We’re an Animation Company

Animation is the art of making a design or illustration move with a series of renders created with hand-drawn frames, a series of images or keyframes with software. Basically, animation is the use of art to create the illusion of life in video.

Basically, animation is the use of art to create the illusion of life in video.

Animation is one of the oldest forms or videos and has evolved quite a bit over the last 100 years. Made popular by Walt Disney, animation has always had a way to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Anytime we say we’re an animation company to people, our most common response is, “Animation… like cartoons?”. Sometimes, but not exactly. While animation can be used to create cartoons like The Simpsons or South Park, animation is also used for commercials, web videos like explainers, short films and other types of ads. 

Animation has a wide range of techniques to be created. Some of the examples being 

• Stop motion animation
• Hand-drawn animation
• 3D animation
• 2D animation 
• Motion graphics

Here’s a look at some of our animation work at Made by Things that includes many of these techniques.

The Process of Creating Animation

The process for creating animation ranges based on the technique used, but it should always start with some kind of goal or story when used for brands. Once there’s a purpose, It’s time to create the design or illustration that will be put into motion.

Based on the technique used, for the analog techniques of hand-drawn and stop-motion, each frame is created by hand. With there being 24 frames per second of film, that can take a bit of time as you can imagine. A hand-drawn piece that’s 1 min long would take 1,440 drawings to produce…yeah. Very tedious, but incredibly fun.

For software-based animations like motion graphics, the process is a bit simpler but can still be tedious. Keyframes or key poses are created and the motion in between is somewhat automated making it a bit more forgiving than hand-drawn or stop-motion animation.

The Value of Animation

The primary value in animation lies in its storytelling abilities. While it’s known mostly as a genre for kids, animation can be used in different ways and styles to appeal to all genres and all people. It’s a very emotional medium that can accentuate the desired tone from a design or illustration.

Want to start using animation for your business? Hit the button below, answer a few simple questions and we’ll be in touch within 2 days.

Start an animation project with us