Back when most advertising graphic design was done on or intended for paper, the goal was to get the viewer to stop whatever they were doing and look at the ad. Having a full page newspaper ad would make it easier to grab the readers’ attention than a small classified notice. Printing in color gives the designers more a more eye-catching pallet to work with. The ideal billboard is so demanding of attention as to make the driving conditions on the adjacent highway less safe.
Now that most content – and ads – are consumed on users’ phones, design firms have to deal with smaller dimensions within which they must get their idea across. With the rise of digital marketing, the game has changed. But the goals have not. We still want to get the viewer to stop scrolling, look at the ad, then click on it.
So how does a graphic design company get a Facebook or banner ad to have the same impact as a full page print placement? Animate it.
This isn’t to say that every ad should compete with Pixar for production quality. It doesn’t take a massive budget and team of skilled motion graphics animators to create attention-grabbing videos. Nor should the ads be as achingly boring as those slow, text-heavy newsreel clips that take a full minute deliver two sentences of information. But zippy transitions between text and imagery can be achieve the desired effect in a budget-friendly way.
So what makes a good animated ad? The answer goes back to what makes a good ad in the first place: clever copy, and great graphic design. You mainly find that in a full-serivce advertising agency, where the concept and the artwork are formed by a team of strategists, writers, and designers. Any graphic design studio can make a logo, fun illustration, and elegant typography. But you need that to tie into the overall campaign, ensure that it’s sending the right message, and working towards your goals.
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