Mastering the Animation Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

Animation is everywhere today – in movies, TV shows, ads, and websites. It’s one of the most powerful ways to tell stories and explain ideas visually. But creating a great animated video isn’t as simple as it might look. Every project goes through a structured series of steps known as the animation production process. This process covers everything from developing a concept and writing a script to designing characters, adding sound, and finalizing the video. Each stage has a purpose, contributing to a smoother production and a high-quality result.

The animation process can vary based on the style chosen, such as 2D animation, 3D animation, or stop motion, each requiring different skills and tools. No matter the style, though, good planning is always the start. Teams take time to understand the project’s goals and target audience, as well as the key movements they want to emphasize. Every stage in the process is interconnected, with each decision impacting the next.

Animations require collaboration among a range of people, including writers, designers, voice actors, and animators, each playing a role to make sure the final product looks and sounds its best. Following this guide will help you understand how all these pieces fit together to bring characters, worlds, and ideas to life on screen.

Understanding the Animation Production Process: What is it?

The animation production process is the framework that guides the creation of any animated video, whether it’s a short advertisement, a feature film, or a social media clip. While the stages can vary depending on the animation style – such as 2D animation, 3D animation, motion graphics, or stop-motion – the core steps often remain the same. This process is divided into three main phases: pre-production, production, and post-production.

Each of these phases involves specific tasks and goals, and moving through them in an organized way helps keep the project on track. At its core, animation production is about collaboration. Artists, writers, directors, and technical experts all contribute to the project’s success, and the production team works together to align every element with the client’s needs.

Understanding each step in the animation process can help not only the production team but also clients who may want a clear picture of how their ideas are brought to life. By following a step-by-step workflow, everyone involved can focus on what they do best while keeping the entire project organized and efficient.

A Brief History of Animation Production

Animation has come a long way. Before computers and digital tools, creating an animated film was a highly manual process that took countless hours and meticulous planning. The first animations were made using hand-drawn techniques, with artists drawing each frame individually. This style, known as cel animation, involved drawing characters and scenes on transparent sheets called “cels,” which were layered over painted backgrounds and photographed frame by frame. This painstaking method brought early animated characters, like Disney’s Mickey Mouse, to life and captivated audiences around the world.

As technology evolved, new tools emerged, transforming the animation process. The 1990s saw a major shift with the introduction of computer-generated imagery (CGI), which changed the game by allowing animators to create 3D models that could be animated with far more flexibility than traditional methods. CGI opened up new possibilities for complex scenes, realistic textures, and dynamic movement, giving rise to modern animated classics like Toy Story – the first fully 3D-animated feature film.

Today, animation studios can choose from a variety of techniques and styles, including 2D animation, 3D animation, stop motion, and motion graphics. Digital tools allow for greater creativity and efficiency, with animators using software to streamline many aspects of production. However, the essence of animation remains the same: no matter the method, animators still rely on storytelling, character development, and meticulous planning to bring ideas to life on screen.

This rich history has shaped the modern animation production process, giving creators more tools than ever to tell stories in innovative and engaging ways. But while technology has changed the tools and techniques, the basic principles of animation – like timing, movement, and character expression – continue to define this unique art form.

Importance of Planning in the Animation Process

Planning is a critical step in the animation production process. A well-thought-out plan helps prevent setbacks and keeps the project on track, saving time and resources in the long run. During this stage, the animation team defines the project’s objectives, identifies the target audience, and outlines the main story elements or key movements that will shape the animation.

Planning also includes setting timelines, budgets, and assigning roles, ensuring everyone involved knows their responsibilities. This level of preparation provides a clear path for the production team and also helps deliver a final product that aligns with the client’s goals. In short, careful planning sets the foundation for a smooth production and a successful, engaging animation.

Planning

Developing the Concept

The concept development stage involves several steps to shape the animation project. Here’s a breakdown of each step:

Research – Getting to Know Your Brand

  • The animation team begins by researching the brand and its product or service.
  • A creative brief with questions about the brand’s values, identity, and target audience is sent to the client.
  • This stage helps the team understand the brand’s core message, ensuring the animation aligns with the client’s vision.

