Animation Style

Are you trying to figure out which animation style is best for your upcoming video project? You’re in the right place! Video Igniter’s guide to animation styles has answers to all your top questions including:

• What are the different styles of animation I can use for my video?
• How long does it take to make different animation styles?
• What do different animation styles cost to make?

Answers to all these questions and more are coming up in this article – but first, let’s take a look at examples of the different styles of animation Video Igniter can produce for you:

What are the different styles of animation I can use for my video?

The great thing about animation is there’s an ever growing number of new and unique visual styles that can be used to create animated videos. As technology and creativity advance, animators are developing new and original ways to design illustrations that move.

It’s not just about 2D animation vs 3D animation. There’s so much more! Let’s explore different styles of animation along with their pros and cons:

2D Digital Animation

2D digital animation is the most common style of animation you see online today. Compared to other forms of animation and video production, it tends to be quicker and less expensive to produce – while still having amazing eye candy appeal for viewers.

2D Digital Animation Style Examples

 

Cel Animation

Cel Animation is the next step up from 2D digital animation. Cel animation is created when the animator individually draws every single frame for an animation. This can be done on paper or using a digital input device (computer, tablet, laptop, etc). The result of individually drawing each frame means the motion design of the animation will look more fluid and natural. The trade off is hand drawn animations require a larger budget and more time to create.

Cel Animation is typically reserved for high end commercials, 2D animated shows and feature length movies.

Cel Animation Style Examples

 

Whiteboard Animation

Whiteboard animations are the simplest and cheapest form of animation one can make. They are produced by filming a hand drawing images on a whiteboard in sync with a voiceover. Often times, whiteboard animations are produced using a digital image of a hand which is then animated to make it look like it’s moving and subsequently drawing on a fake whiteboard.

In either case, whiteboard animations are a fantastic low cost option for creating engaging educational content. In general, whiteboard animations take about half as much time to create compared to 2D digital animation.

Whiteboard Animation Style Examples

 

3D Animation

3D Animation is the modern king of animation styles. It’s used for almost every major animated film these days. Outside of the theater, 3D animation is used to create TV commercials, it’s used to visualize new processes/products/systems and it’s used to create eye-candy content for social media. 3D animation can be used to design visually unique cartoon animation styles and it can be used to create photorealistic 3D visualizations.

3D animation tends to be the most labor and cost intensive style of animation to create. If you’re debating between using 2D animation or 3D animation to make a video, expect the 3D option to take 2-4x more time and money to complete the project.

3D Animation Style Examples

Sub Divisions Of Animation:

Beyond 2D animation and 3D animation there are many sub divisions of animation to explore including:

Motion Graphics: These are animated visual graphics that usually don’t contain animated characters or scenes. Think animated graphs, visual overlays, animated promotional signs, etc. Motion graphics are often added on top of video content or in between video shots to illustrate something that couldn’t be shown on film.

Anime: This popular style of illustration and animation design originated in Japan and is making its way around the world. Often characterized by expressive facial expressions and realistic (or exaggerated) movement, this style of animation can be extremely beautiful (think Studio Ghibli movies).

Stop Motion: Stop motion animation is produced by setting a scene using physical objects, taking a photo, then slightly moving the objects and taking another photo. This process is painstakingly repeated to take hundreds or thousands of photos. Then, the images are assembled and viewed like a flip book to produce the illusion of animation.

Kinetic Typography: Kinetic typography is created by animating text in unique and creative ways. Kinetic typography often follows the words of a narrator and is used to help the viewer have a stronger visual connection to the words that are being spoken.

What’s your favorite kind of animation? Let us know in the comments below!

How long does it take to make different animation styles?

Most 2D animation styles take about 4-6 weeks to create a 60-second video.

If you want to create a fancier hand drawn 2D animation or a 3D animation, your production timeline will likely take 2-4x more time to complete.

Need to speed up production for a deadline? Video Igniter offers rush delivery animation to speed up the production process. Send us a message or schedule a call to discuss with our team.

What do different animation styles cost to make?

These ballpark rates are loose generalizations to help give you a rough idea what different styles of animation cost to produce. There are many factors that determine how much an aniamtion will cost. To get specific pricing information, request access to our pricing page or schedule a call with our production team.

2D Animation: $1,500-$7,500 for a 60-second animated video.

3D Animation: $10,000-$50,000 for a 60-second animated video. For context, PIXAR animated films cost about $1 million dollars to create each minute of video.

Hand Drawn Animation: $7,500-$25,000+ for every 60-seconds of video.

Whiteboard Animation: $1,000-$3,000 for a 60-second animation.

Still have questions about animation styles?

Do you have a question about animation styles that wasn’t addressed in this FAQ? Use this form to send us your question and we’ll follow up with an answer. We’ll also post the question and answer to this page so other people can benefit from the knowledge.

What is Video Igniter Animation?

Video Igniter Animation is an online animated video production service. By working with our team online, you can get your custom animated video produced faster and for less than hiring a brick and mortar animation studio.

Watch the demo reel below for examples of the kinds of animation our team can produce for you.

 

Looking For An Animation Production Company In The U.S.?

Video Igniter is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Animation Success Stories & Testimonials

Don’t just take our word for it – these testimonials highlight Video Igniter’s reliability, creativity, flexibility and ability to deliver animations that exceed expectations. When you choose Video Igniter Animation, you can rest assured that you are working with a trusted and reputable studio.

“Couldn’t be happier with Derek and his team. The quality of the work for the cost far exceeded expectations and surpasses anything in the market. Derek was patient, offered many revisions, and was overall great to work with.”

Alex Novick – Founder, Sproutly.com

“Video Igniter were very easy to work with and the entire process for creating and suggesting edits was seamless and stress-free. I would work with them again and would recommend to others looking to create a modern and stylish explainer video.”

Clair Simpson – VP Marketing, Repool.com

“I run a video production company and outsource animation. The team at Video Igniter did a great job in taking the concept I very crudely drew out and making it into a beautiful animation. The review process was easy and their turnaround time was very quick. I’d def recommend them if you’re looking for an animation project.”

Pat Henderson – Founder, Path8 Productions

“Video Igniter offered us the critical combination of creative value, clear communication, and patience with stakeholder feedback. We ended up with truly high-quality design assets for our video series largely due to the extra level of commitment — and the right balance of efficiencies with flexibility in the process when called for.”

Larry Schlessinger – Sr. Creative Program Manager, Amazon Web Services

“Video Igniter came to us with a number of creative and engaging ideas and were able to create an exciting, impactful video in a short period of time. And the best part was that it cost much less than other options of similar quality. The video they made is a great marketing tool for us.”

Alex Raymond – Founder, Kapta Systems

Get in touch!

Schedule a call to discuss your animated video project.

Get a quote for us to create your animated video.

Request access to our newest price sheet.

Create your Video Igniter account, fill out a creative brief for your video and we’ll begin production as soon as we receive your production deposit.