Top Animation Styles For Your Next eLearning Video
Using videos in education is nothing new. For decades people have used the format to deliver messages and inform people about a whole manner of things. From instructional videos about products to helping children learn how to count and read.
In recent times, the idea of eLearning has come to the fore. This is a more focused educational strategy, where digital assets and technology make up the bulk of the materials. We commonly see eLearning used in a professional context, where it is delivered to employees to assist with ongoing training and development. However, we’re also seeing eLearning becoming a more integral part of school curriculums.
Benefits of Using Animation Styles For eLearning Videos
When it comes to eLearning video, animation styles can have a big impact on the effectiveness and overall engagement of your content. Using top animation styles for eLearning videos gives learners the opportunity to engage with content in an exciting, visually appealing way that encourages learning retention. By incorporating high-quality animations into your course materials, you can bring more life to your lessons and create a memorable learning experience.
Popular animation styles often used in eLearning videos include motion graphics, whiteboard animations, 2D and 3D animations, stop motion animation, and explainer videos. Each of these styles offers learners a unique way to interact with content that can help them stay more engaged and retain more information.
Top Animation Styles For Your Next eLearning Video
If you’ve been tasked with making an eLearning video and are planning on using animation, you might be wondering which animation styles are best. We’re here to help you out. Find out more below.
Comic Style Animation
Comic book characters and content are more popular than ever, evidenced by the incredible success of various Marvel and DC movie franchises. While the majority of these are live-action retellings of the original material, they have still encouraged a whole new generation to explore the world of comics.
Comic style animation is simply using the aesthetic and visual style found in comic books and transferring these into a video format. Comic style animation uses bright colours and cartoonish palettes, often with detailed character designs and atmospheric backgrounds and settings.
This can be an excellent option for an eLearning video. It will be immediately impactful and engaging, and you can use the stylised speech bubbles found in comic books to effectively convey and deliver information.
Stop Motion
Stop motion is an old form of animation that dates back to the mid-1800s. Stop motion is the photographing of small models, traditionally made from clay, and moving them very slightly before photographing them again. The photographs are then displayed consecutively at a rapid rate, creating the illusion of fluid movement.
Stop motion can be a highly effective technique that is both quirky and entertaining. However, it can be a complicated and time-consuming process, perhaps not suitable for beginners or those on a tight deadline.
2D Digital Animation
2D digital animation is perhaps the most popular type of animation today. It combines 2D digital assets with motion graphics to create immersive video content.
When we think of animation, chances are we’re thinking of 2D digital animation. Everything from modern cartoons to animated music videos are made using this technique. The first step in this process will be the collection of all the assets you are going to use. This includes things like characters, backgrounds, and any text or images you are going to include. Next, 2D animators will create storyboards to help them visualise what the end product will look like.
Once all the assets are organised and the video has been planned, 2D animators will then bring their project to life through the use of software. Almost all professional video editing platforms will be able to handle 2D animation, while there are also dedicated to this particular style.
2D animation can be the perfect technique to use for an eLearning video. It is easily understood and globally recognised, you’ll be able to convey your message effectively and clearly. Comic style animation and stop motion can create interesting visual effects, but at the end of the day you are trying to educate with your eLearning video, so perhaps a more traditional choice like 2D animation would be more appropriate.
Kinetic Typography
Kinetic typography is a fancy way of saying moving text. To put it simply, kinetic typography is an animation style that uses primarily or solely text-based assets to tell a story or deliver a message.
You would be forgiven for thinking that this sounds boring, but in fact kinetic typography can be extremely engaging and entertaining, animators are constantly coming up with new creative ways to use text in their projects.
Think of the slanted, scrolling text used at the beginning of Star Wars films, that is a perfect example of kinetic typography. Text can be introduced and played with on screen in a variety of different ways, with transition effects and motion techniques able to make even the most mundane words and letters eye-catching and memorable.
Using kinetic typography can be an effective approach to creating an eLearning video. However, it’s important that you don’t go overboard in your attempts to flex your creative muscles. As we touched on earlier, the main objective of your video is to educate. The last thing you want is for your text to be stylised to the point that it becomes unreadable.
Conclusion
Having a good understanding of the different animation styles available will help you choose the right fit for your eLearning video. Consider the topic, duration, and target audience when deciding which style to go with, this decision-making process will ensure that your eLearning video is as engaging and effective as possible. Animation can be a great way to provide useful information while improving engagement, so it’s important to research all available options and find the best one for your use case.
If you’ve been commissioned to make an animated eLearning video, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed with the range of options available to you. Use the advice we’ve outlined in the guide above to choose the perfect animation style for your eLearning video project.