Script – Defining the Concept

  • The scriptwriting phase focuses on defining the animation’s main message and framing it in an engaging way.
  • A clear, concise, and compelling script is crucial to keep the audience’s attention.
  • The script establishes the tone and style, ensuring it resonates with the target audience and reflects the brand’s personality.

 

Storyboard – Visualizing the Script

  • Storyboarding translates the script into visual scenes, sketching out each moment of the animation.
  • It serves as a roadmap that shows the story’s flow, camera angles, and pacing.
  • Storyboarding allows the team to identify potential issues early and make adjustments, creating a solid visual plan for production.

Design and Pre-Production

Design and pre-production are key to setting up the animation production process, providing a structured approach to ensure quality in the animated video from the very start. Here’s a detailed overview of each step for creating a successful animation:

Art Direction – Deciding the Visual Style

  • In the animation production process, art direction is an essential stage where the visual style of the entire project is defined.
  • The team begins by creating style frames, which act as sample scenes that establish the visual direction, color palette, and overall aesthetic for the animation.
  • These style frames ensure that each frame on screen supports the story, enhances the message, and aligns with the target audience‘s expectations.
  • The style and visual direction set during this pre-production stage guide every next stage of the production process to ensure a cohesive final product.
  • This process allows the artists to have a clear understanding of the final delivery and provides the client with a visual example of what the animated video will look like, allowing them to request any necessary adjustments early on.

Voice-Over Narration – Choosing the Right Voice

  • The voice-over stage is where the team selects the perfect voice to bring the script to life in the animated video.
  • During this stage, clients are provided with a roster of voice-over artists to choose from, allowing them to pick a voice that best fits the message and tone of the animation.
  • The right voice-over artist can enhance the story and elevate the final product, adding depth to characters and helping convey the concept with clarity and emotion.
  • Sound effects and music may also be discussed to support the voice-over and help set the tone for the video, with close attention paid to how sound will interact with the visuals in the final stage of post-production.

Illustration – Creating Characters and Backgrounds

  • The illustration stage is where character design and backgrounds are created, laying the foundation for animating scenes and bringing life to the animation.
  • Artists design characters, worlds, and other essential visuals that will appear in the animated video, focusing on every detail to match the visual style set during art direction.
  • Illustrations can be created using either traditional methods or digital tools, allowing clients to choose the animation style that best fits the project.
  • These illustrations act as the building blocks for each scene in the animation, setting up the next stage of animating each frame.
  • Close attention is given to ensure each scene and character aligns with the storyboards, which were created as part of the initial concept to guide the visual style and key movements of the entire project.

In animation production, each step in design and pre-production is critical for creating a high-quality final product that aligns with the client’s vision. From defining the visual direction with style frames to selecting the perfect voice for narration and crafting characters and backgrounds with precision, these stages set a strong foundation for animating the video and preparing for final delivery.

Production and Post-Production

The animation production process moves into production and post-production phases, where each stage adds layers of motion, sound, and refinement to the animated video. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the process that brings the project closer to final delivery:

Animation – Bringing the Story to Life

  • Animation itself is a step in the animation process where the illustrations are brought to life through animating techniques.
  • The animation team imports the illustrations created in pre-production and begins rigging them, adding movement and preparing them for key movements that follow the storyboards.
  • Using sophisticated software, the artists apply animation styles to make the characters and scenes come alive, transforming the visuals into an engaging animated video that aligns with the visual style set in earlier stages.
  • This time-consuming stage requires close attention to each frame to ensure fluid motion and a polished look for the entire project.

Audio Edition – Adding Sound Effects and Music

  • Audio edition is the stage in which sound effects, music, and the voice-over are synchronized with the visuals.
  • Here, the editing team focuses on achieving high-quality audio by balancing and aligning each sound element, making sure it complements the animation and enhances the story.
  • Audio quality is crucial; the right sound effects and music make a significant impact on the final product, adding emotion and depth to the scenes.
  • By paying close attention to the sound in this stage, the audio edition team ensures that every detail works harmoniously to create a captivating animated video.

