Hand-Drawn Videos to Step Up Your Marketing Game!

We all are fans of cartoons. We watched them as kids, and let’s be honest, we still do as adults. Animated films like The Lion King and The Beauty and the Beast continue to be cult favorites, representing the peak of hand-drawn films. This type of animation, known as hand-drawn animations started way long ago in 1832 when Joseph Plateau invented the phenakistoscope. The phenakistoscope was the first widely used animation device that created a fluid illusion of movement and is regarded as one of the first forms of moving media entertainment, laying the groundwork for the motion picture and film industry as we know it today. A more recent example of this fluid illusion is a GIF, which is displayed on a short continuous loop. 

These original animation principles became the foundation for other forms of longer and more complex animation, such as cartoons and anime films we love so much nowadays. Both use successive images displayed quickly with slight changes to each image to show the movement of characters. Unlike their predecessors, these forms have a storyline or plot, as opposed to just simple scenes, and are widely used in the modern age of marketing.

But why is this type of animation so valuable? Text or dry videos can be seriously… boring. This is where hand-drawn videos come in, to spruce up your content with shiny objects, surprises, and heartwarming stories. Hand-drawn videos are designed to capture and hold your audience’s attention from the first five seconds (the dreaded “Blink Test”), whether you’re creating marketing videos for pre-roll ads or a longer purpose, hand-drawn videos spark the interest and anticipation in your audience, compelling them to keep watching to see what happens next!

What Exactly Are Hand-Drawn Videos? 

By now, you’ve probably seen a hand-drawn video in some company’s marketing strategy. If you’ve ever watched a tutorial or presentation video on YouTube or Meta, you surely have. They are exactly what they sound like and are pretty self-explanatory. This type of video goes by many different names, including ‘whiteboard video,’ ‘video scribing,’ and ‘speed-draw video.’ As the name states, hand-drawn videos usually show a hand holding a pen and drawing on a white canvas background. The footage is accompanied by a voiceover track that narrates or presents a particular topic. The animation or illustration video is then sped up so that the images on the screen match the words and concepts in the voiceover.

Even though hand-drawn videos are one of the most traditional types of animations, they are becoming increasingly popular for a lot of industries from customer tutorials and FAQs to meeting presentations. Hand-drawn videos serve a variety of functions, including selling, adding brand value, and adding depth to a venture’s intention to educate its audience. These videos are primarily used on website landing pages, where your brand can easily pitch what your audience wants to see and hear. Hand-drawn videos also can be posted on YouTube, Meta, and other social media platforms. They are very shareable, like this educational video by The Story of Stuff that recently went viral!

The Key Reason Behind Using Hand-Drawn Videos

Did you know that the average audience drop-off rate is around 75%? Even for videos! Meaning that by the end of a typical video, you will be left with only 25% of your audience. Consider this: You’re excitingly sharing your presentation on a Zoom session, and suddenly 75 out of the 100 participants leave the session right in the middle of your speech. Doesn’t that sound dreadful? That is exactly what is happening with videos. But, the good news is that with hand-drawn videos you can change this. These types of videos are great to explain content that is complicated, convoluted, dry, or prone to be boring. The illustrations help to bring the narration to life and keep things moving. The visual elements also support the concepts discussed in the hand-drawn video, which can help your viewers gain a better understanding of the mission and vision of your brand.

Hand-drawn videos have grown in popularity because they are less expensive to create than full 3D animated videos but can be just as successful.

The Process of Making Hand-Drawn Videos

Back in the original days, animation was really crafty! Animators created frames on cellulose drawing sheets, which then were laid over other cels and were photographed. This allowed the animator to reuse the drawings instead of having to completely redraw components for each frame. Computers now make this animation process much easier, making the traditional cel drawing process nearly obsolete.

Drawings can now be directly drawn or scanned into a computer system using special computer software. After digitally coloring these drawings and simulating camera work, the output is processed to allow the film to be exported in different formats, such as 35mm film or digital video.  Even though animation has undergone a transition from paper to digital animation, all hand-drawn videos must include:

• A clean backdrop (classically a whiteboard, but it could resemble any other material if it helps with the narrative)
• A continuous drawing (usually resembling a black marker, but with splashes of color in strategic places – to highlight the brand or specific situations, and preferably your brand’s colors)
• A drawing hand (It’s all about the content, without the drawing hand, it’s just a regular animated video)

But this is just the start! Let’s take a look at the steps involved in creating hand-drawn videos!

