Are Whiteboard Animations Dead?

Whiteboard animation may hold the attention of the audience just as well as any other sophisticated video, while requiring relatively little production costs. In this article, we will discover more on animated whiteboard videos and what you can use to make them without having the professional skills of an illustrator, motion designer or editor.

What is a Whiteboard Explainer Video?

What is whiteboard animation? Whiteboard or whiteboard animation is probably one of the most exciting types of advertising. After all, watching the process of drawing is really very interesting and engaging. This is a story that is created just in front of your eyes.

Video whiteboard animation is a video with deliberately simplified graphics, demonstrating the process of drawing images on a board / glass and gradually revealing an idea or plot of the video. Explain Ninja is a so a white board animation company that may help you create a doodle or whiteboard from scratch and optimize it. 

The History of Whiteboards

The very first attempts to make whiteboard videos were put into practice after the camera and projector were invented of by Thomas Edison. As early as 1906, the short film Humorous Phases of Funny Faces was created by James Stuart Blackton, which was actually a product of stop-motion and cutout animation techniques. This sort of video had been displayed in some form since the 1890s. The authors were making drawings on the board, photographing, erasing, and then again repeating the process.

However, some historians agree that a whiteboard animation video was invented sometime in the late ’50s to early ’60s. According to one version of historical events, Martin Heit, a Korean War veteran, discovered something while working with photographic film. He could write on the negatives with Sharpie pens and this way went on to make whiteboard video first in the mid-1950s using the same laminate material that was used in film negatives.

How Are Whiteboard Explainer Videos Different From Other Types of Animation?

They say that whiteboard animation is dead. But this is so wrong. In fact, this is going to be one of the most classic types of animation that can still serve a brand well.

Whiteboard animations that are also called doodles which is the word that was so much popularised by releasing small animated logotypes by Google, are unique because they are different from other animation design types.

The main feature of doodle style animation is that the viewer sees not only the final result, but also the very process of the artist’s creativity on the screen. This helps to keep the attention of the viewer, and also has a positive effect on the process of assimilation of information. Therefore, such a video will be better memorised and more likely to encourage the viewer to buy a product or order a service that the brand offers via an animated whiteboard.

Just like in your student days you listened to a lecturer, writing something on the board and memorize. The board acts as an instrument that helps to emphasise the key points. So it is easier for you to perceive the data and assimilate it. Whiteboard animation works with the same principle.

When to Use Whiteboards?

The most popular area of use is an animated explainer video. It is for them that it is very convenient to use step-by-step drawings that tell a certain story. Interactive presentation of material and focus on key points help your audience quickly understand the key messages. Whiteboard animation tutorial video is ideal for the following areas:

• Information technology
• Education (online courses, study programs, etc)
• Science and innovation
• Non-commercial projects.

However, this does not mean that others cannot order whiteboard animation production. As soon as the viewers see some detail of a letter or picture, their brains immediately begin to think about what exactly will happen next. Therefore, if you develop a doodle professionally, you can achieve almost a hundred percent guarantee that the viewer will watch the video to the end and engage. 

The Pros & Cons of Whiteboard Animation

There’s a range of both pluses in doodle graphics design and the minuses of whiteboard motion graphic. Let’s check it out. 

Pros

Animated videos are an original and cost-effective solution to multiple marketing tasks, and the minimalistic style of whiteboards and step-by-step explanation of ideas perfectly holds the audience’s attention.

Most often, doodle videos are used to explain complex products and concepts (particularly in the IT field or in education), as well as to present new products. 

In addition, it is a quick way to produce content for advertising campaigns or social media, and many people use this tool for everyday communication tasks.

Whiteboard explainers are so easy and effective that very commonly used by startups to explain what their service is all about and how their product works.

Drawing in doodles can be done on different surfaces (with chalk on a white/black/green board or with a marker on glass), in monochrome or color format. Sometimes the video is accompanied by animation effects which give a room for research to create awesome content.

To create simpler doodle videos, a wide range of educational programs are available for ordinary users who do not have the skills to create illustrations, motion design or editing. Many of them have free versions with limited functionality.

Cons

When developing a doodle video on your own, you should carefully think over the script, plot, storyboard, and choose the style of animation scenes and images in the software libraries in advance.

For the implementation of unique and complex projects, however, it is worth contacting a production studio, which will take over the development of the idea, script and production of the video. 

There is a price for the development of each type of whiteboard animation, which depends on the level of complexity of the work. Doodle with characters and plot is a complete storytelling case. And the budget may turn out to be quite solid.

What Makes Whiteboard Videos Effective?

How to make whiteboard videos effective? In the doodle video format, all the drawings should be thoughtful and subject to the plot plan. However, their style, reminiscent of those very notes, allows you to quickly assimilate information and attract attention to the process of explanation. This is probably the reason for the high viewer engagement rates and the trend toward using this format for marketing purposes despite the idea that whiteboard animation is dead. 

To create effective doodles, capture the mindset and spirit which people attach to working with whiteboards, and add an extra ingredient – great storytelling. Whiteboard videos are effective because of this winning combination.

If you need any whiteboard animation examples, feel free to find them on our resources.

Conclusion

Best whiteboard videos can help in the best way to present your project, service or business. They tell potential users about your product in a clear, simple way with an exciting story and unusual graphics. The more clearly you explain the essence of your business and the benefits for the user, the more likely you are to get a new client. And whiteboards may complete the task the best possible way. A little production costs, positive impressions, engagement and conversion, are guaranteed with using this animation style in your video production. Discover more about the whiteboard video opportunities for your business with the motion graphic studio team . Contact us now.