Integration – Putting Everything Together

  • Integration is where all the creative digital assets are combined and rendered into a single video file.
  • In this stage, the animation production team takes each frame, along with the audio and visual elements, and compiles them for a final delivery that meets the client’s specific needs.
  • This process can be customized to ensure the video matches the project’s requirements, achieving the quality and clarity needed for a polished final stage.
  • During integration, the final touches are applied, completing the last stage of the animation production process and delivering a high-quality final product ready to be shared with the target audience.

Integration

These stages are vital to bringing life to the animation and ensuring that every aspect of the project – from visuals and sound to final touches – results in a successful animation production.

Types of Animation in Creating an Animated Video

In animation production, selecting the right animation style is crucial, as it impacts the entire production process and helps convey the message effectively to the target audience. Here’s a detailed overview of the various animation styles used to create an engaging animated video:

2D Animation

 

  • 2D animation is one of the most popular animation styles for video marketing due to its simplicity and versatility.
  • This style uses flat characters, objects, and backgrounds, which are animated in a two-dimensional space to create motion and tell a story.
  • In the production process, 2D illustrations are created and animated to bring the concept to life, providing a cost-effective solution for brands looking to reach their target audience with clear visuals.
  • This animation style is ideal for conveying straightforward messages and is often used for explainer videos and other marketing animations.

Motion Graphics

  • Motion graphics are a powerful animation style for presenting complex data or concepts in a clear and dynamic way.
  • This style is often used to create overlays for live-action videos and can add a professional edge to corporate and educational projects.
  • Motion graphics are versatile, blending visuals with text and graphics to support hard data and concepts in an engaging format that captures the target audience’s attention.
  • This style works well for companies looking to explain statistics, processes, or technical information in a visually appealing way.

Stop Motion

  • Stop motion is an animation style that uses real-world objects, which are photographed frame by frame to give the illusion of movement.
  • This process involves placing elements in front of a camera, taking a picture, moving the pieces slightly, and repeating, which makes it a time-consuming but unique method.
  • Stop motion creates a charming, handmade feel that can add warmth and authenticity to projects like short films, commercials, and artistic videos.
  • This style requires close attention to detail, as every slight adjustment must be captured to achieve the desired visual effect and key movements in the final product.

3D Animation

  • 3D animation involves building characters and objects in a three-dimensional digital space using a digital mesh, creating a realistic final product.
  • This animation style is popular in promotional video production and is especially effective for industries needing a high level of detail, such as product demonstrations, gaming, and medical animations.
  • 3D animation provides depth and realism that helps bring the story to life, making it suitable for projects that require an immersive visual style.
  • However, this process is often more complex and time-consuming, requiring specialized software and expertise to achieve high-quality final delivery.

Whiteboard Animation 

  • Whiteboard animation mimics the effect of a person drawing illustrations on a whiteboard, making it a simple but effective style for guiding viewers through information.
  • This style is often used in educational videos and explainers to break down a process or provide a step-by-step guide that’s easy to follow.
  • Whiteboard animation is visually simple yet powerful, allowing the story to unfold clearly without overwhelming the audience with complex visuals.
  • It’s a practical choice for conveying ideas or concepts that benefit from a straightforward, instructional approach.

Working with an Animation Studio

Brief and Research

  • The foundation of a successful animation project starts with a well-crafted brief that establishes a clear understanding of the project’s objectives.
  • The brief should cover key elements, including the main goal, target audience, and information about competitors.
  • A thorough research stage follows, where the animation studio analyzes competitors’ strategies and the market, helping to shape the concept and visual style of the animated video.

Script and Storyboard

  • A strong script is essential; it should be simple, focused on the main message, and free from overly complex language that might distract from the core message.
  • The storyboard offers a detailed overview of the video’s scenes, visually mapping out each scene and action to ensure a smooth animation production process.
  • Both the script and storyboard serve as a roadmap for the entire project, allowing for easy adjustments before the animation process begins.

