If you’re considering whiteboard animation for your corporate communication campaigns, it’s natural to wonder about its effectiveness in today’s media landscape. While it’s true that whiteboard animations might not have the same flashy appeal as some other types like 3D animation or animated AR or VR experiences, it is still an highly effective communication tool that offers unique advantages and can provide data driven results. For example it offers the following unique benefits:
- Clarity of message
- Swift turnaround time animation
- Cost-effective animation
- Adaptability in animation: add or remove messages with ease
- Multifunctional: Illustrations can be used for prints or powerpoint presentations
- Perfect to illustrate story maps, where all content is shown in one big image that consists of several sub-sections
First and foremost, whiteboard animations excel in clarity of message. They’re incredibly effective at simplifying complex concepts and making them easy to understand. This is essential for corporate communication where cutting through and conveying information clearly, is crucial.
But in a world with constant information overload and the moving image surrounding us pretty much everywhere, from big to small screens, whiteboard animations have a lot of competition to live up to.
Compared to an all singing and dancing 3D or 2D animated piece that plays heavily with camera angles, distorted perspectives and is at the same time full of color and fun, one can easily see why the novelty factor of the whiteboard animation has waned a bit.
But here lies the heart of the issue. Just because an animation is striking and draws all the eye’s attention to a whirl of movement it doesn’t mean that the retention of the message is guaranteed.
Most corporate pieces are not about selling the next big brand or fun product. Corporate subjects are mostly sincere and want to be seen as that. The content can be complex and heavy so the attention needs to be drawn towards substance, the message, rather than the style.
A whiteboard animation is only as strong as the designer behind it. Visualising complex processes requires imagination and creativity. If done well the illustrated content adds a layer to what is being said and doesn’t merely repeat it. Abstract sounding words that don’t explicitly express a problem directly, can be helped by drawing real life scenarios or metaphors that help make sense of a difficult message. It’s the visual content idea that is being created that will eventually make your whiteboard animation a success.
Whiteboard animations excel in drawing attention to substance rather than style, which is crucial in corporate settings where sincerity and clarity are valued.
Moving on to the next point – regarding its style – black pen drawn on a white board – it’s not set in stone: there’s wiggle room and plenty of it!
Your content can be drawn on various backgrounds: i-pads, cardboard, black board or any material that aligns with your brand or message, a wall painted with graffiti if you like. Digitally produced whiteboards can be of any colour – and many different drawing styles can apply. You can start with a pencil sketch and end with a piece of artwork. It all depends where you want to go with it (and how much time and budget is available)
Whiteboard animations can also be a mix of various animation techniques and it can of course be mixed with life action. There’s is plenty of room for creative animation solutions – anything is possible here!
Whiteboards that are firstly drawn and then partly animated traditionally give the drawing extra credibility and life – sprinkle in a little bit of humor, let some animated fun happen as an extra layer in your corporate storytelling, that your audience can easily relate to, and you’re off to a winner. Your message will stick even better.
In conclusion: whiteboard animations might have lost some novelty factor in the ever evolving animation landscape, but they are far from ‘dead’. They are still highly cost-effective communication tools and have a swift turnaround time compared to many other types of animation. This means you can get your message out quickly and efficiently without breaking the bank.
Whiteboard animations are highly adaptable. They can be customized to align with brand aesthetics and can incorporate various backgrounds, drawing styles, and even mix different animation techniques. This flexibility allows for creativity in visualizing complex processes and making abstract concepts more relatable through real-life scenarios or metaphors.
Furthermore, whiteboard animations offer the opportunity to inject humor and interactivity into your corporate communication. By adding a touch of entertainment, you can capture and hold your audience’s attention more effectively.
If you have a project in mind that you’d like to discuss or need some help with then give us a shout (Tel: +44 2071480526) or email us: info@sbanimation.com for a free consultation or quote.
