design in motion
There are traditional and not-so-traditional methods of animation, each technique has it’s own aesthetic that can be used to entertain, promote and educate an audience. Choosing the method that works for your project is something worth discussing and planning.
This traditional animation technique, often referred to as flipbook animation or the stop-motion method, brings a flipbook to life. It’s an old-school style of animation where each frame is drawn individually, with incremental changes in each image creating the illusion of motion. This is the method used to create early animated classics like “Steamboat Willie” (1928).
While frame-by-frame animation offers animators complete control over their characters’ movements and interactions with their environment, it is incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive. This is why it is less popular today. Animators must draw every single frame, and since most animated videos run at a minimum of 12 frames per second (FPS), the workload can be overwhelming.
Keyframe computer animation significantly reduces the time-consuming work associated with traditional stop-motion. In simple terms, keyframe animation allows you to use computers to set the ‘key frames’ of a character’s movement—such as the beginning, middle, and end—and the computer renders the frames in between. This process saves immense amounts of time and effort, making animation more accessible to a wider range of brands.
Additionally, keyframe animation is incredibly flexible. Once you understand the technical aspects, you can apply your brand guidelines to create a diverse range of animated characters and styles that complement and match your brand.
2D animation’s versatility, accessibility, and artistic potential make it a valuable tool across diverse applications, enabling creators to communicate ideas, entertain audiences, and educate learners effectively.
3D animation introduces depth to the animation equation, creating a dynamic environment that allows marketers to craft realistic settings, characters, objects, textures, and lighting. This adds a new level of vitality to their videos. Most modern animated movies utilize this animation style. Films like “Despicable Me,” “Frozen,” and “Toy Story” are just a few examples of the thousands of 3D-animated movies produced in recent years.
Stop motion animation is a captivating technique where physical objects are meticulously manipulated and photographed frame by frame to create the illusion of movement. Each tiny adjustment is captured in a single frame, and when the frames are played in sequence, the objects appear to move on their own. This labor-intensive process requires immense patience and attention to detail, as animators must carefully position and photograph each movement. Despite its time-consuming nature, stop motion animation offers a unique, tangible quality that digital animation cannot replicate. It has been used in iconic films such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Wallace & Gromit,” showcasing its ability to bring a charming and distinct aesthetic to the screen.