Design and Visual Style

  • We collaborate closely with clients to develop a unique visual style direction that aligns with the project’s objectives and resonates with the target audience.
  • As part of our production process, we create fully customized videos that reflect each client’s vision and preferences.
  • Our animation studio tailors the visual style to suit your brand identity, ensuring that each frame is created with close attention to detail for a polished final product.

Voice-Over and Illustration

  • Voice-over is crucial in delivering your message effectively, and we recommend sourcing the perfect voice that aligns with your brand’s tone and audience.
  • Once the VO is finalized, we proceed to illustration, where our in-house artists create all artwork and illustrations from scratch, ensuring a unique and professional look for each scene.
  • This stage is vital to the animation process, as the illustrations become the foundation for the characters, world, and visuals that bring your concept to life.

Review and Delivery

  • After the animation is completed, the final stage involves uploading the video in 1080p HD resolution (with an optional 4K upgrade) for client review and approval.
  • Once the final product is approved, it is available for download in full quality, ready for use across various platforms such as websites, YouTube, trade shows, and more.
  • We also offer free, custom embedding code to make sharing your animated video seamless, ensuring maximum reach for your final delivery.

Working with an animation studio can simplify the process of creating an effective animated video by guiding you through each step-by-step. From concept to final delivery, our studio focuses on quality and client satisfaction to deliver a video that not only meets but exceeds expectations.

Finalizing the Animation

Deliverable – Finetuning the Details

  • The final step of the animation production process is creating the deliverable that meets the client’s specifications.
  • This stage is all about adjusting the video to align perfectly with the client’s vision, ensuring that every detail is meticulously refined.
  • After completing the animated video, the animation team sends the initial deliverable to the client for review, making any necessary adjustments based on feedback to ensure the final product is just right.

Review and Revisions

  • The revision process generally includes 2 free revisions for each stage of the production process (except for the voice-over stage, which offers 1 revision).
  • We prioritize client satisfaction, so we offer post-production support, saving all assets and project files in case the client wants to make future changes or updates to the animation.

Final Delivery and Support

  • Once all revisions are complete, the final product is ready for final delivery in the highest quality format requested.
  • This process ensures that clients have a clear understanding of what’s included in each stage, and our team remains available to support any future adjustments for a seamless experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does Animation Cost?

  • The cost of animation varies widely based on the type of video and the animation studio’s expertise.
  • Key factors that impact the production price include quality of work, visual style, illustrations, music, sound effects, voice-over artist, video length, and the project’s timeline.
  • Clients should expect prices to reflect the time-consuming nature of creating high-quality animations and the level of detail involved.

How Long Does the Animation Process Take?

  • For example, while working with us the animation production process typically takes around four to six weeks, though complex projects may take longer. You can find out more about the production process here.
  • The entire project timeline can extend based on the complexity of the piece and the number of revisions needed to meet the client’s expectations.

What is an Animation Workflow?

  • An animation workflow refers to the sequence of steps in the animation production process for creating a video or movie.
  • This production pipeline is divided into three main phases: pre-production, production, and post-production, each with specific tasks to guide the animation from concept to final delivery.
  • The workflow can vary depending on the animation style and method chosen for the project, ensuring that each stage aligns with the visual direction and goals of the client.

Conclusion

In summary, the animation production process is a step-by-step journey that brings ideas to life. From the initial brief and research to the scriptwriting, storyboarding, and design phases, each stage plays a crucial role in shaping the animation’s visual style and effectiveness. After designing and recording the voice-over, the animation team works on the animation and audio editing to synchronize visuals with sound effects, music, and narration. In the final stages, the review and delivery process ensures the final product meets the client’s vision and quality standards, allowing for any necessary revisions and fine-tuning.

At Explain Visually, we excel in guiding clients through every phase of this complex process. Our team has successfully completed over 500 projects in 19 languages, working with clients from B2B and B2C sectors to create custom animations, infographics, and illustrations. Whether it’s explaining intricate processes, enhancing internal training, or driving customer engagement, our animations are designed to make a lasting impact. With a focus on delivering effective visual solutions, Explain Visually is here to help you convey your message in a powerful, memorable way. Contact us to start creating an animation that resonates with your audience and achieves your business goals.

