We asked our explainer video production team to head out into the internet on a voyage of discovery and find the explainer animations that really inspire them. They selected these 32 examples.
Mobike
They said: Beautiful environment design and love the stripped use of the colour palette.
Selfridges
They said: Aside from the pretty colourful watercolour paint style, we most love the fact it’s voiced by ‘real people’ working at Selfridges. Super effective and engaging.
Goodbit
They said: This animation perfectly explains digital currency. The message and voiceover are strong and I felt totally engaged right through to the end.
Botcentral
They said: We totally fell in love with these characters.
Eatruscan
They said: Abstract elements working harmoniously with illustrative assets and subtle and effective sound design. What’s not to love?
SendGrid
They said: We like this one because it’s so dynamic and playful. We also really like the bright colours, shapes and gradients – and the animation itself is exceptionally well done.
Thor Token
They said: Another really nicely animated one, with excellent blend of a 2D look in 3D space. This one also has really good sound design, both in the music and subtle sound effects.
Adyen
They said: Nice little explainer for an app. No voiceover, but nicely animated and smooth, with a very slick design.
Plutora
They said: Really nice, thorough animation. It has characters and abstract shapes and ways to explain a very complex idea which works very well for it.
Freighty
They said: Very simple but friendly and to the point.
Acast
They said: Nice explainer with great use of textures and a lot of character animation.
Meet Bixby
They said: Expertly animated and very slick looking. Works great for a tech product.
What is MS?
They said: Nice explainer visualising a complex medical issue in a simple and abstract way, also demonstrating the effect on people’s lives.
Square Online
They said: Mixed media piece which is incredibly effective. Covers filmed content, examples of interface and animated elements.
Sensei
They said: Very detailed illustration style, with some lovely 3D environments and camera moves.
Aromastick
They said: Lovely abstract and modern style that demonstrates the product in action.
Croxley Recycling
They said: This animation is a great way to show a process, with really nice transitions and a quick pace.
Cylance
They said: Great animation for a cyber security business. The style works very well and the sound design really adds to the whole thing.
Thumbtack
They said: This video looks deceptively simple, but there is so much great animation involved in it. The transitions in particular are fantastic.
Panoply
They said: This animation uses a really nice limited colour palette in its brand colours, which works great for it.
Squarespace
They said: A great mixed media piece with 3D animation and filmed content. Using realistic visuals in an abstract way is very interesting.
A History of ‘Spinny Things’
They said: Animation has an amazing way of helping you digest lots of information, quickly and simply. We really love the way this animation is a 2 min visual history lesson.
Beech Nut
They said: Another mixed media piece with 2D animation over a live action background. It’s very effective in making the brand feel genuine and organic.
Verizon
They said: We’ve just never seen anything like this, and the slo-mo character section is so much fun. We love that a big company took a chance being super creative to explain something so functional like networks and data.
Ooohlympics
They said: This one is a few years old but we love the colour and movement throughout.
Death Explained
They said: We know this one is pretty dark but we like the use of animation to overlay anonymous interviews.
NYT and Singapore Airlines
They said: IT’S JUST SO SO PRETTY! The art direction is beautiful, the colour palette stunning and in such a short amount of time you get an understanding of what the airline is all about.
Trendy Butler
They said: There is great detail in the background and the characters’ movement is pretty natural. There are also a number of perspective changes that make it more interesting to watch than a typical explainer.
EJI
They said: Nice use of different animation styles, from illustrative to cut-out.
Xroad
They said: Eye catching colour and great use of shapes from 2D -2.5D make this animation really pop.
Cherry.tv
They said: Lovely example of a quality animation that tackles a risqué subject matter. Really professional, fun and informative.
Stairwise
They said: The flow of this big bold explainer about a boutique consulting firm is spot on, the use of colour and flow perfectly implemented.
Stekio
They said: Simple and subtle grid and line based animation, staged beautifully and underpinned with a gorgeous music track make this text led explainer a hit.
Auto Finance
They said: As explainers go, this one is pretty bang on. Everything works perfectly in harmony – beautiful art direction, slick transitions, clear narrative and subtle sound design.
Torrebia
They said: We really enjoyed the great character animations mixed with seamless transitions between scenarios in the film. The light and bright VO seals the deal.
Samsung Bixby
They said: So simple, so gorgeous, the animation somehow gives a sense of what Samsung’s Siri clone is capable of -without saying a word.
Slack
They said: We love the seamless flow created from start to finish. The illustrative style is very different too. Creates a very dynamic layered feel.
Apple
They said: It all comes together in this one. Motion, graphics, sound, music and video. It really shows how Apple has been able to keep its brand minimalistic and always on top.
Feeling inspired and ready to get started on your own explainer? We know just the explainer video company for you.
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