon neutral by 2030 (YouTube)
Apple often use motion design to present their products, features and services. They create clean and sleek videos in line with their minimalist branding. In this video, they explain their plans to become Carbon Neutral with moving text and graphics. This is a great example of how these elements can be bought to life to provide information on policies and brand aims in an accessible and interesting way. It’s a fantastic method for ensuring information is engaging while remaining professional.
Oreo x Super Mario
After collaborating with Super Mario in 2023 for a limited edition run of special packs, Oreo released a playful and bright animation which both spotlighted the product and introduced us to a world where games and sweet treats came hand in hand. Scenes show the Oreos bouncing around a Super Mario ‘gamescape’ full of slides, jumps and glasses filled with milk ready to dunk the Oreos into. The Super Mario theme tune is played out by the sound of the Oreo’s jumping and colliding with the obstacles. This is a professional and sharp content piece which highlights Oreo’s use of detail and their dedication to producing high quality content. It combines the fun of both brands into an entertaining and memorable video for all to enjoy.
Airbnb
Airbnb – Cycling Experiences Advert (Vimeo)
Airbnb have used animation to present the wide span of opportunities which their service can provide. In the video, cyclists take us on a journey across the globe from the streets of New York to the beautiful cherry blossom trees in Osaka, to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the “World’s Best Tacos” in Mexico City. The animation is colourful, full of pattern and a great way to inspire people to travel to new places and stay active while doing so.
Google have combined video with text, graphics and motion design in their recent collaboration with Team USA to spotlight how their “Search with AI” feature works. The video is fast paced with quick transitions and moving text, matching the intensity of the figure skaters speedy and jam-packed routine. Despite its short format, a great deal of information and knowledge is shared. This is a fantastic example of showing how real-world footage can be elevated with motion design.
How does it benefit the audience?
The versatility of motion graphics mean they can be employed for a wide range of industries and uses. There are many benefits they can bring for audiences such as being more accessible. It can support understanding without relying on text and can have a subtle control on attention, guiding the audience to the next piece of information. In addition, it can allow for faster decision-making and informed consumer journeys. As well as this, it can be used to provide important and useful information about products, services and the brand itself. This insight adds value to a customer’s perception of the brand.
How we can benefit your brand through motion graphics
With the rise of AI tools, you might question what an agency can bring to your animation that automation apps cannot? The answer: trust and individuality.
Trust is a huge factor in a consumer’s lifetime value. It’s even more important to consider with the growth of AI in marketing and online content. It can be difficult to tell the difference between the real and the fake. When it comes to AI in a consumer’s journey, “more than 30% of consumers across age groups are less likely to choose a brand if they know an advert was AI generated”. In addition, “36% report it lowers their trust in the brand”. Therefore, it is important to take pride in the quality of the content which is being produced. This is something that an agency can ensure which an AI software cannot understand. It’s important to remember that “automation can scale execution – but human insight builds connection”.
Not only can AI-created content appear clumsy and uncanny, but it also has the potential to create problems surrounding individuality and authenticity. Computer generated content is often described as “typically generic, formulaic and poorly crafted, with none of the nuance found in human-centered animation”. Working with an agency allows you to make unique graphics tailored to your brand and provides the ability to make precise and meticulous amendments to suit your brand image.
Conclusion
In conclusion, motion graphics can be considered an integral way to increase engagement and improve conversion. Whether you’re marketing products, wanting to provide more information about your brand or simply would like to elevate your online presence, we can create the visuals for you.