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About the author

Kamila Ołdakowska

I possess 3 years of experience in marketing, which I have been actively cultivating since the beginning of my second year of undergraduate studies, starting with a role at a consulting company. Currently, as a Marketing Specialist at Explain Visually, I apply my knowledge to devise strategies that enable companies to effectively communicate their core values through animations. My experience also encompasses content creation that drives companies toward their strategic goals. I am presently pursuing a master’s degree in project management, enhancing my ability to organize and execute complex marketing projects. I continually refine my skills by keeping up with the latest marketing trends, ensuring that my experience and contributions to each project are of the highest caliber.

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Animated video can serve various purposes. For example, it can advertise a new product of a company, help it enter the market, explain regulations to potential customers, or explain socially important issues to an illiterate population. This type of video is becoming...

Promotional Video Production: How to prepare to work with a studio to make your film a success

The stakes are high because the video will be shown at a trade show, a company event or during a video campaign. If the project doesn't make it to the clients, the money will go down the drain and the person responsible for the production may end up without a job!...

6 animation trends that will capture the market in 2022

When we compare animations from a dozen or so years ago with those created today, you can see the difference in the degree of advancement, and also in the style and graphics. This is largely a matter of fashion. Below I will list a few trends that I think will conquer...

How to choose an animation studio? 9 tips

Wybór studia animacji może przesądzić o sukcesie końcowego video. I choć tekst na ten temat pisany przez studio animacji z pewnością nie jest w pełni obiektywny, przykłady własne służą tylko zilustrowaniu poszczególnych kwestii. Niezależnie od tego, na jakie studio...

Brand videos: how they differ from other videos and how to make them… with examples

Perhaps you are wondering how to reach your customers effectively? How to make them see your brand's potential and answer their needs? A brand video may help. It is a video or animation that will:   Build brand awareness Include your logo and other distinctive...

16 interesting animations from 16 countries

The following list of animations from 16 countries worldwide is highly subjective. Each is interesting and unique for different reasons, which we write about in the text.England An animation released in 2018 by the British cookie company McVitie. The campaign...

Promotional videos for businesses – 6 types you need to know

Promotional videos are usually short advertising videos. They are designed to convince customers to buy a particular product or use a company's service. There are many types of promotional videos, but we present six of the most popular. Each can be filmed using either...

Animated ads – types, examples, prices

Animated ads are one of the most popular forms of video marketing. They are usually much cheaper to produce than a traditional film shot on camera. They also allow for greater creative freedom. Below we discuss the types of animated ads along with examples and prices...

Corporate video production – 7 sins not to commit if you want a boring video

Producing corporate videos often comes with high hopes. The company hopes to enhance its image, build trust among customers and excitement among employees. Unfortunately, the truth is that most corporate films are... boring. Why is this the case? And what can you do...

Visual Thinking in Business: 6 levels you can implement in your company [+Examples]

Myślenie wizualne to - w dużym skrócie - używanie wizualizacji, żeby ułatwić dostrzeżenie, zrozumienie i zapamiętanie informacji. Jego przejawy obserwujemy, gdy widzimy na trasie znaki drogowe, oglądamy infografiki czy projektujemy nowe produkty na warsztatach Design...

Podcast Visual Communication For Storytelling featuring Maciej Budkowski

Maciej Budkowski, Managing Directorof our company, got invited to The Business Storyteller Podcast by Piktochart. As we can read on their website: "this is a series of conversations with inspiring leaders and entrepreneurs to share their knowledge and experience in...

Visual thinking in business – what it is, how it works and how it can help

What is visual thinking? Imagine this situation... You get up in the morning. You reach for your cell phone and there is a black and white screen and a wall of text. You walk over to your desk and check your planner. A wall of text again! Even the division into days...