Storyboarding

The whole process starts here. The storyboarding process was invented by Walt Disney Productions in the early 1930s, and it is usually the first step in the production of animation. A storyboard, similar to a large comic strip, is a collection of hand drawings and words that tell a story. The drawings are displayed in a specific order so that the viewer can visualize the animation.

This process is frequently repeated several times before achieving the desired result. It aids animators in developing plans for the animation plot and defining the composition of the imagery. In this first step, it’s your opportunity to really explain, uncover and expose everything you want your audience to know about your brand. 

Voiceover

Before true animation begins, a preparatory soundtrack is often recorded so that the animation can be more precisely synchronized to the soundtrack. Because animation is created in a slow and methodical manner, it is almost always easier to synchronize the animation to an existing soundtrack.

A complete soundtrack will include music, sound effects, and dialogue delivered by voice actors. The scratch track used during animation, on the other hand, usually only contains the voices, vocal songs to which the characters sing-along, and some temporary musical score tracks, with the final score and sound effects added during post-production. 

Animatics

After the soundtrack is completed, an animatic or story reel is created to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the animation before it is finalized. An animatic is typically a sequence of images or sketches in the form of a storyboard, arranged with a soundtrack, and created prior to the start of the full animation.

This stage assists animators and directors in identifying and correcting any script or timing issues that may exist with the produced storyboard. This process may result in the creation of new versions of the storyboard, the soundtrack, or both, as well as a new animatic for review until everything is perfected to the desired extent. This could prevent animating scenes that could be edited out of the film, saving time and money.

Timing and Design

When the animators and directors decide on an animatic, they send it to the design department, along with the approved storyboards, so that character designers can create model sheets for the various characters and objects in the animation. 

These model sheets show the designers how each character or object appears from various angles, with a variety of poses and expressions, so that all artists working on the project can make the same results. Meanwhile, the background and color stylists, as well as the art directors along with you, will work on setting up the locations and deciding on the art style and color schemes to be used in the project. In this stage you will certainly choose your brand’s visual identity!

Animation Begins!

There are numerous animation styles, but the most important thing to remember when creating hand-drawn videos is to keep the drawings connected. It can be difficult if your animator is unfamiliar with the style, so keep in mind that you should find a team that has experience with these types of videos so that everything runs smoothly.

Most of the time, finding a professional animation studio that specializes in whiteboard and hand-drawn videos is the best option. Always hire the best in town!

When Is Best to Use Hand-Drawn Videos?

Hand-drawn videos are one of the animation styles that work best with specific marketing goals and specific audiences. To make things simple, we’ve laid out the business scenarios in which a brand might need to choose hand-drawn videos for marketing purposes:

For B2B and B2C Businesses

Both of these businesses deal with complex product and service ideas that they will need explain to clients, partners, and, most importantly, their customers! Look how Oracle Warehouse Management Cloud explained their services with a hand-drawn video! Hand-drawn videos unwind a brand’s most important concepts and couples them with impressive storytelling techniques to clearly reinforce the message.

New Concepts, Same Audience

Here, the manually drawn images are combined with exciting voice-over techniques to teach and enlighten the target audience about a new idea of service and product with the highest level of engagement.

Humor Us! 

The best thing about hand-drawn videos is that by using them, you open up the possibility for your brand to be witty and creative by increasing audience engagement through entertainment.

Personalized Touch

Hand-drawn videos lend credibility to the brand’s creative approach in the marketing video. The audience will have more faith in the brand because they will feel more connected. Let emotion roll!

Convenience

Another advantage of using hand-drawn videos is that everybody loves animated characters, and every brand has the creative freedom to create and use their brand mascot or image, who can give a face and voice to the brand’s marketing collaterals as well.

Further Explanation

You may wish to elaborate on your brand or the service or product that you provide, hand-drawn videos will do the work! Similar to how-to and what is… tutorial videos available on the internet… Hand-drawn videos provide a level of engagement that is almost unrivaled!

Trust in StoryBox Studios!

Hand-drawn illustrations on your website or on your social media accounts show a high level of dedication as they require skill, time, and effort. Since it’s not just a purchased and downloaded stock image, or a collection of free icons and fonts, it shows that you are committed to invest time and money to create a hand-drawn and unique piece of art. This is excellent for marketing because it implies that you have the same dedication and care for your customers and clients.

Because the illustrations are hand-drawn, the website feels more real and human, and the gap between your brand and your customers will just disappear! In StoryBox Studios we will help you to foster trust and confidence in your brand, partner with us.