The Best Animation Style For Your Brand: A Guide

By Rosh Ilyas

Production

7 min read

Jun 25, 2024

So you’ve decided to jazz up your brand with some animation. Good call!

Animated videos are imaginative, engaging, and incredibly compelling. With 95% of viewers remembering messages better after watching videos than reading text, animated videos are great for getting your brand message across.

But now you’ve hit a classic problem: what’s the best animation style for your brand?

Short answer: the one that fits your brand’s vibe, goals, budget, and audience.

There are so many animation styles to choose from, each with its own superpowers. This makes it difficult to choose just one!

So, without going crazy, how do you pick the best animation style for your brand?

Let’s break down the differences between popular animation styles so you can see which brand animation videos might suit your brand, plus some tips to make sure your chosen animation style is the right fit.

2D Animation

Ah, 2D animation - what a classic! 2D animation uses flat images stitched together to create a moving effect, just like those old-school cartoons we all grew up with.

Why go for 2D?

For starters, it’s usually cheaper and faster to produce than 3D animation. It’s great for simplifying production! Plus, it’s a dream for artistic creatives, as it makes messages pop more than live-action.

Creatives get to play with different characters, movements, and bold colours to make your message unforgettable. People remember 95% of what they see in a video compared to just 10% when reading text. So, if you want your message to stick, 2D animation is a great way to go.

2D animation also gives you endless styles to match your brand’s vibe, whether you’re going for a modern, traditional, edgy, or throwback look. It’s super versatile and perfect for explaining concepts in ways your audience can easily digest. You can keep it simple or go all out, depending on what your audience needs.

Still, if you’re after jaw-dropping effects or intense action sequences, 3D animation might be more your speed, which brings us to…

2D animation is versatile and perfect for explaining concepts in ways your audience can easily digest.

3D Animation

3D animation - the fancy stuff! 2D animation has charm, but 3D can show off products without the hassle of live-action shooting.

3D animation uses computer models to create characters and settings in a three-dimensional, mathematical space. Sure, you can make it look cartoony, but the real difference is the shading and texture - it’s like stepping paper doodles up to a fine art piece.

3D animation means customers can see lifelike environments and characters, so they understand your brand’s products or services better. People feel more connected with things that look more real. This deeper connection? Gold for your brand!

Here’s a fun fact: 57% of buyers feel more confident after watching a product video before they purchase said product. So, if you want to boost sales and trust in your brand, 3D animation is your new best friend.

3D animation can look amazing, but keep in mind that it’s a bit of a diva. It’s time-consuming and costly to get lifelike movements right. And beware the uncanny valley - the eerie zone where animation looks too human - creeping everyone out.

On the flip side, if your brand screams modern or futuristic, 3D is perfect. You can zoom in on all the tiny details, like the insides of a car engine or cool medical illustrations. It’s like giving your audience X-ray vision, pretty awesome, right?

3D animation allows customers to see lifelike environments and characters, so they understand your brand’s products or services better.

Typography Animation

Typography animation is all about using text to get your message across. Basically, you’re making words and letters dance around the screen, watching them move, change, and interact with other elements to tell a story. It’s not just about reading words, it’s about feeling their impact.

This animation style is perfect for making a statement. Whether you want to drive emotions, guide viewers through a story, or highlight key points, typography animation goes beyond just visuals. It’s awesome for driving messages across with brand content, especially campaigns where every word needs to count.

Typography animation fits any vibe. Want it fun and playful? Done. Elegant and understated? You got it! Its flexibility makes it great for grabbing attention and leaving a lasting impression.

So, if you want your brand message to hit hard and stick, typography animation could help you with your goals.

Whether you want to drive emotions, tell a story, or highlight key points, typography animation goes beyond just visuals.

Hybrid Animation Styles

Why settle for one style when you can mix and match?

Hybrid animation combines different animation styles to create something truly unique. Think 2D characters in a 3D world, or live-action meets cartoon animation. It’s a great way to show your creativity and stand out against the competition.

Why go hybrid? Well, blending animation styles means you can dive deep into your services or products, meeting a range of interests. It’s like speaking everyone’s language at once, boosting that human connection with your audience.

Sure, mashing animation styles can make projects a bit harder. You’ll have to get to grips with more than one animation style, which takes time, effort, and skill. But, when it’s done right, the results can be mind-blowing.

Just remember to keep your storylines and visuals in check, or you’ll have a jumbled-up mess on your hands.

How To Choose The Best Animation Style For Your Brand

Now that you’ve got the lowdown on different animation styles, here’s some tips to help you choose the best animation style for your brand.

1. Make Sure Animation Matches Your Brand

Always make sure your animation style works with your brand. Consider your brand’s colours, logos, personality, and message. Your brand animation videos should blend in seamlessly with other brand elements, like your product packaging or website.

For example, if you’ve got a cutting-edge brand that’s all about being modern, slap on some 3D animation. Feeling friendly or playful? 2D’s nostalgic feel could work well. Your animation style should enhance your brand, not overshadow it.

2. Check It Fits Your Timeline and Budget

Now, let’s talk time and money. Animation styles come in all shapes and sizes, and so do their price tags. You don’t want to end up broke and stressed after splurging on 3D animation, especially when simple video graphics would have done the job!

3D animation might be fancy, but its price tag might suit businesses with a bigger budget. It also takes more time, so if you need brand animation videos pronto, you’ll need another animation style.

And don’t forget about typography - it’s great for smaller budgets, but might not look professional without a skilled artist’s help.

So, if you want to avoid pulling your hair out over missed deadlines, or staring at an empty bank account, make sure your animation style won’t leave you high and dry.

3. Think About Your Brand Goals

When you get down to it, your chosen animation style should match your brand goals. It’s like your sidekick, helping you navigate the wild world of marketing.

Think about what your brand goals are. Are you educating people about a service? typography can guide viewers through your features and thought process. Or maybe you’re trying to reel in customers with a tale about your brand? 3D animation, with all of its fancy additions, could be your golden ticket.

Lay out your business and brand goals, then pick an animation style that will help you reach them. Easy peasy!

4. Match To Your Target Audience

Your animation style needs to click with your target audience. A middle-aged B2B buyer and a Gen-Z beauty influencer aren’t going to dig the same look!

For those trendy beauty influencers, plain graphics can feel outdated. Throw in some sleek 3D animations and killer illustrations, however, and you’re golden. On the flip side, 2D animations used with simple typography captions are perfect for breaking down complex projects for the B2B crowd.

Remember, every audience has their own quirks, style, and sense of humour. Make sure that your chosen animation style speaks their language.

We hope this post helped answer what the best animation style for your brand is. Still stumped over brand animation videos? No worries - that’s what we’re here for!

At STORM + SHELTER, our animation and motion graphics team can help you pick the perfect animation style that fits your brand, budget, and business goals.

Contact us today to chat about your ideas, or check out our services to see what else we can do for you.

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