Corporate videos – 9 examples to help you create the best video for your company

You want to create a corporate video. You probably have a lot of questions. What to pay attention to? What is involved in the production of a video? How much do corporate films cost? If you type in "corporate films" in Google  over two million results come up. You...

Pictures vs. illustrations vs. instructional video – when to use what to make our instruction effective

Imagine you are sitting comfortably on a plane, reading a book. Suddenly you feel turbulence that is much stronger than usual. You start to get anxious, especially since you see people around you panicking. Then you hear the captain's voice from the speakers: "Please...

Customer Segmentation: The Cornerstone of SaaS Pricing

Most personas are eye-rollingly useless. Product Managers usually create these personas to satisfy Agile’s user story framework, adding nothing (or even causing harm) to the process of creating breakthrough products and offers. The managers who create these useless...

How to get people to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, doctors and pharmacists? [Visual Thinking in Medicine]

You have a fever, you feel weak, and your cough is getting worse. Normally this wouldn't concern you, but there is a coronavirus raging in the world so you have doubts. Just in case, you call the hotline. The lady on the other end of the phone patiently explains what...

Sales enablement: what it is, why implement it and how to do it

Sales enablement is primarily about making salespeople's work easier and faster for them to achieve sales targets. How does it work in practice? It is a bit like the organization of a football club. Let's look at Robert Lewandowski. Before the Bayern star steps out...

How did we help 3S Group generate leads using animation?

About the company: 3S Group - Polish provider of telecommunication services, data center and ICT solutions, and part of PLAY operator since 2019.     3S Group supports the realization of its clients' business visions by designing and implementing ICT solutions....

How we helped Israeli startup to win a 1,000,000$

About the company: Seegnature (now Reach): Israeli startup that creates an application for remote discussion and signing of contracts. Department: Company Founders. Problem: Seegnature entered the competition for the best insurance startup in Israel. The company...

How did Michelin sell tires in a country with no cars? Three examples of big brand content marketing that shows the power of good content

Before 1900, there were only 3,000 cars in France. At that time, brothers André and Édouard Michelin decided to start a company that sold tires.[1] Sound like a recipe for failure? Probably many people thought so, as how do you sell tires to people who don't need...

6 things without which your sales support and sales materials will be ineffective

You know the scenario? The conversation is going well, and the customer is interested. Finally, the potential customer says to the salesperson: "Then please send an offer. I'm having a meeting with my boss/team/partner and I'll let you know what the response is." The...

Content marketing that supports sales – what is a content funnel and how to use it

After publishing an article about content marketing of three global giants: Michelin, Pirelli and Guinness, our subscribers were strongly surprised as not many knew the stories.   The artice has not yet been translated to English, but in a shortcut: - When...

How to maximize ROI of your explainer video (22 non-bullshit practical tips)

These are the insights we got after producing hundreds of explainer videos.  Before you start 1) Check if the ROI numbers add up. Sometimes they don’t.   The easiest formula to calculate ROI is: Predicted Reach (i.e. 10 000 people) x Avg. deal size (i.e. 100$) x...

Animation versus illustration: which is more effective [based on research]

Walt Disney said: "Animation can represent anything the human mind can imagine. This ability makes it the most versatile and direct form of communication. At the same time, it is created to be appreciated by mass audiences."[1] Although this quote comes from one of...

Whiteboard animation: Best Business Cases

Whiteboard animation videos are special animated films, which educate customers about a company, a brand or its products. They have been used by marketing, sales and HR departments of the biggest companies for 10 years, but only just starting to gain popularity in...

13 ideas for using animation in business – practical videomarketing

Well-crafted animation can help in many elements of business. Most often, it supports companies in acquiring leads, training employees, presenting a product or service to customers, implementing procedures, or increasing conversions. Since you've already invested in...

How to sell when your product is not much different from the competition?

"If there is no difference, there is only indifference" said Louis Nizer Customers may think the same when your products are not much different from the competition. Of course you can lower the price but this may start a price war. Thousands of companies have faced a...

