There’s no doubt about the fact that videos have become an integral tool for brands and businesses to engage their target audience.
However, amidst so much competition out there, it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd and establish your brand’s identity.
This is exactly where incorporating 2D motion graphics into your video production process can benefit you. By using them in your visual content pieces, you can produce engaging and visually appealing videos and hook their attention.
In this article, let’s explore how you can make use of 2D motion graphics in your video production workflow:
Understanding the Basics of 2D Motion Graphics
Before we dive into the practical aspects of integrating motion graphics, it’s necessary to solidify the basics of the same.
Put simply, 2D motion graphics are animations created using 2D-based graphics such as vector shapes, and images.
By using them, static visuals can be brought to life with animation. Also, image movements and transitions can be created thus adding elements of interactivity and fun for the audience to engage.
The core components include vectors, layers, and keyframes. Vectors are simple graphics made up of points and lines that come with the flexibility of resizing and do not lose quality on scaling.
Similarly, layers are nothing but transparent sheets that are stacked on top of one another. They allow you to bring up complex animations.
Lastly, keyframes are markers that signal a change in an element’s position, size, or rotation.
Talking about the most used and known motion graphics software, it’s none other than Adobe After Effects simply because it offers an array of tools and features for producing professional quality animations including vector-based shapes, pre-built templates, and advanced keyframe animation capabilities.
Incorporating 2D Motion Graphics into Your Video Production Workflow
Since now you have a thorough understanding of what 2D motion graphics is all about, let’s jump quickly into how you can integrate the same in your production program:
Plan Your Video:
The first and foremost step in including 2D motion graphics in your video production process is to plan a video.
Before you begin to create, identify the core purpose of the video, the target audience, and the message you wish to convey.
This will largely help you determine the visual style and tone of the video, thus guiding your choice of 2D motion graphics.
Storyboard Your Video:
Once you have a clear plan in place, the next stage in your video production process is the storyboard of your video.
Storyboarding is the process of creating a visual blueprint or outline of the video, scene by scene, using hand-drawn or digital sketches.
Preparing a storyboard amazingly helps you where you can integrate motion graphics, design attractive elements and enhance the overall storytelling of the video.
Create Your 2D Motion Graphics:
Now it’s time to get started with creating motion graphics.
This is the space where you can exercise complete freedom in terms of creativity, exploration, and experimentation with various animation techniques such as kinetic typography, icons, and even character-based animations.
While you create graphics, remember to keep your target audience in mind and produce ones that help you engage and hook their audience.
Integrate Your 2D Motion Graphics into Your Video:
After creating your motion graphics, it’s time for their integration into your video.
Now this involves adding those graphics to the respective scenes in your storyboard and then animating them with the help of keyframes.
Here, Adobe After Effects can be of great help as it provides a user-friendly interface for this process and also allows you to see a live preview of your animation as and when you make changes.
Polish Your Video:
Finally, the last step in incorporating 2D motion graphics into your video production workflow is to polish the video to avoid any errors.
This involves adding final touches such as color grading, sound design, and text overlays.
Applying these touches can ensure the quality of your video and leave a lasting impact on the overall user-viewing experience thus making it stand out from the competition.
Enhancing Your Video Production with 2D Motion Graphics
Adding 2D motion graphics to your workflow for video production may improve it in a number of ways.
By grabbing the audience’s attention and maintaining their interest in your content, it may, firstly, enhance engagement.
Your audience will be more receptive to your message if you employ 2D motion graphics to communicate difficult information in a visually appealing and understandable manner.
Also, integrating 2D motion graphics might aid in increasing brand recognition.
You may assist generate a distinctive brand identity that will stick in the minds of your viewers by developing a similar visual style throughout all of your films.
Real-life Examples of Successful Video Projects that Incorporate 2D Motion Graphics
Let’s take a look at some real-life examples of successful video projects that incorporate 2D motion graphics.
Dropbox – How it Works:
Dropbox, a provider of cloud storage, produced a film that uses 2D motion graphics to describe how their service operates.
The video has a vibrant and captivating visual aesthetic that draws viewers in and maintains their interest throughout.
The use of 2D motion graphics aids in the simplification of technical explanations, making them more understandable to a wider audience.
HubSpot – The Power of Visual Storytelling
The inbound marketing firm HubSpot produced a film that examines the effectiveness of visual storytelling.
To illustrate the ideas presented, the film combines live-action footage with 2D motion graphics.
By bringing the visual narrative to life, 2D motion graphics serve to provide viewers with an enjoyable and lasting experience.
Google – Year in Search
Every year, Google releases a film titled “Year in Search” that highlights the year’s most important moments and trends.
Live-action footage and 2D motion graphics are used in the film to assist highlight the numerous themes and events that are covered.
The use of 2D motion graphics enhances the video’s interactivity and engagement, giving viewers a captivating and lasting experience.
Conclusion
To say the least, incorporating 2D motion graphics can largely help you reach a global audience and expand your brand’s presence.
By strengthening the basics of the same as stated above, you can easily create high-quality animated videos that stand out from your competitors.
Author Bio:
Komal Kokate is the Co-Founder & CEO of MotionGility – An Animated Motion Graphic Video Production Company based out of Pennsylvania, USA.
Her areas of expertise include business development and explainer video production.
With her disciplined attitude and knack for creativity, she and her team have delivered result-oriented and winning videos to hundreds of clients globally.