15 Different Animation Styles That Can Be Used for Marketing

By Apeksha Ellena

Animation dates back to hundreds of years or more. Initially, it was just drawings on walls or caves, however now it’s a lot more different, due to various technological advancements that have taken place in the past few decades. 

A variety of new methods are introduced which means animation studios can continuously evolve and grow the animation styles they develop. 

Animation is a superb way to connect with an audience in an entertaining and impactful way. Animated videos are often used as explainers, product demos, etc. It engages the viewer while compelling them to take action. 

However, different types of videos demand different animation styles. As specific videos may appeal to some marketing objectives, and some not. And with a vast range of 2D and 3D animation styles, it may be a bit confusing while picking the right one for your video. Therefore, it becomes crucial for a 3D animation video company to choose a particular style for a specific video.

So, here we are at your disposal helping you understand all the different styles of animation that you can opt for creating an animated or explainer video for your marketing goals. 

Different Animation Styles To Choose From 

The best animation style for your video will depend on your goals that you’re looking to achieve from it. Additionally, you’ll also have to consider the cost and timeline for your animated video.

1. 2D or Traditional Animation

One of the oldest animation styles, 2D animation refers to moving characters and objects in a two-dimensional space. It’s quite flexible as it’s used at a variety of places including cartoons, explainers, promotional ads, etc. 

Initially, traditional animation meant hand-drawing each frame individually which was time-consuming. Today, it’s done with the help of various digital tools and methods to create the effect of 2D animation. 

3. Whiteboard Animation 

Whiteboard or doodle videos are widely used in the advertising industry as these are effective, entertaining and engaging too. It’s a minimalist and straightforward concept of a video showing a hand drawing illustrations or drawings to explain an idea or message to the audience. Whiteboard animation is ideal for internal training purposes. 

3. 3D Animation 

When it comes to 3D animation, we can assume it to be more realistic and immersive. The realistic factor comes from adding motion to objects & characters in a 3-dimensional environment. It is used in industries like architecture and medicine. 

Furthermore, it’s applied in animated films, commercials, etc. However, it’s not a suitable option for creating simple explainers and similar videos as it requires time and labour as well. 

4. Motion Graphics 

It is a much popular type of animation in the marketing industry. The outlook may be simple, but motion graphics is interesting as it uses elements like lively music/sound and moving text. Motion graphics are mostly used for promotional and commercial purposes.

5. Kinetic Typography

Kinetic typography is all about moving alphabets and numbers. It expresses ideas in a way that it becomes easier to understand for the viewers. By smartly implementing this technique, you can outline specific messages and make them retained by the audience.

This type of animation is used in movies for creating credit segments and title screens. Moreover, it can be used to create explainer videos, presentations, training content, and the like. 

6. Stop Motion Animation

This is also an old animation style that can be seen in many old animated movies. It is the technique of clicking pictures of static objects in a particular sequence and then playing the pictures together to create the illusion of movement. 

Not only does it offer a unique aesthetic, it is fairly reasonable as it eliminates the need for hi-tech equipment or resources. 

7. Digital Cutout Animation 

It is a refined version of traditional cutout animation. It includes bright colours, texture, improved shading, as well as layering and all those things that lack in a simple cutout animation. The advantage it provides is that you can change it anytime later, if you need. 

8. Rotoscope Animation 

This kind of animation traces live-action footage with rotoscope tools. It is used in situations where it’s important for the animated character to communicate realistically with the environment. It is much cheaper than 3D animation and works exceptionally well for movies and commercials. 

9. Silhouette Animation 

An old style of animation shows dark characters against a white background. Silhouette animation has great potential for the animation industry in the future. 

10. Motion Capture 

It is a modern style animation that allows animators to develop ultra-realistic animations in live-action scenes. It is mainly used in the gaming world to create realistic characters as well as life-like facial expressions. Use the best 2D animation Software for making effective animation.

The process involves dressing up characters in various suits and tracking their movements and interactions so that it can be recreated using computer graphics. 

11. Claymation 

Claymation or clay animation is a kind of stop motion animation where characters are created using clay and then their movements are photographed in a sequence. 

An example of claymation is the popular children’s film ‘Chicken Run’. Claymation can also be used to create short films and commercials. However, it is time-consuming and suits smaller projects. 

12. Live-Action with 2D Animation 

In this type of animation, live-action footage has bits and pieces of animation to form a video. The idea is to develop a feeling of interaction between the video and the graphics, with added elements of visual display, rhythm, and dynamism. This animation style can be seen in a lot of TV commercials. 

13. Mechanical Animation

This style breaks down the configuration and function of mechanical objects or products. It is a photorealistic representation of mechanical objects. The process includes drawing and animating all the mechanics and details of a machine to produce an informative visual. 

Mechanical animation is highly used in the engineering industry to display the industrial process of any manufactured item such as food product. It is used to make modifications to products before their development. Besides, it also works great for creating product demos. 

14. Screen capture 

Screen capture animation is used to showcase a product’s UI design. Screen capture covers all the screen visual touchpoints that the user will use to navigate from A to B point. It enhances the overall customer experience while using several products. 

15. HUD Animation 

This is not something that we usually see in TV commercials or anywhere in the marketing world. 

HUD animation began from the gaming industry, where Heads-Up Displays are used to convey information in a visual form. The background is mostly transparent so that the viewers are able to view the display without missing the game. 

If you have never seen a video game or played one, you can see this type of animation in sci-fi films in which the data is visualized on a transparent screen. 

HUD animation is sometimes used in creating explainer videos for showing tech-related products or services. 

16. Animated Infographics 

This style of animation is perfect when you’ve to show dense information to your audience. It’s much better than a regular presentation. Animated infographics are ideal for showing too many details in a short period of time, without boring the viewers. 

17. Paper Cutout Animation 

Have you ever made objects & characters out of paper and tried to move them around? Well, the process of making paper figures move to tell a story or an idea refers to paper cutout animation. 

Factors To Consider While Making Different Types of Animated Videos

The style of animation solely is not responsible for the success of any animated explainer video.

While various types of animation or live-action videos can work differently with different target audiences, there are few important characteristics that all types of animated videos must consider for marketing purposes. 

• Quality – Online viewers measure the reliability of a product or service through the quality of its content, be it text or video. Having the best first impression using high-quality content becomes paramount. 
• Targeted Content – Generic content or videos will be easy to forget about. Creating attractive explainers keeping in mind the relevant target audience will go a long way. 
• Branding – It refers to logo placement, colour selection, jingles including other branding elements that are used correctly in different types of animated videos created for marketing or promotional purposes. 
• Message – Make sure you convey the message clearly or else you might not live up to your brand’s expectations. 
• Rhythm – Maintaining a rhythm and a pace is important in an animated video. You must time the action and the story correctly in order to keep your viewers engaged and entertained at the same time. 

Final Words 

Each type of animation fulfills various requirements, different types of videos appeal to different audiences or marketing goals. 

With such a vast range of animation styles, it can be overwhelming to pick the right type to produce. But, as you must have already realized it all depends on the objective of making a video.

We hope that this overview of different animation styles will help you choose the one suitable for your next animation project.

About Author

Apeksha Ellena PatrickDigital Content Specialist at Video Production Company (Essencestudios). she hold a Bachelor’s & Master’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal University, India. Passionate about creative writing, she love reading as well! Always keen to explore new places & opportunities. On a never-ending quest of pushing her boundaries as a writer & editor. 

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