Vegan food market in Poland

Imagine that you go to Facebook and there are pictures of sausages, kabanos to be exact, everywhere. They are posted by your friends, the fan pages you like, and strangers on groups you belong to. Sounds like science fiction? Meanwhile, it is reality as kabanos are...

Veganism, vegetarianism and marketing: how to advertise and sell vegan products?

Veganism is on the rise. There is no question about it. To give you just a few recent examples... New vegan product a sales hit The first example is the British bakery chain Gregg. I first heard of its existence when it released vegan sausage rolls and I read about it...

How our animation helped the „Wiecej niż LEK” website earn their first 100 000 EUR

About the project:  “Więcej niż LEK” is a Medical Information Portal which is used to run high quality e-learning courses for students and graduates of medical colleges, which prepare them for, among other things, for the Final Medical Examination and the Final...

How to calculate if the explainer video will pay off?

As we wrote earlier in the text about explainer video, the production of such an animation usually costs from 2 000 to 7 000 EUR. How to calculate whether this expense will pay off? And how to estimate the explainer video's possible results?   In this text, we...

7 examples of explainer video, which provided companies with leads and increased sales

Rypple, which provides cloud services, wanted to show that its solution increases the efficiency of managers and employees. The B2B business was showing more and more interest in modern ways of storing data, but the competition was not idle and more and more similar...

Product videos—types, prices, advantages and disadvantages (classic film, whiteboard animation, vector animation, and 3D animation)

Product videos are becoming more and more popular because they help to tell about the product in a few minutes. Thanks to them, the customer does not have to read a wall of text on the website or in the brochure. Sellers also feel relieved because they don't have to...

11 tips and tricks that will make it easier for you to make an explainer video

You want to commission a explainer video production. It is an important project because you need to talk about a strategic initiative, generate more leads, or implement a new procedure. You gave the company a general idea and...wait until they hit your vision? This is...

Our Team

Claudia Together with the late Michael (my fiancé at the time), I am a co-founder of ExplainVisually. At the beginning of the company's existence, I was a creative 3-in-1: I wrote scripts, storyboards, and drew films. This was the case with the first 84 films, but in...

The cooperation between TESCO and ExplainVisually has been extended to the Czech Republic and Slovakia

The shelves of supermarkets bend under the food. But what happens to food that is not bought? The last project in cooperation with TESCO brought us the answer to this question. We got a call from Gosia Tokarz, who asked us if we can prepare 7 by 2 meters infographics...

How did Millenium Bank educate its employees on standards of customer service? [Case Study]

About the company: Millenium Bank – one of the main banks in Poland, part of Banco Commercial Portuges. Department: Department of Quality–responsible for providing equal and high level of customer and sales service in the bank’s facilities.   Problem: Keeping the...

4 unobvious reasons that make your offer land in the basket

Thank you for the offer, we have decided to cooperate with another supplier;At this point we have suspended the project, we will contact you when we get back to it;Unfortunately, we are not interested. Every salesperson has heard these answers. Often, the reason for...

Our video telling a story about the most creative Polish School

Among dozens of projects that we have carried out this year, the film for the Kornel Makuszyński Elementary School in Radowo Małe is one of our favourites. And not only our favourite: the video scored over 1300 shares on Facebook. Why this project is so important to...

How did Orange tell their employees about the Continuous Improvement? [Case Study]

About the company: Orange – the biggest telecommunication operator in Poland and one of the main companies in the world, made it to the Fortune Global 500 list. Department: Customer Experience, trying to design the ideal customer experience and supporting the...

What is Graphic Recording (and Graphic Facilitation)?

When the lecturer starts his speech on the stage, the atmosphere of concentration fills the lecture hall. It is his name that brought the crowd to this conference. The slides complete his words, and hundreds of people are focused on him and try to remember as much as...

What is whiteboard animation (and how your business can benefit from it)?

Whiteboard animation is becoming more and more popular in business because of the clear and transparent way it provides information. Research shows that it has an advantage over text messages, and often also over static images and ordinary films. That is why it is...

What is explainer video (and how your business can benefit from it)?

