Our article Promote Your Business with Animated Video covered why using animation for business is a smart move. Now let’s dive into how you can use animation to benefit your business.
The nature of animation is invention. This makes it a highly versatile tool. Experienced artists construct 2-dimensional (2D) or 3-dimensional (3D) graphic elements that are put in motion in video. Whether to choose 2D, 3D, or a mixture of both with live footage depend on your brand and desired message. This article covers some common ways to use animation across different industries, considering to the unique qualities of 2D and 3D.
With each point are real life video examples we’ve produced for our customers.
Use these quick links to navigate the sections:
- Boldly go where no camera can go. Go →
- Glimpse the future! Go →
- Clarify a complicated service or process. Go →
- Build a brand story with animated characters. Go →
- Entertainment, engagement, and brand awareness. Go →
Boldly Go Where No Camera Can Go
With the growth of technology, the camera lens has grown more and more sophisticated. But what happens when you want to show something below the surface?
Through 3D modeling artists can recreate objects in a layered 3-dimensional space. The unique features of animation programs allow the camera to penetrate the surface and show inside. Industries that benefit most from this type of video are products, manufacturing, medical, and pharmaceutical, among others.
Let’s start with products and manufacturing. 3D animation can:
- Reveal the unique technology of a product
- Show off sleek design
- Demonstrate the inner workings of a complex machine
For example, SippTech was challenged to clearly explain to their customers how their pipeline infrastructure product worked. At a glance, their device looks so high-tech that it could be mistaken for a Mars space rover! Not an easy product to understand quickly. For a company that prides themselves on their distinctive technology, how it works is important to their customers.
Watch the final video below. Can you imagine understanding this complex device just from a diagram?
That is where 3D animation is vital. It brings the device to life, revealing how each component works together to repair broken water lines in pipes. It even allows us to see it at work underground. (Just imagine taking potential customers down into a pipe to show it in action!)
Going from complex device to complex animation has challenges of its own. Luckily animators are often able to base their models on the original product CAD files. Though animation programs differ from CAD programs, it is usually possible to import the basic structure of a product to rebuild it for video. This helps maintain a surprising amount of accuracy in the final video.
For medical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries, let’s go more than skin deep. Animation artists can build “body scape” videos to fit any number of educational or advertising needs.
- Set patient expectations by demonstrating a medical procedure
- Educate on processes of the body (ex: how the body produces insulin to help a patient better understand diabetes)
- Show how medications or drugs work to benefit the body or expose side effects
- Amplify microscopic or cellular processes
Here 3D animation is the best way to not only reveal the inside of the body, but also show it in such a way that is understandable.
In this patient education video, the goal is to explain bypass surgery to patients and their families. This is where 3D models can simplify the procedure in an easy-to-comprehend manner and minimize fear of an otherwise scary process.
Glimpse the Future!
Though fortune telling may come to mind, no crystal ball is necessary. What 3D modeling can reveal is a product, building, or space while it’s still in its planning or construction phase.
This is especially beneficial to real estate, construction, and architecture firms. For instance, this real estate company built a buzz among potential tenants and investors with a new renovation preview video before construction was complete.
Clarify a Complicated Service or Process
If only everything were simple. Many companies are challenged with explaining a complicated process or service. It’s the job of each business to make their products and services simple for their customers. Explaining why customers need a product or service is imperative to a successful business.
This is a common challenge among many service-based industries, especially those that deal with abstract concepts. IT, marketing, technology, or data driven companies come to mind.
Foreign Trade Zone 31’s biggest obstacle was explaining the benefits a foreign trade zone offers to manufacturers—which can make a HUGE impact on the manufacturer’s bottom line! What they needed was an explainer video to clarify. 2D animation has a natural knack for organizing information (think infographics). We decided this was the best way to tell their story. Since transportation plays a big role in manufacturing goods, we took the viewer on a journey across land, water, and air to lay out the benefits. Watch it below.
Build a Brand Story with Animated Characters
There are a number of advantages to choosing an animated character over a real spokesperson for your brand.
- Flexibility: They can do and say whatever you want… even fly! Since they’re not real, they are always available. They can’t quit, cancel rehearsal, and will never lock themselves in their trailer.
- Million dollar looks: Their appearance can be designed to best represent you or your audience. If your target market is mothers in the 20-30’s age bracket, you might consider an animated character to which they can relate.
- Beyond human: They don’t have to be people! For instance, if you’re appealing to cat owners, an animated talking cat with a lot of personality might be a good choice.
- Unbound to reality: They can travel anywhere to any time. Your imagination is the only limitation. Want Ben Franklin riding a unicorn on Mars? You go it.
The experts at FCTI came up with a clever, brand-reinforcing way to reach their target audience. They reinvented the classic Goldilocks story to compare the benefits of their ATM solution with other solutions. Because this was a play on a literal storybook tale, the video called for clean, 2D-style illustration. The character design considered the personality traits of each character. See for yourself in the final video below.
Entertainment, Engagement, and Brand Awareness
Let’s be honest… animation is just cool to watch. It attracts and holds attention across all ages.
Sometimes it’s just the simple visual appeal of animation that makes it a good choice. In this “My American Farm” educational video, animation plays a supporting role. It marries brightly colored 2D and 3D graphics elements with actual video footage of a person on green screen. Animation adds motion and reinforces the message of each speaker. It also looks cool for its target audience: Kids!
Logo animations, as part of a video, are a great way to show a little something extra about your brand. This Foundry Educational Foundation closing logo animation (at the 0:49 second mark) reinforces not only the powerful forces the foundry industry is built upon, but also speaks to a conceptually solid brand.
Conclusion
We’ve just scratched the surface of the potential uses of animation (peek at Our Work for more samples). This versatile tool can be modified for any communication goal between your company and your audience—whether they are customers, leads, employees, or even your CEO. Our goal here at Silverback is to improve the way our customers communicate.
Do you have an idea on how to use animation for your business? Reach out. We’d be happy to make it happen. Give us a call at 866.828.8384 to brainstorm you next animation project.
