Creating Animated Content with The Open University.
Animation is a powerful tool for creating explainers and how-to videos for training content. The use of visual storytelling, simplification, and creativity can help to effectively communicate complex ideas or demonstrate product functionalities. By harnessing the power of animation, our animated videos help to facilitate understanding and enhance the viewer's experience, resulting in increased comprehension and knowledge retention.
Project Overview.
Benefits
Simplification and visualisation of complex subject matter using animation techniques to help educate users.
Services
Animation, Motion Graphics, 2D Character Animation, Whiteboard, Storyboarding & XD Design.
Outcomes
Deployment of multi-styled animations to help users understand and visualise course material online.
The Brief.
As a provider of some of the biggest learning materials in the world, The Open University is dedicated to providing high quality training content to its students. From academic subject matters as complex as psychology, law, social science and business economics, introductory units are designed to introduce the students to these courses and subjects in a clear and effective way.
“The choice of animation style depends on various factors, including your target audience, content complexity, and the desired tone of the video.”
In order to do this, the use of illustrations, icons, text and characters can help to convey important information in a clear and concise way. By using this approach, environments and scenarios can be created that are not bound by the constraints of the physical world. This flexibility enables you to present information in unique and compelling ways which in turn can increase user engagement and make the information more memorable.
The Solution.
By working from scripts provided by the client, we can determine the technique or style required to help us illustrate our ideas for the desired subject. This is generally conceptualised through using our prototyping tool to help provide a clearer idea of not only how the video will look, but more importantly animate.
“Animation has a unique ability to break down intricate processes or abstract concepts into clear, visual narratives.”
To realise these concepts, we have a variety of different options to choose from when it comes to how the final assets are animated. Depending on the complexity and style required, the preferred approach is also signed off with the client before any animation takes place. The end result can be developed with either simple Motion Graphics, traditional 2D Animation or a simple Whiteboard technique.
The Motion Graphics approach combines typography, shapes, and graphical elements to create dynamic visuals. This style is well-suited for presenting data, statistics, or step-by-step instructions. 2D animation employs flat graphics and characters, allowing for clear visuals and effective scenario storytelling whilst the Whiteboard style gives a hand-drawn and educational feel, making it ideal for explaining complex concepts or providing instructional content.
The Result.
Successful animation styles and techniques play a pivotal role in unraveling the intricacies of complex subject matter, offering a clear path to enhanced understanding and learning. Striking a balance between creativity and clarity, successful animation can transcend language barriers, making complex subjects universally accessible. Whether it's procedural visualisations or abstract concepts, animation proves to be an indispensable part of our skillset, helping us to communicate sometimes challenging topics to students in a more intuitive and diverse way.
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"We have worked with Autonomy for many years; they deliver high quality animations on schedule. They are very proactive in terms of offering editorial feedback and see through the creative process working from script through to storyboard, design and finally post-production. Autonomy can engage with academic content from start to finish, the team are easy to work with and have a great communication style which is always a plus when working on large projects."
Let’s Talk!
We're here to answer any questions you might have about our solutions.
