A picture is worth a thousand words. But moving pictures are worth millions of words. And that's a lot of words to tell your story to your audience.
Motion graphics videos give you the opportunity to tell amazing stories that your audience can connect with.
No matter how complex the story is, these videos always manage to simplify it. You can portray even the most comprehensive ideas in an engaging and attractive manner with these videos.
Excited to know more about them? Well, you're in luck! We have scoured the internet to bring you the best motion graphics videos out there.
But before we get to it, here's everything you'll find in this blog.
Motion graphics come in all shapes and sizes. And they're all amazing at engaging the audience. But since there are so many of them, we won't be getting into every single one of them.
In our experience of over a decade, we've seen only a few types of motion graphics used by clients over and over again. So we're only going to cover those types in this blog.
Without further ado, let's get into it!
The first in the list is something we've only started seeing traction on lately - mixed media.
Don't get me wrong. This type of videos has been around for a long time. But it is only recently that we've seen widespread adoption.
These videos are the perfect blend of live-action footage and animation. Now, the thing with perfection is that it is subjective.
So in some cases, you would see an animated overlay running over live-action footage. But in other cases, you would find animated videos with occasional use of images and videos.
Depending on what works best for your company, you could go for either. At the end of the day, this style is all about experimenting and finding the best fit for your company.
But why would you go for it in the first place?
To start with, these videos stand out from the clutter. Look around on social media. Most of the videos that you would find in your feed are either animated or live-action.
But if you end up finding a mixed media video in the lot, you would surely be aware of its existence. It would draw you in and hold your attention.
Look at this video by the famous blogging platform, Medium:
The video is full of elements that date back to the early era of the internet. But do you see illustrations of these elements? No. You see these elements as how they were.
Since the subject of the video is the internet from its early days, there are references from that era. The creators of the video did it to take the viewers back into those days.
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In fact, if you watch the video closely, from the beginning till the end, you'll find many such references.
Notice how pronounced the animation was in this video? That was Medium's way of telling their story. For your company, the proportions of animation and live-action footage could be different.
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And the only way to find out is by experimenting with mixed media videos yourself!
When you want to educate your audience in an entertaining way, go for infographic videos!
These videos are the prime choice for most of the companies out there. And that is largely due to the fact that these videos explain complex topics in a simple way.
Being easy to understand, these videos see a lot of engagement. This provides the companies using these videos good ROI.
You would often find tech companies use these videos to explain concepts. That said, they aren't the only ones using these videos to communicate with their audience.
Look at how Hootsuite used infographic videos to interact with their audience:
The narrative used in the video is quite a simple one. We live in a digital age and almost all of us are on one social media platform or the other.
So when the video starts with "everyone's on social media these days", you know you're hooked. But it's not just what the narrator says that grabs your attention. The moving graphics supporting the statement emphasize it. The interplay of the two is what keeps you hooked.
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If you're a regular reader of our blogs, you would know how much we emphasize the fact that these videos use shapes. But when you look at this video, you see animals and humans as well.
So was our statement wrong all along? No. Infographic videos use abstract shapes and objects for storytelling. And that is something you see in this video too. While you do see animals and humans, they aren't what the video revolves around.
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The storytelling used in the video is abstract in nature. And that is what makes it an infographic video in its true sense. It is this abstract manner of storytelling that attracts you.
This is what makes these videos easy to understand. And this is what drives engagement for these videos.
Unsure if infographic videos would be good for your business? Talk to us.
Many companies struggle to connect with the audience on an emotional level. But building an emotional connection with the audience is vital to driving conversions.
When you tell your story the right way, you can form these connections with your audience. And that is something cartoon videos excel at.
The use of animated characters is what makes these videos highly relatable. When you see a character on the screen having the same problem you're facing, you relate to it.
Later when the company's solutions help fix the character's problem, you feel like it solved your problems. And that creates the emotional connection we talked about earlier.
This builds trust and makes you more likely to make a purchase decision. And since these videos speak directly to the audience, they have a high recall value. This in turn increases the recall value of your company.
Let's take a look at this video by Virgin Media Security:
While watching the video, you see many different characters that look relatable. You might go, "Oh, that could be me. And that could be my spouse. And that could be my child!"
It creates a sense of urgency in the minds of the viewers about the product.
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Everyone knows about the risks associated with not having a proper cybersecurity system. But how many of us actually go ahead and do something about it?
Watching this video reminds you of the problems you might face because of that. And it motivates you to take some action about it. Since the information is being provided by the company, you are more likely to buy their solution.
But the reason why this happened is that you could relate to the characters shown in the video. Such emotional connections are best formed using cartoon videos.
Need to establish a similar connection for your product/service? Let us help!
Picture this. You've been in your industry for a long time. You're thinking about using animated videos for marketing. But you don't know the animation style to start off with.
