With so many different ways to convey a message or promote a product or service, there is no dearth of formats when it comes to animated videos being made by brands and companies. One such format is 2D character animation, where one or more characters are brought to life by animating them.
Given the massive popularity and widespread usage of 2D character animation videos, let us discuss the following:
• Why use animated videos?
• What is 2D animation?
• What is the difference between 2D and 3D animation?
• What are the advantages of 2D animation?
• What are some good examples of 2D character animation videos?
So, why should you use animated videos?
Well, animation is one visual format that cuts across geographies and demographics, appealing to people of all kinds. So, as a business, using animation for creating explainer videos can truly help you reach your target audience, no matter who or where they are.
Another strong reason to choose animation as your format is that it is visually appealing and highly engaging – so there are high chances of people watching, enjoying and remembering the video.
Professional 2D animation video creation companies are skilled in luring customers. They generate novel and original thoughts as a result. It becomes much more provocative when used to promote a brand. For instance, the intricacy of the major characters in 2D animated films might vary. Simple drawings or more detailed sketches are also acceptable. To be clear, they are free to follow the rules established by the client and are fulfilling all of their requirements.
Animated explainer videos have yielded incredible results for brands and businesses in the past and continue to do so even today. As a format that resonates with all kinds of people, 2D animated explainer videos are the go-tochoice for companies that wish to:
• Convey a brand message
• Explain an idea, concept or business offering
• Launch a new product in the market
• Promote a product or service
• Demonstrate the utility and features of a product
• Educate the audience about the usage of a product or service
What is 2D animation? What is the difference between 2D and 3D animation?
2D animation involves the creation of movement in a two-dimensional space. Think classic television shows like The Simpsons, Bugs Bunny, South Park, The Jungle Book and Rick and Morty. In 2D animation, thousands of images are compiled together and run as film at 24 frames per second.
3D animation, on the other hand, allows content makers to create more realistic-looking objects or characters. Techniques like shading, texturing and lighting can further help these objects look solid in a three-dimensional perspective. Some good examples of 3D animation are – Toy Story 4, Frozen, The Incredibles, How to Train Your Dragon and Shrek.
While both 2D and 3D animation videos are relevant and popular, some work better than the others, depending on the subject at hand and the motive of the video.
How can brands create an impact with 2d character animation?
brands are constantly seeking innovative ways to capture attention, connect with their audience, and create a lasting impact. One powerful tool that can help achieve these goals is 2D character animation. By leveraging the charm and versatility of animated characters, brands can effectively convey their messages, tell compelling stories, and leave a memorable impression on their target audience. Here are some key ways brands can create an impact with 2D character animation.
Establish a relatable brand personality: 2D character animation allows brands to personify their values, mission, and brand identity through animated characters. By carefully crafting characters that resonate with your target audience, you can establish a relatable brand personality that fosters emotional connections. Whether it’s a friendly mascot, a relatable hero, or a charismatic spokesperson, characters can bring your brand to life and make it more approachable and relatable.
Tell engaging brand stories: Storytelling is a powerful tool in marketing, and 2D character animation provides a dynamic medium to tell engaging brand stories. Characters can be the protagonists in narratives that highlight your brand’s unique selling points, showcase product benefits, or evoke emotions. Through well-crafted narratives, brands can captivate their audience, build anticipation, and create memorable experiences that leave a lasting impact.
Increase brand recognition: Consistent use of animated characters in your branding efforts can significantly increase brand recognition. When viewers see your characters consistently across different marketing channels and campaigns, they form a strong association between the characters and your brand. Over time, this association can enhance brand recall and make your brand more recognizable in a crowded marketplace.
Simplify complex information: 2D character animation is an excellent tool for simplifying complex information. Characters can be used to explain intricate concepts, demonstrate product features, or guide users through processes. By presenting information in a visually appealing and engaging way, brands can make complex ideas more accessible, memorable, and easier to understand for their audience.
Foster emotional connections: Animated characters have the ability to evoke emotions and create a sense of connection with the audience. Whether it’s through humor, empathy, or shared experiences, well-designed characters can elicit emotional responses that resonate with viewers. By tapping into these emotions, brands can forge stronger connections, build trust, and establish long-lasting relationships with their customers.
Enhance brand recall: Memorable characters have the power to stay in the minds of your audience long after they have engaged with your brand. A well-designed and likable 2D character can become a memorable symbol of your brand, leading to improved brand recall. This can be particularly valuable in competitive markets where standing out and being remembered is crucial.
What are the advantages of 2D animation?
The biggest advantage of 2D animation, like we mentioned above, is the fact that it can effectively cater to all kinds of people, age groups, geographies and demographics. The benefits of using 2D character animation for business explainer videos is that this type of animated video establishes an instant connect with the viewer, getting them involved and invested in the narrative quickly.
2D animation offers you a whole lot of options and variety that you can experiment with, so there is no limit to how creative you can get with character animation in a video. Here are some of the best 2D animated explainer videos we have created for our clients in the past.
What are some good examples of 2D character animation videos?
The following list of videos has been curated to help you understand the aforementioned benefits better. Check out some of the most brilliant 2D character animation videos made by brands and businesses below.
1. Flipkart’s Seller Wallet – A Revolutionary Solution for Sellers
The Flipkart Seller Wallet is a one-stop solution that helps your business grow. This 2D animation video leverages bright colours and a likeable, relatable middle-aged character to explain the benefits of advertising with Flipkart.
2. South Trail Kia Commercial
Friendly, light-hearted and fun to watch, this South Trail Kia Commercial introduces the viewer to a couple of well-designed 2D characters which stay with us throughout the video. The fantastic 2D animation and wonderful transitions add dynamism to the video, making it an entertaining viewing experience (even though it is promotional in nature). You will also notice how various 2D animation elements and graphics are utilized here to explain the process and features.
