2D explainer videos have been around for a number of years but are more popular now than ever.
The reasons are simple - they’re:
- easy to make compared to other types of marketing videos
- cost-effective
- possibilities with 2D motion graphics are endless.
Let’s take a look at 10 of the top 2D motion graphics explainer videos for 2023.
Interested in an explainer video?
1. CaraKit
Since an explainer video is still marketing content, it's important to get right into the rhythm and mood of the target audience. The key to getting your message accepted and received lies in this small yet important element.
The CaraKit 2D explainer is all about creating a mood with its visuals, voice, and sound design. With floral design patterns, the creators showcased empathy and compassion to potential customers.
Using warm colors and a soothing voice-over, the video builds a gentle environment, capturing the viewer with engaging content.
2. YouLocal
One of the ways to get viewers more focused on your video message is actually doing less and utilizing minimal design. Minimalism is one of the most popular design styles for 2D motion graphics explainer videos, helping creators develop more concentrated and engaging concepts.
By picking non-complex character and color solutions, you can direct more attention to your marketing messages. Additionally, you can create content that never gets old.
The YouLocal video successfully uses minimalism in their explainer video - the simple animation flows in complete unity with the narration, creating a deeper connection to the message. It’s a great example of a minimalistic explainer video.
3. Animals
Explainer videos and advertising videos are different as far as marketing content, but sometimes the boundaries between these two overlap.
The ''Animals'' video is that piece of marketing content that could be considered both an explainer video and an advertising video. It showcases the explanation in a light manner without getting into details or technical nuances. Relying heavily on benefits, this video could work across traditional and digital mediums.
Watching this video, we see how the creators use of animal characters bypasses the potentially awkward challenge of showing real humans with different body types. Plus, watching animals is a lot more fun.
4. Creativity Explained - On Color
If you want to make your narration more colorful and imaginative, then motion graphics could be the best solution. It gives flexibility to develop even the most difficult-to-visualize ideas.
Eddie Opara's "Creativity Explained / On Color" video explains what color is. With a multitude of colors and shapes, they created a fantastic explanation that plays organically with the story and captures attention.
The ways motion graphics can be used to create explainer videos are limitless, and by choosing this option, the only limit you'll have is your imagination.
5. There’s More to Explore
A white background is a marketing trick that helps enhance the focus on the spokesperson.
This is one of the things we frequently see in videos from Google. With the ''There’s More to Explore'' video, let’s take a look at Google’s usage of implementing white screen in their explainer videos.
The first thing that catches our attention is the original colors of Google. On the white background it immediately recalls the brand.
In a straight and simple manner, the explanation along with visuals leave the viewers engaged and focused on the video. It’s classic explainer video with an elaborate scheme.
A 2D animated explainer video is a favorite type of marketing for Google. They almost always create their explainer videos using 2D motion graphics, so keep an eye on our blogs to see the next explainer video masterpiece from them.
6. Family
An explainer video for every demographic. This is the concept of 2D animated explainer videos that Airbnb uses to target different groups.
Considering the fact that the human brain has short attention spans, this marketing decision works perfectly. It allows the possibility to create short videos, usually less than 30 seconds, showing topics that can be pinpointed to a specific group. Narrowing down every demographic, the Airbnb team created the "Airbnb Family" video, targeting only those who have big families and require a special approach.
When you show something very specific regarding your target demo, it immediately captures their attention, almost guaranteeing a big success. For those who want to target different demographics, short animated videos for each group could be the best solution we’ve talked about so far.
7. McDonald’s Wants to Know Your Order Before You Do
2D explainer videos are way more affordable compared to 3D, stop motion, traditional, or even live-action explainer videos.
But being more affordable doesn't mean being less effective. Today you'll see many big companies using this style of animation; for them it’s not a matter of budget but more about the ability to create unique and engaging visuals that can quickly grab the viewer's attention and help make the narration more impressive and understandable.
Even big brands such as McDonald's use this style of animation. With the "McDonald’s Wants to Know Your Order Before You Do" video, they explain how data and technologies help McDonald’s to develop their services.
Watching this video (created using only 2D motion graphics) we see that 2D motion graphics indeed is one of the best styles of animation, and can create a spectacular combination of graphical elements that contribute to making the explanation more meaningful and memorable.
8. Hands
To create a successful 2D explainer video as a creator, you need to find unique design solutions that will build a connection between the story and visuals to enrich the perception of your marketing material.
The "Cree" video is one of the best examples of this. Ever thought that a light could be a main character? Turning light into magic hands following and lighting the way makes this video special and memorable. Creating such a captivating visual idea will no doubt make a memorable impression in the mind of anyone who watches it.
9. What Causes Hallucinations
According to TED-Ed, YouTube users have watched TED-Ed animations for over 23 million hours in 2019 alone. This is huge, right? Imagine how you could increase the interest around your own brand with only animated explainer videos.
The “What Causes Hallucinations” video is one of those works that with just the use of animation, makes it so much more easy to understand a pretty complicated issue. Using the right compositions, even the most complicated topics can become easy and understandable.
10. Quickbooks Online + Etsy
This video made for Quickbooks does a great job by breaking down the easiness of managing an ETSY business with the Quickbooks platform in a comprehensible way.
Targeting only ETSY users, the video supports and anchors the main idea of the convenience of having Quickbooks as a supplemental software. By accentuating the visuals with handmade elements and integrating all the major colors from the ETSY platform, it puts the emphasis on the fact that everything inside the platform is oriented to ETSY users.
In 60 seconds, this video successfully convinces any ETSY user that Quickbooks is a great solution for managing their online store finances.
Final Words
2D explainer videos are here to stay. They look great, have endless opportunities for design and narration, and best of all are very cost-effective. If you are interested in creating a 2D animated explainer video for your business, contact us at any time. Our expert strategists are always happy to give a free consultation.
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