Animation is a powerful and engaging tool to market and communicate your brand. Animated video, as a format, is particularly compatible with storytelling and engagement. So with the advent of the digital revolution, more and more businesses and brands are discovering this format and exploiting it to attract their audience in fun and unique ways.

There are many aspects that you should consider while picking the animation style for your business video. For example, what are the main differences between the most popular styles of animation? Learn more about these differences and decide which type is right for your business.

2D vector animation

Nowadays, 2D vector animation is considered to be one of the most common styles of animation. It is called 2D because visuals are created in a two-dimensional environment, with programs like Adobe Illustrator or After Effects.

2D animation uses could be very different - from easy-going social media content to complicated data presentations. This type allows information to be conveyed engagingly and understandably, so it’s widely used for marketing and communication purposes due to its flexibility and versatile usage. 2D graphics is also easily adaptable. For example, animated character design could be used as a branding material or adapted to other media, like prints or outdoor advertisements.  

While 2D sometimes could look dull and less engaging than 3D animation, it should not be written off as ineffective. After all, 2D is a time-saving, budget-friendly style. And considered with the right creative direction, it can surprise and help elevate your brand communication to whole new levels.

3D animation

3D is one of the most known animation styles, produced with programs like Cinema 4D, Houdini, or Maya. Its additional dimension adds depth and allows to convey more realistic, detailed, dynamic visuals. The objects and compositions also could be dramatized and intensified through light and texture solutions.

3D animation production is a bit more complicated but rewarding as well. Because of vast amounts of data, 3D requires powerful computers and more production time than 2D animation. Modeling and animating 3D objects is a time-consuming process, involving a lot of technical knowledge, including physics and biology, to make the audience believe that what they’re seeing is real. But if all goes well, the end result could be very effective.

Some animators like to experiment between 2D and 3D styles. This mix tends to be surprisingly fun and attractive.

Stop motion animation

Stop motion is one of the oldest animation styles. This technique has been used for decades. It basically involves moving objects on a special set and then shooting them frame by frame. And when you watch it all combined, it gives you the feeling of movement. It’s similar to traditional animation in the way that it’s also a frame-by-frame process.

Stop motion requires intense and responsible pre-production. It’s crucial to compile a detailed script, take care of the set art, props, and solid lighting, because the quality of the final result will mostly depend on it.

Stop motion has a unique feeling that cannot be conveyed by other styles of animation. It showcases craftsmanship. Everyday objects could become alive and portray certain moods and emotions. So this animation is a definite go-to if you want to impress your audience with exceptional production. 

Cel animation

Cel or frame-by-frame animation is a modern-day interpretation of traditional animation. It is produced by using digital technologies, letting animators combine frames in real-time.  

It’s a very complicated and time-consuming process because sketches and frames must be created for every movement and then blended together to make smooth scenes. 

This method is the most expensive due to its human and time resources. So nowadays, fewer studies are developing such style, especially for business clients. However, it’s excellent for creating exceptional content. So if you have all the necessary resources, cel animation can you help implement even the most daring ideas.

When it comes to animated explainer videos, many elements allow creating a quality result. Along with the script, design, and motion, there’s usually an invisible but essential element - voice over.

Likely, your production partner will usually abbreviate it as VO and take it for granted that all the processes involving this element will be self-evident for you. So we defined the three essential tips to leverage your explainer animation with a little help of voice-over.

Make sure you’re using voice-over creatively

First of all, make sure that voice-over adds value and complements your animated explainer. The voice-over should not repeat visible images or typography notes. Use it creatively! Improvise by including the subtle joke or let the voice interact with the animation. So take advantage of that voice and use it to take your animation storyline to the next level.

Choose the right voice tone for your target audience

Your chosen voice is like your business card. So keep in mind your target audience and try to reach it. Think of what your viewers like, what they do every day, what slang, specific words, accent, or expressions they use. Avoid too much casualty or too formal voice-over style, and try to be understandable and appealing.

Work with professional voice-over artists

Professional voice-over artists could provide you excellent quality demos and final results. As professionals, they can quickly adapt to your needs, choose the right pace, and use the meaningful pauses, which will highlight the benefits of your explainer animation. Also, professional artists will provide you with a quality recording that won’t have any extraneous sounds.

Sometimes handling animation services outsourcing processes could be a demanding task. Even if it’s not the first time for your company, the challenges may vary with each new project.   

For this reason, we have distinguished 3 production tips for businesses, which should make it easier to manage animation outsourcing issues and ensure a smoother production workflow. 

#1 Provide effective feedback

In the first place, it’s crucial to assign who’s going to be responsible for overall creative project evaluation. Avoid asking opinions of the whole department. Ideally, no more than 3 representatives of the company should carry out such work. Often, people who don’t quite know the project background only bring unnecessary confusion and pull out of focus.

Of course, the evaluation of any creative processes is a very subjective thing. But keep in mind that animation production is usually carried out by professionals, who have design, marketing and business communication background, so if you chose your partners responsibly, there should be no problems.

Also, always provide feedback on time. If you don’t like something - say it right away, don’t wait for the final scenes to be animated. And ask questions, even the basic ones, because this is the only way to make sure that you are really on the same page with the production team.

#2 Make sure the script looks neat

The script should be the cornerstone of all animation production. Like a masterplan. It should stimulate the imagination and help to see final animation in your mind before any production even started. 

Note whether the script communicates the benefits of your product over the features. Also, critically evaluate how the VO text fits the storyboard and scene sequence. Does it have any logic, follows the storytelling rules, generally feels good? 

Remember that the script can be easily rewritten by the screenwriter. Still, if you provide the same comments in later stages, e.g. animation, the same changes will take the time of (at least of) a designer, animator, art director and sound designer, because they will all need to make their own changes.

#3 Are you truly satisfied with illustration design?

The first illustration design may expose the truth - that all along the production and client teams had quite different visions.

So, you should be very critical about the provided style frames. Sometimes, the visuals just don’t stick, for no exact reason. In this case, it’s necessary to specify your feedback - maybe the red background is too red? Perhaps the character has too small eyes, or the subtitles are too big? Then designers could easily present other design options that would be closer to your expectations.

Also, keep in mind that the beauty of images is often very subjective. So rather than judging through a like-dislike prism, evaluate whether it has the hook and always ask production partners to clarify design decisions.