Explanimation (Explanatory animation) is a way to explain concepts, systems, devices or processes. Almost anything – from the political issue of the day to the workings of a swiss watch – can be explained in a clear and engaging way using this medium. It’s economical to produce and distribute and, with some good art direction, is adaptable to any type of branding.
In this article we look at the options for explaining something to an online audience – and why we think explanimation is one of the most the powerful communication tools available.
Why do we need to explain stuff?
All online content has some overall purpose – to inform, to entertain, or to elicit a specific behaviour in a viewer, such as making a purchase. Most of these situations require a degree of explanation. People won’t buy what they don’t understand. Explaining things clearly demonstrates expertise and helps builds trust.
What’s wrong with just describing something?
Words are the backbone of all internet content, and almost all visual content (such as video and images) relies on text to provide context and detail. The problem occurs when large amounts of text are relied upon to convey important points.
Numerous studies have shown that, rather than working carefully through information end-to-end, web users tend to hop and skip between the key bits of information that are most obvious on a page, scanning rather than reading. Users will often skip large blocks of text, especially if they have spotted a more visually engaging version somewhere else.
OK, so I’ll just add some pictures to the text.
Images – whether photos or illustrations – convey a lot of information very quickly, such as general form, size, scale, colour, spatial relationships etc. Illustration can also convey visual metaphors such as flowcharts. Pie charts and bar graphs are common examples of infographics; ways to visualise data so the viewer draws meaning from it.
Transitions through time – such as movement, speed and frequency – are harder to represent using images. Photos can only convey movement using clues – for example, if something is blurred, then we infer that it is moving. Photos can imply a bigger story, but essentially the information captured is about one moment, frozen in time.
In an illustration, symbols (such as arrows) can be used. This works for simple movements, but still requires cognitive effort to decode the symbols. The skill of the illustrator and the ability (or patience) of the viewer will determine how well they ‘get it’.
OK, OK – I need video, right?
Right! Video, whether its source is live-action footage or some form of animation, can effectively replace huge quantities of text and images. If done well, it demands very little of the user other than they sit still for a couple of minutes.
Before I extol the virtues of explanimation as a specific form of video, here’s some impressive facts about online video.
Video content is more engaging than text.
The average visitor looks at a website for 48 seconds. This average increases by 2 minutes when a website has a video on the page. Products promoted with video are 64% more likely to be purchased (Comscore, 2010).
Online video is huge
For an increasing number of organisations it is an essential communication tool. 29.6 million people in uk viewed streamed video in April 2011 (Nielsen, 2011). Video is predicted to make up 90% of all internet traffic by 2013* (Cisco, 2011).
Video drives search traffic
Youtube is already the 2nd biggest search engine after Google*, therefore online video should be a key part of any serious search engine marketing campaign.
Video content improves rankings
Websites with correctly optimised video content are fifty-three times more likely to appear on the first page of Google search results (Forester Research).
It’s clear that online video is no longer a novelty – it is becoming essential. But where does Explanimation fit in to this picture? Let’s look at some of the main ways you can create video content:
Live-action Video
Live-action video is easy to make – you just need a video camera and something to film. The cost of entry-level professional video is pretty low. However, these are some potential disadvantages of the format:
‘Talking Heads’ are dull
Someone explaining a product to camera is not necessarily any better than reading about it from text. You can’t absorb the information at your own pace, and there’s a good chance you’ll be distracted by the Managing Director’s nosehair, or the odd way he pronounces “specific.”
Cheap video looks… cheap
Although video equipment is very cheap, it still requires skill, experience and good lighting to make a good video. Cheap videos tend to look cheap and, for an organisation trying to demonstrate credibility or prestige, this could be an own-goal.
This product has a ‘face for radio’
Products videos can be very informative, but it depends completely on the type of product. Some products are hard to film in a meaningful way – for example a video of an air source heat pump will tell you that it’s a big grey box with a fan in, but nothing about how it works. Some products – like medical devices – you might not want to film!
How do I film an idea?
Processes are also difficult to capture. Abstract or invisible processes, like the movement of heat, are hard to show using video. Mechanical processes can be tricky to film in a way which draws the viewers attention to the right things – and this is the key reason on which any sort of visual explanation will succeed or fail.