3. Roll – The Simplest Way to Manage Your Business and Projects
Another well-crafted 2D animation video, this one manages to get the message across by using a mix of mechanical characters and smart animation. The mechanical characters used like string-puppets along with the rolling ball bearing adds an air of freshness and originality to the video, engaging you right from the start. The clever use of metaphors is another thing that makes the video even more interesting. Apart from the quality of visuals, the unique way of presenting the concept and explaining the features or USPs is what makes it one of our favourite character animation videos.
4. Dash Buttons by Amazon – The Future is Now
Dash Buttons by Amazon, in their own words, is a new way to do things. To do justice to their concept, they had to create a video that showed the viewer that the future really is now. This video manages to explain and convince you about this novel concept by using high-quality 2D animation, together with a futuristic setting and well-animated characters.
5. Compliance Made Easy with TraQtion
TraQtion is a cloud-based software that helps retailers and manufacturers with supplier, product and site compliance management. The use of cool colours, multiple icons and animated graphics is one of the standouts of this video. It makes use of the kind of character animation that we have seen in Microsoft’s animated videos.
6. Time2Match
By far one of our personal favourites, this Time2Match service video is a joy to watch since it is so easy on the eye and brings something new to the table. A service that helps people organize tournaments for non-pro players, with stats, ranks and schedules, this interesting topic needed an equally interesting video to explain the concept to the audience. The expertly-designed animated characters and the tennis court backdrop do complete justice to the subject at hand. Modern, young, playful and sporty, the 2D character animation video is vibrant and pleasing on the eye.
7. Why Employee Recognitionis Essential for Performance Management
Simple yet immensely effective, this animated video helps the viewer understand why employee recognition is important and why organizations should create a strong and positive work culture for employee retention and success.
8. Swiggy SUPER: It’s What You’ve Been Waiting For
After Swiggy’sresounding success, here is another programme that lets users unlock unlimited free home deliveries, orders from restaurants that are far, and ordering at any time of the day or night (plus no surge pricing). With so many USPs and benefits to be highlighted, the makers of the video have used efficient 2D animation to explain it all – crisply.
9. UrbanClap PlayStore Video
From explaining problem areas and introducing a solution to explaining features– this UrbanClap video is all things good! With very Indian characters, the 2D animation video is really relatable for people it is meant for.
10. Send with Confidence – Grammarly
Grammarly is a handy tool for anyone and everyone. The Grammarly animation video is simple and old-school-yet-effective in its approach. It establishes everyday situations that we face while writing and explains the utility of this tool in a concise and clear way.
11. Water Stewardship at Nestlé
Minimalistic and straightforward, this animated video explains how Nestlé protects and manages water resources, ensuring sustainability. This video is a great example of how a novel and unique concept can be explained using 2D animation.
12. Where does gold come from?
CERN scientist David Lunney’s explanation of where gold comes from is perfectly encapsulated in this 2D animation video. The 2D cartoons used in this video are funny and grab the viewer’s attention, engaging you in the narrative instantly. At Toolbox Studio, we love cooking up 2D animated videos like this one – it is on our list because of its sheer quality of animation, creative visuals and powerful narrative.
13. Alexa Auto – Overview
Alexa already helps you simplify your life – and now you can take her with you on the go. From playing music and asking for directions, to making calls and controlling your smart home, the video explains how Alexa works, using quality 2D animation elements and captivating graphics. The simple 2D animated characters are shown using Alexa Auto, showing the audience how it can be used.
14. Introducing the Trivago Talent Community
Trivago’s 2D character animation video showcases how the company enables people to follow their passion and convert it into a profession when the time is right. The example-based narrative helps hook in the target audience and make the video relatable.
15. Amazon Business Prime Shipping
Here’s a B2B video that manages to engage, educate and make you smile – all at the same time. The wonderfully-crafted 2D characters are animated well to take the narrative forward. They are put into relatable situations and settings so that the message is easily conveyed to the viewer. Another notable aspect of this animated video is the use of colours – you will notice how the backdrop is made up of whites and greys so that the other colours used for characters and highlighting elements stand out.
Importance of 2D animated characters
2D animated characters are crucial in various forms of media, including films, TV shows, video games, and advertisements. They bring life and personality to the story, helping to engage and entertain the audience. 2D animation is also a cost-effective way to bring characters to life, making it accessible for a wide range of projects, from small indie games to large-scale film productions.
2D animated characters also have the ability to convey emotions and express a wide range of personalities, making them an effective tool for storytelling. They can evoke empathy, humor, and excitement in the audience, and can be used to convey important messages and lessons.
Moreover, 2D animation is a versatile medium that can be easily adapted to different cultures and languages, making it accessible to a global audience. The iconic characters and stories created through 2D animation have become a staple in popular culture and have left a lasting impact on audiences.
3 reasons to partner with Toolbox Studio for 2D cartoon characters
If you need a professional agency to help you with 2D character animation videos, Toolbox can be your right pick. Here’s why:
We concentrate on your goals
Each 2D video is made with your company’s goals in mind.
Research & Insights
Our team investigates your product. As a result, we create the ideal message that clarifies what you do and makes people care.
Our tried-and-true procedure
A 3-stage production pipeline is developed to offer our clients top-notch results.
So, that’s our list of some of the best 2D character animation videos out there. At Toolbox Studio, we work with brands and organizations to create custom 2D animated videos that stand out and convey the message. If you are looking for a 2D animation company or a partner who can help you craft a stellar animated explainervideo for your business offering, we are just a call away!
Get in touch with our team to understand our 2D animation services and solutions today!