  Explainer videos are short movies which explain complicated issues in an easy way. Typically they deliver information about companies, products and services. Today, explainer videos are used by thousands of companies around the world, including the largest...

The curse of knowledge: How it affects managers & marketers

Klątwa wiedzy jest efektem psychologicznym, który w ogromnym stopniu wpływa na naszą pracę oraz życie osobiste. W wielu wypadkach niestety negatywnie. Szczególnie narażone na jego skutki są osoby odpowiedzialne za komunikację w firmie – managerowanie, marketerzy,...

Goodbye to the best boss I’ve ever had

“I heard that you quit your job,” the words echoed in my ears. It was a call from Michał. How on earth did he already know?, I thought. It must have been our Lebanese friend who told him. He was the only person who knew. “Yes, that’s true. The message was being...

Klaudia Tolman of ExplainVisually in the jury of 50 Top Creative list

Klaudia Tolman, our Creative Director, is going to be one of the jurors in the 9th edition of the ranking of 50 Top Creative in Business. The ranking aims to honour companies and people: put their money on innovations and out-of-the-box solutions in their businesses,...

We got the results of the first nationwide research on Visual Thinking

Last year we co-created the very first nationwide research on Visual Thinking. Why did we decide to take part in reliable research on the effectiveness of visual thinking? For years now we have been hearing from our clients, that what we do, works. But it’s one thing...

Maciej Budkowski and Klaudia Tolman to host an “Expert” cycle meeting for Brief.pl

For the last 5 years, we have been building and developing our know-how. During that time we’ve carried out over 200 projects in 19 languages for dozens of corporations, startups and GOs. But never before have we publicly spoken about our agency experiences. This time...

Maciej Budkowski and Klaudia Tolman in the #agencja podcast

Just released, there’s an #agencja podcast featuring our managing team, Klaudia and Maciek. In the podcast we’re telling about our daily work. Link to the podcast –...

ExplainVisually’s film about European Funds submitted to Camerimage

In 2015 we made a film with the Mazovian Unit of EU Programmes Implementation in Warsaw. Its aim was to tell in a simple way how to gain European Funds. The project went very well and many organisations associated with European Funds considered it to set a good...

ExplainVisually’s infographics to support Polish Football Association

Maciek, our Managing Director, has been a huge fan of football for over 20 years and he’s always been dreaming about cooperation with the Polish Football Association. So when they actually called us to say that they needed to explain to football coaches complex...

ExplainVisually a laureate of the competition 50 Most Creative in Polish Business!

We are a laureate of this year’s ranking of 50 Most Creative in Business. 50 Creative is the biggest competition in its field in Poland. The ranking is carried out each year by Brief.pl. Amongst former laureates are CD Project, Brand24, iTaxi, LifeTube, Booksy or...

How to spend money to be happy? Our infographic in “Głos Mordoru” (“Voice of Mordor”)

“Money doesn’t bring happiness” or “You cannot have too much of a good thing”? Turns out, it depends on what you do with it. Those are the conclusions of Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, Professors of British Columbia University and Harvard University. In their book...

Summary 2017

Christmas time has passed, so it’s time for some summary. We can’t describe this year with one word. 2017 was demanding, tragic, developing, successful, sad and joyful. In the period of 12 months we made over 70 films, which means we scored almost 200 total since the...

Our video helped to win 1,000,000$ in a Israeli’s startup competition

A week ago Seegnature, an Israeli InsurTech start-up, used our whiteboard animation during a pitch - presentation to the investors. The stake was high. Pitch is a key moment for a start-up. Several minutes of presentation may determine the company’s future. Especially...

HR Case Study: recruitment video

It was the end of May 2016, when we realized we could not put it off any longer. Everybody took their place, and we started the meeting. “We have to recruit new drawing artists! I can’t do it by myself any longer! We won’t manage when the new projects come…!” Klaudia...

Explainer video production process

Explainer video production process typically takes a few weeks (3-8). The production time depends on the film's duration, its complexity, the flow of works, communication between both parties (or three parties if an Agency also takes part in the discussion), work...