We respond to and process visual information better than any other type of data. In fact, the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. These are just a couple of reasons why animation is a great tool to tell stories or impart information.
Narrative, design, character, movement, voice over and music can come together harmoniously to make amazingly engaging animated content. But with the average person having an attention span shorter than a goldfish’s, how do you ensure the style and substance of an animation sends a strong message that your audience won’t forget?
In the imaginary animated world, we can sculpt the moon out of cheese, bring toys to life and make animals dance and sing. When needed it can also help us approach difficult topics without negative emotional baggage or the subjectivity of seeing real people.
We are limited only by the bounds of the imagination. Using the imagination of artists, children, society or even artificial intelligence (Ai & Machine learning) we can visualise things that don’t exist and re-interpret things that do. Complicated concepts can be conveyed simply, and conversely, simple stories can inhabit rich textured worlds such as in this hand-drawn animation we did at Morever for the United Nations International Labour Organisation to help them tell the story of the realities of life for those in forced labour:
Morever work with charities on animation projects regularly, so here are some design and process tips to help guide you when approaching your next animation.
Interrogate that brief
Sometimes, what is wanted and what is required, differ. Briefs need interrogation and sometimes they should be challenged. Elaborating or re-writing a brief in partnership with a client can be an important early stage in developing the right kind of animation for your cause.
The copywriters’ mantra of ‘Give me the freedom of a tight brief’ rings true here. Total freedom or what we call an ‘open brief’ is fine if you are Pixar and have years of development budget and time available. But for charities this is never an option.
Define the audience & outcome
This is an important early step. Start by asking:
- Who are we talking to?
- What outcome do you want from them?
- Does the target demographic historically engage with the subject matter, or do they need a very defined push? Are the audience and outcomes as aligned as possible?
- Is your audience emotionally or practically led? Are they cold or warm to the charity and its issues and information?
- What channels will the finished piece be on and how much noise will it have to compete with?
These insights can be really useful when coming up with a ‘blueprint’ for your project.
It’s also beneficial to consult a steering group made up of a cross section of the audience/demographic and give them a say in the project. Their input can be invaluable throughout the process and especially later on when practical things like the speed and style of movement are being designed. It is particularly pertinent when the target audience is made up of people living with long term conditions, cognitive impairments or degenerative diseases.
For example, we recently worked with the Stroke Association on an explainer animation which needed to be understood by stroke survivors experiencing wide-ranging symptoms. The charity had clinicians and stroke survivors in their project team whose feedback influenced everything from the design of visuals through to the pacing, voiceover and animation style:
Streamline your project team
Having a streamlined and highly engaged project team is essential. Defining this group as early as possible can keep projects more efficient. It means they are close to the workflow – knowing what to expect to see and when.
Seeing the evolution of artwork and having the inside info on why a certain placeholder prop has been used or why the colour has been chosen means they have the clarity to focus their feedback.
Diverse comments from a larger group in the early stages can be useful but keeping it to a minimum and a smaller group during later stages of production can keep a lid on costs.
It is really worth noting that unforeseen changes to an animation during late stages can be much more complicated and costly than most people imagine. As a client it is always worth flagging at the start if late changes are likely. The production team can then try to build in the relevant flexibility to enable this.
Collating and cross-referencing feedback from larger groups is also an important aspect of the process and one which the client-side team should have a handle on. The less time your agency spends doing this, the more time they will have to refine the product to make it better.
Set the right tone
The tone is what drives the visual language, words, music and the pacing and is incredibly important to get right. Audience research can really help to inform tone and working with stakeholders and steering groups can help to refine and test it.
Tone can also be influenced by the wider strategy of a campaign as well as the time of year / cultural festivals such as Christmas and Eid etc.
Using the collective consciousness of the widest audience can drive real engagement but it can also compete with your message, so getting the tone right for the right time is key. This 2019 stop-motion piece from the Wildlife Trust is a good example of this. By using a well-known story, and existing characters that the target audience is familiar with, this piece challenges perceptions and plays on emotion in a clever and thoughtful way while also delivering visually rich entertainment.
Style & scripting
Story is almost always the most important element! Let the script drive the visual in style as well as narrative by writing it first. That’s not to say they should ‘match’ as such, you could tell a very serious story with children’s cartoon characters for instance. But try to make the style have something to ‘say’ about the story. Explaining a complicated process to your audience may require simple visuals and careful pacing.
Conversely a simple emotional story may need the audience to build real engagement, often meaning more intensive visual development work to get the style right.
A rough sketch may say more than shiny rendered CGI. Compare something like The Tale of The Princess Kaguya with its almost rough style with the CGI extravaganza that is Pacific Rim.
For example, we worked with Tommy’s on several science-led animations, part of a wider campaign we delivered, which required accurate but simple depictions with gentle movement:
Economy of information is essential. What do you actually need to say vs what do you want to say? Our working memory holds very little information and after two minutes of watching an average person will remember a maximum of four things. Use your audience steering group again here to help the number of messages optimal and the language plain, accessible but also genuine. If you have five or more take-aways that you want people to remember it might be time to think about splitting the information across several shorter animations.
Below are some tips to help retention:
- Saying it and seeing it at the same time – reinforcement always aids retention but be careful as too much repetition can turn viewers off.
- Entertain, don’t just recount. We are so familiar with animation. It is indelibly tagged in our brain from childhood, that we expect to be entertained when we see it as adults.
- Try to weave in language which reflects the tone and use metaphor for the wider concepts you are talking about.
If you’d like to speak to Morever about an animation project, then please get in touch with [email protected].
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Banner Image: Francesco Ungaro on Pexels