Sounds relatable? Your journey into motion graphics can begin with whiteboard videos. I wouldn't claim for it to be a one-size-fits-all solution. But it's an easy recommendation.
There's a lot of factors that make whiteboard motion graphics so appealing. They're easy to understand and follow. And they have a mass appeal. These videos facilitate explaining complex concepts in a simple manner.
Most of the whiteboard videos that you come across use simple illustrations. These illustrations are then explained with voice-over. So you get to understand what the illustration is all about. It's a simple trick, you'd think. But it works.
It takes you back to college days when professors explained topics using whiteboards. These videos are successful because they use a similar technique—only more engaging.
Look at this video by the automobile giant, Ford:
Whiteboard videos normally have static illustrations that the narrator explains. But Ford sets the bar high with this video.
It not only animates the illustrations but also manages to tell a meaningful story with them.
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Making the video even more engaging are the live-action shots dominating it. As you'll notice, the background has been a live-action footage of a whiteboard in the video.
So what you're seeing is a creative mix of live-action footage and animation. You may argue that it makes the video a mixed-media video. And you would be right—to an extent.
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In the early days of whiteboard videos, people used actual whiteboards. They then illustrated and explained using markers. So, the video holds true to the traditional way of making whiteboard videos. At least in that aspect. The animation does give it a more modern feel. But that's it.
Awesome, right? Want to make your own whiteboard video? Let us know!
A lot of companies shy away from using 3D animation for their videos since it's expensive. But the ones that go for it never regret their decision.
For some companies, 3D videos are the only ones they can go for. Take medical equipment companies, for example. If they want to showcase the intricacies of how their product works, they have to go for 3D. The extra dimension helps showcase the functioning of the product better.
Regardless of whether you're a company that can or can't do without 3D, it works. And it works like a charm. 3D videos stand out with the life-like visuals they deliver.
And if you think about it, we live in a 3D world. So 3D videos are bound to be relatable along with being engagement powerhouses.
Again, physical products aren't the only ones that are going to benefit from the power of 3D. We've seen SaaS-based products do great with these videos.
Look at this 3D video by Slack, for example:
From objects to the entire environment, everything in this video feels very natural. And that is thanks to the use of 3D animation in the video.
The extra dimension helps emphasize the spatial differences in the video. Look at this GIF, for example.
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You can see how the ball closer to the camera is on a hill. It also makes the distance between this ball and the other balls more prominent.
Shifting perspective too is something that we can do better with 3D animation. Look at this GIF, for example.
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When the ball reaches the edge, the camera shifts to make the change more apparent.
And that is something that comes out beautifully in these videos.
Thinking of making a 3D video for your business? Let's discuss your idea and vision!
If you're reading this, you're probably interested in making motion graphics videos for your company.
This is a big step because making videos is not easy. It takes a lot of time and effort to make a video that both you and your audience would love.
But don't worry, we know the right tools for your needs. And we've created a list of these tools for you!
Excited? Let's check out the tools you need for the type of videos you picked!
Assets used in mixed media videos include live-action footage. It could also be images. And you need both of them in perfect shape to make them a part of your video.
For this reason, you need two tools here. One for the images and one for the video. While you don't have to, it is always good to have a tool for audio as well.
So let's take a look at the tools!
Working with images, Photoshop has to be your go-to software. With this tool, you can tweak your photo the way you want to and get the desirable outcome.
You can save and export the image in many file formats. So you don't need to worry about getting the output in the right format for your video.
In most cases, you'd be good having Photoshop alone. But there are times when you're working with vector images. It is in such circumstances that the prowess of Illustrator comes to the forefront.
It is a great tool and you would find yourself using it a lot when you go for infographic animation. Trust me, it makes things a lot easier.
This is the industry standard for video editing softwares. Most motion designers would recommend you to have this tool for video editing.
The tool is flexible and versatile and can handle pretty much anything you throw at it. 2D? Sure. 3D? Bring it on.
And if you ever feel that the features aren't enough, you can use thousands of third-party plugins. Though you should always be careful before using third-party plugins as it may cause the software to crash.
Audacity is an open-source audio editing software. With hundreds of thousands of plugins, this tool is all you need for editing the audio for your video.
It has a simple interface and is easy to use. What makes it amazing is how lightweight it is. But that doesn't mean that it can't perform heavy-duty tasks. Mixing many layers down into an mp3 is something it can do as fast as your system allows it to do.
Production Studio: BUCK
Engagement Rate: 4.7
When you look at this video for the first time, you wouldn't think it's mixed media. Except for a few shots in the latter half of the video, there aren't any live-action images or videos.
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So what is it that makes it a mixed-media video? As you can see, the video is a montage of different videos BUCK made for IBM. If you look closely, you would notice that you're looking at different styles. And that is mixed media.
In its truest sense, mixed media is a type of motion graphics videos that uses more than one medium. So if you see a video that makes use of 3D animation along with cartoon animation, it's mixed media.
