The 8 Best Motion Graphics Videos
Motion Graphics videos are becoming increasingly popular in marketing, and it’s easy to understand why. They’re visually appealing, great for explaining complex products and concepts, and they encourage visual learning. They also leave unlimited room for the creator’s imagination. If you can dream it, you can animate it.
So, what are the best motion graphics videos of all time? The answer depends on who you ask; however, we’ve compiled a list of inspiring examples that we really like. These creative and captivating animations will make you think about video marketing, and perhaps also life, in a different way.
Related reading: Animated Video vs. Live-Action Video
The last job on Earth – The Guardian
Animated videos can be a powerful way to tell stories where you want to convey feelings, moods, or atmospheres. This dystopian video by The Guardian shows us a world where robots have taken over all human tasks, and people have essentially made themselves obsolete. The video, stating that scientists predict machines could take over 50% of our jobs in the coming years, paints a picture of a bleak future. Without using any words, it manages to transmit a feeling of complete alienation, as we get to follow Alice, holder of the last job on Earth, through her last day before a computer makes her redundant.
A Flag On the Moon – MTV Studios
One of the great things about motion graphics is that the only limitation to what can be created is imagination. When filming real-world scenes and people, there are always limits to what’s possible, but with animations, it’s completely feasible to move through time, space, and elements without huge budgets or VFX. This little animation from MTV studios showcases this very well.
A New Way We’re Fighting Discrimination – Airbnb
When it comes to explaining things that have technical aspects, few mediums are better than animated video. With motion graphics, it’s easy to illustrate how things like data and IT solutions work, concepts that can otherwise be quite tricky to explain and visualize. This video from Airbnb introduces Project Lighthouse, an initiative launched by Airbnb to uncover, measure, and prevent discrimination when hosting or booking on Airbnb. The video manages to cover both the technical aspects of data privacy and the humans that the tech is there to protect in a way that is both convincing and builds trust.
Ask Me Hear Me
Sometimes you want to let real people tell their stories while at the same time protecting their identity. A pressing health issue today is that 1 in 5 young people suffer from mental health issues, and 20% of them never receive any help. When we were commissioned to create a video for Ask Me Hear Me, a web app that helps break down the stigmas around mental health problems, we decided to let young people tell their stories, but with animated characters playing them out. The result was both moving and informative.
Fun & Games – Bullpen
Sometimes, animated video can be used to juxtapose the often childlike aesthetic of motion graphics with serious topics to provoke a reaction. This tongue-in-cheek video seems innocent at first but quickly turns nightmarish. It makes us think about the games we design and give to our children by using vibrant-colored toy-like animations to illustrate dark themes like gambling, weapons, and drugs. The message is clear; it’s all fun and games. Until it isn’t.
I’m Happy (a poem) – Big Brother Big Sisters
We won a Gold and Silver Addy for this animated explainer video that we created for BBBS of Greater Pittsburgh. It’s a social media commercial that premiered during Big Brothers Big Sisters’ most notable event of the year, and that later ran on Facebook and Instagram. It tells the story of a “Little” describing her time with her “Big” mentor. She wrote and read the poem; we recorded her reading it and developed the visuals.
10K – Will Pietsch
Sometimes, even just a short animated blurb on Instagram can efficiently capture your audience’s attention and reinforce your message or your brand. Animator Will Pietch, for example, published this happy mini motion graphic to celebrate the milestone of 10,000 followers on Instagram.
Microsoft Icons | Diverse and Connected – Microsoft
A creative video can be a wonderfully thoughtful way of saying thanks to your team or building internal pride about your brand or product. This video was made in collaboration with the Microsoft Design team to honor and thank all the people who collaborated on developing the new system of Microsoft icons. The film celebrates the skills and the creative process that went into making this beautiful and coherent icon system.
How Covalent Can Help
Video production is a great way to get more exposure for your company and engage with customers. It’s also an excellent option for businesses that want to break into advertising on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. If you are ready to start producing video content but need help getting started or have any questions about the process—from filming all the way through editing—we would be happy to chat! Contact us today to learn more about the opportunities, and how you can make your brand come alive with video.