As a provider of compressed natural gas delivery and mobile CNG distribution, Certarus needed help telling their story in a unique and easily digestible way. As part of our service, we strategized what the most cost effective and appropriate animation style would be for this client. 3D animation could have overcomplicated their story for no additional gain, and live action footage of cow poop might not have been as cute. The solution was clear: a 2D animation explainer video it is. Here’s how it went for this motion graphic.

We were very intrigued and excited about this motion graphic example because:

       (A) We love telling stories that help save the planet, 

       (B) We get to draw cute little animals, and

       (C) I always wondered how they captured the cow farts for renewable energy.

Reasons to use 2D animation examples

Making the decision to tell the story via 2D animated video was a strategic move. The story could have been told with live action video, but filming a cow farm is messy, which ultimately contradicts the “clean” brand of Certarus. Modern animal farms, regardless of conditions, also typically bring up concerns from animal rights activists, which was a distraction we wanted to avoid in this story. 

Choosing 2D design lets us explain high-level sequences of events and processes, and that’s exactly what we did for Certarus in this animated explainer video example. Click here to learn more about when to choose 2D

Steps for an effective 2D animation or explainer video:

Step 1 – Script

Before starting the script, we always recommend making videos as short as possible, and this 2D animation example is no exception. Animated video is a great way to introduce your audience to a topic, not make them experts in it. Providing too much information about your product or service before customers inquire can lead to diminishing return. 

But some situations call for a more thorough explanation than others. And this video has a lot  of information and key selling points — more than our normal recommendation for optimal audience retention. We get it — sometimes it’s hard for clients to let go of some points that highlight their product. It’s just like asking a parent why they love their child in only three sentences!

We came to a compromise by boiling down the key messaging without sacrificing the main points that were essential to the product champion. But it still felt like we were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

With creativity and productivity in mind, we wrote a script that was broken down into three different sections. This allowed the client to deliver more bite-sized pieces to its audience depending on who they’re presenting to. 

If their customer is new to the industry, they can watch the whole video. If someone is already well-versed in RNG, they can skip the high-level section and get straight to their offering. Win-win.

Step 2 – Storyboard

The beefy script meant we had a lot of ground to cover. The fastest way to make sure representation of real and abstract ideas wasn’t lost in translation was to do quick hand drawn sketches of the entire story. Doing this allows us to retrace our steps and solve creative problems with the client before they get too expensive. This collaborative effort let us make sure we nailed the desired style, composition, and technical accuracy of their products and process.

Step 3: Vector Illustration

The storyboard shows us which ideas work and the ones that need a revision. Once we ironed everything out, we vector illustrated and colored our video content pieces, which became actual assets in the animation. 

Step 4: Animation

Once we negotiated the project, finalized the script, recorded the voiceover, selected the music, outlined the visuals and finished the illustrations, we could get to work on the animation! The result was a clean cut, shareable product that turned a complicated topic into an easy-to-understand one.  

Of course, our character animator couldn’t pass up the chance for a little cow fart gif, which would unfortunately (but understandably) turn into a cut scene, but we had a great time throughout the entire process.

Step 5 – Save the World

We love telling stories that focus on renewable energy, and even if our effort is a small drop in the “solve global warming” bucket – we’re here for it! Our client struggled with creating a promotional video that also explains their complicated web of offerings, which would often make them miss out on a sale. Now, with an approachable, easily understandable and customizable set of 2D animation examples from us at the top of their RNG page, Certarus’s customers can confidently make a buying decision, and who doesn’t want to get rich while saving the planet?!