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And this video uses many media without making it look like a bad potpourri. This is what makes the video one of the best mixed media videos we've ever seen.
Production Studio: Studio Pigeon
Engagement Rate: NA
Many mixed-media videos that you would come across on the internet are either heavy on text or images. Watching them, you might think that choosing one is the right way to go.
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But this video changes that. It has the right amount of text for the story to be coherent. At the same time, it isn't text-heavy. So it strikes a balance between text and visual imagery.
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And that isn't all. The video manages to maintain a balance between animation and live-action footage too. This ensures that the viewer isn't overwhelmed by either in the video.
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Its ability to tell a powerful story while maintaining balance is inspiring. This ability is what helped the video find a spot on our list.
Production Studio: Epipheo
Engagement Rate: NA
This is hands down, one of the best infographic videos we've ever seen. To start with, the video has amazing transitions. Every scene naturally flows into the next one making it a treat to watch.
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What makes it a good infographic video is the way it tells abstract stories. Every object appearing in the video is abstract and yet has a role to play.
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The sound effects used in the video enhance the viewing experience. And that is something you would definitely find in good infographic videos.
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What I like the most about this video is the interplay of different factors. It's amazing how everything in the video complements each other.
Production Studio: Ordinary Folk
Engagement Rate: 7.6
If you've been following us for a while, you probably already know how much we love this video. Everything about this video is simply perfect.
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The strongest part of the video is its script. Ordinary Folk has left no stone unturned to come up with the perfect script. You might be wondering why we say that it's perfect. You might even want the right formula. Fret not, we have the formula for writing an amazing explainer video script. You could consult that.
Moving on to the visuals, they're amazing too. The way they've used colors to complement the script is great. These colors set the right tone in the minds of the audience.
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The transitions and the rest of the animation in the video were awesome. With the voice-over and sound effects, watching the video was a great experience.
Production Studio: Giant Ant
Engagement Rate: 5.4
Regardless of whether you're in the medical industry or not, this video is a treat to watch. From visuals to transitions, the infographic video has everything on point.
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What I especially like about the video is the way it has used sound effects. It's not something you'd see on a daily basis. But this video did it perfectly. It used the entire sound stage to deliver sound effects that enhanced the experience.
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The transitions used in the video were very intuitive. And yet every transition wows you. Giant Ant truly did a great job at making this video as engaging as possible.
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My favorite bit of the video is when the narrator says "sensationless". That was the moment I realized that I'm never going to forget this video. The way everything went silent at that moment was a testimony to an amazing execution of the script.
Production Studio: Alexander Tumanov
Engagement Rate: 4.0
Cartoon animation relies on characters that the audience can relate to. And this video has a character that its target audience would find relatable.
What makes this video great is the way it delivers the story. It takes the audience through a journey that revolves around the central character. And it builds and holds interest through the problems of this character. While this concept is nothing new, the execution made all the difference.
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I really loved the transitions used in the video. They're all very smooth, albeit not exactly natural at times. The visuals complement the transitions and the story very well too.
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It was amazing how the team worked with the audio. The music and voiceover are rather melancholic while talking about the character's problems. But everything becomes upbeat with the brief about the features of the app.
Production Studio: Giant Ant
Engagement Rate: 4.8
I am so in love with these transitions. There's so much to say about them. They're natural and intuitive and have a smooth flow. Just like the one you see below.
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The script is pretty impressive as well. The way it forces the audience to think is commendable. It starts with the thought, "If this was how it could be" followed by many possibilities. And with each possibility, it motivates you to think.
What I liked the most about the video was that it only mentions the subject toward the end. And even then, it doesn't talk about G Suite's apps in detail. It barely brushes through the apps in one line.
It was effective because it managed to paint a picture of more efficient workspaces. And it established that it was possible only with the aid of G Suite's apps.
Production Studio: Epipheo
Engagement Rate: NA
This video is a great example of visual storytelling. The fact that it tells the whole story without a voiceover stands as a testament to its success.
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The video builds its narrative using two characters that are building a roof. The visuals are simple but look really beautiful. And it gets even better because of the grainy texture.
In terms of audio, there was a song that was playing in the background along with sound effects as and when needed. While it doesn't sound like much, it set a proper tone that the video built upon.
It showed why the product was worth buying with the help of different scenarios. And that was in addition to the main story. It was impressive because it was thorough even though the video didn't spend much time on the other scenarios.
Need more detailed examples? Check out our best motion graphics videos blog!
Motion graphics videos can do wonders for your brand—if only you use them the right way.
And I hope you have a clearer understanding of what the right way looks like for your brand. As with every other list of ours, this isn’t final.
We’ll be updating it as and when we come across something awesome that you should be seeing.
So stay tuned and keep checking this blog out! And let us know if there’s anything you want us to cover in the comments below.
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