Explanimation, however, can look highly polished and professional even on a small budget. It tends to use the minimum detail necessary to get the point across; less is more. You can include infographics to help visualise data and you don’t have to include things that don’t look good on camera, or the MDs nosehair. Abstract concepts can be presented visually. The whole thing can be styled to match the organiation’s branding perfectly.
CGI / Virtual Reality / 3D Rendering
CGI is everywhere, and it is an extremely powerful medium. You can create hugely atmospheric and immersive visual environments. It’s possible to depict entire scenes that don’t exist or could never be filmed. These are some of the drawbacks:
“If it’s not perfect, it looks wrong”
Audiences are used to seeing photorealistic renderings through their exposure to videogames and animated films. If it isn’t done brilliantly, you tend to notice the parts of the animation that are not realistic, disctacting you from the main subject.
“What am I supposed to be looking at?”
Dense, rich background detail such as leaves on trees can be visually stunning and highly atmospheric, but often do not convey any real information. They add to cognitive load – the effort required to watch something – without adding any clarity to the learning points.
“This is Fantasy”
Some people don’t trust 3D renderings – they see them as representing a ‘dreamworld’ which doesn’t necessarily translate. Like concept cars, and architect’s sketches, the real-world product may end up looking pretty disappointing by comparison.
“They must have money to burn”
Good 3D is expensive to direct and produce. It may produce a significant ‘wow’ factor, but that can work against some products, particularly if the product is actually a low-cost solution. A cinema-quality 3D visualisation might be seen as indulgence on the part of the company.
By contrast, Explanimation does not ‘try’ to look real. It can look as indulgent or down-to-earth as the branding demands, and it only shows what is necessary. It’s still possible to show relationships in 3D space, without needing hundreds of hours of rendering time to produce.
Character Animation
Animated characters, from hand-painted 2D cartoons like Mickey Mouse to the 3D CGI of Toy Story – have been with us for over a century and, despite massive changes in technology, the basic appeal of using a character to explain something is as strong as ever.
Effective and entertaining though it can be, there are some potential pitfalls:
“This isn’t my sort of thing”
A character’s appeal is highly dependent on the age, outlook and cultural profile of the viewer. A strong character may make a great connection with certain audiences, but alienate others.
Good characters may have instant appeal but are not a substitute for good content, and once the novelty has worn off, the character may become a distraction.
“This isn’t funny”
If we percieve the video to be entertainment rather than straightforward information, we may apply very high expectations. We are all used to scripts as good as The Simpsons, and production values as good as Toy Story. There is danger that the viewer will be disappointed.
“Cartoons are for children”
There is still a perception of this as a being a children’s medium – although that has been challenged to some extent by more adult cartoons such as South Park. There is a danger of inadvertently patronising the audience.
Explanimation can include characters – where the audience is well-defined, and it will create a more engaging experience – but it does not rely on it or attempt to compete with animation that is purely entertainment.
Why Explanimation works so well
Explanimation take a potentially complex subject, distill it into key components and convey it using various combinations of illustration, characters, storylines, movement, colour, text, and sound, and humour.
- More focussed and flexible than live-action video
- More concise and efficient than 3D / CGI
- Broader audience than character animation
These are our guiding principles for the creation of a good, effective, explanimation:
Objective & Transparent
Explanimation objectively explains how something works. It is an important sales tool but it should be self-contained and distinct from a sales pitch. This has the practical effect of making the content more useful to the world at large and, therefore, more likely to be shared.
Information, not entertainment
Explanimation is not entertainment. Therefore, it does not need to compete with other entertainment formats. It needs to deliver the information quickly, clearly and memorably.
A ‘Lean’ Approach
The job of the explanimation is to deliver the main concept without wasting the viewers’ time or risk losing their attention by cramming in excess detail.
We see this evolving industry as a hugely exciting area of communication, with real, measurable benefits to organisations that use it.
We’d love to hear your views – please feel free to comment below.
P.S. As a 30-something male working in digital media, I am culturally obliged to use the word ‘awesome’ at least once in all online postings, so here goes.. Explanimation is awesome. There.
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