Today’s world is overflowing with information, data and that dreaded word…content. The difference between being remembered, or forgotten, is a matter of seconds.
Attention spans are constantly dwindling and the way in which information is consumed has shifted. Hint: no one reads anything anymore. You probably won’t make it to the bottom of this page, but don’t worry, there are lots of images and videos!
Being experienced in 2D animation doesn’t just mean we’ve got time behind us. Whilst we’ve got 20 years combined experience delivering 500+ projects, it also means we know what can go wrong, and we know how to mitigate against that. That’s why we’ve been ISO 9001 certified; we’re quality assured.
2D animation ultimately means we can make anything, there’s no limitations by cameras, weather or set design. We’re only limited by our imaginations. Ensuring we channel these infinite creative possibilities to hit your brief, is where our experience really comes in.
Why Choose 2D Animation?
When it comes to storytelling through video, 2D animation has a lot of benefits compared to ‘live-action’ video (things filmed with cameras)
Firstly, it doesn’t age. You don’t risk filming something or someone that’s no longer relevant to your story.
Secondly, there isn’t the same language barrier. We often work in multiple languages, meaning you can speak your audience’s voice, the world over.
There are lots of other benefits, namely, cost-effectiveness when compared to hiring locations, actors, equipment, crew, even catering.
It also means your story can be brought to life through characters, scenarios and narrative arcs, making your messaging more relatable and memorable. Then it’s made consistent to your brand adhering to brand guidelines for colour, designs and themes.
Our 2D Animation Services
Our 2D animation services to help bring your story from idea to audience:
Custom Character Design
By utilising strategic characters, your story will resonate further with your audience. We’ve created characters that are shapes (like circles, squares and pyramids), and we’ve created characters with faces that walk, cycle and run.
Storyboarding
Creating a storyboard allows you to see your animation step-by-step. You’ll understand exactly what’s happening on screen, along with any narration and animation notes so that you can follow the story as closely as possible before it’s brought to life through 2D animation.
Animation & Motion Design
This is where your story shines as elements move and guide you through the narrative. We strategically animate using years of experience to ensure eye-balls are where they should be, and fine-tune the careful balance between overwhelmed and underwhelmed.
Post-production
A famous director once said a great film is 51% visual and 49% audio. Post-production is a crucial stage to add music, sound effects and a final touch of polish to colours and textures.
Why Choose Us for Your 2D Animation Needs?
Experience
Since being established in 2019, Tricks has created over 500 of the highest quality 2D animations for blue-chip multinationals, government bodies and household names.
Creativity
We pride ourselves on creating bespoke and unique creative solutions to ensure your objectives are not only met, but exceeded. By focusing on your target audience, we ensure that our creativity is channelled towards meeting their needs.
Client Satisfaction
We’re rated by our clients 4.8 out of 5 stars. Our clients scored us on Quality (4.8), Cost (4.8), Schedule (4.7) and Willingness to Refer (4.9). Our reviews are conducted by an independent third party, and can be read in depth here
State-of-the-Art Tools
By using industry standard software and technology, we’re constantly refining our processes and ensuring we’re working as efficiently and effectively to maximise the creative potential of your brief and your budget.
The Process: How We Work
By working with an ISO 9001 certified company, you benefit from a rock solid process. This is particularly relevant when working with 2D animation, as the creative potential is unlimited.
1. Initial Consultation
The journey starts with an initial consultation to understand your vision, objectives and requirements. There’s also a detailed creative brief to capture every detail of your project – don’t worry, we often work with our clients to help complete the briefs.
2. Concept & Design
Once your project is properly briefed, the timelines and budget is agreed (and fixed!), then we move into the production stage. This includes creative direction, styleframes, script writing, storyboards and finally the 2D animation.
3. Review & Revisions
Throughout the production stage, the project is assessed against the brief to ensure your problem is being creatively solved. There are various check-ins ranging from key milestones to weekly alignments depending on your requirements, but you’re always kept in the loop to ensure the story matches your vision.
4. Final Delivery
The final deliverables are made depending on your requirements, any language translation is applied and your story is ready to be launched to the world.
Tricks Studio did everything from the storyboard to complete delivery, including the scripts. The creative treatments were incredibly well translated and executed; they were brilliant
Lynne Wood – DLC Communications
See what our clients have to say...
You can read more about a few of our projects here...
Frequently asked questions
2D animation is a subcategory of design, specifically in a two-dimensional space. It involves sequencing individual frames, by hand or by computer, together over time to create the illusion of motion. Characters or objects are drawn on a flat surface without the depth that 3D animation provides.
We find that for some of our clients time is an extremely important factor with a specific date in mind, and for others, it’s not as important as cost or quality. There’s a famous saying in our world; quality, speed, cost, you can only pick two.
That being said, our sweet spot is roughly 8 weeks. This gives you enough time to carefully consider feedback rounds, and us enough time to really flex our creative muscles. However, we’ve been known to animate on much shorter (and longer) timelines depending on the project. Give us a call, we’re always happy to give you a ballpark with more information!
Our cost is based on a simple calculation of complexity, duration, and specific requirements of the project. Those requirements are factors like character design, backgrounds, special effects, and audio. Licensing a voiceover from the guy off the X-Factor is a very specific (and expensive) requirement, for example.
That being said, our services start at £3,000 for 60 seconds of animation from brief to delivery.
We use Adobe After Effects for our pipeline as it’s industry standard and constantly in development. Rarely would this impact you, but it can be peace of mind if you want longevity in your project files.
Our process has been carefully developed over the course of 500+ projects to ensure that as few revisions happen as possible once the storyboard is approved. While small changes aren’t an issue, significant revisions after completion can be time-consuming and may incur additional costs. We’ll help you to align your project with your vision throughout our journey together to mitigate against any big changes.
We’d strongly recommend using a professional to deliver the voice for your project. We have a fantastic roster of voices that we’ll sample for you depending on your objectives. If you have brand music or specific requirements, it’s best to raise this at the start of a project to ensure licensing and duration fits with what you’re looking to achieve.
We’ve got a detailed section on process above, but in essence it starts with a brief, then script writing, storyboarding, design and illustration, animation, voiceover recording and finally post-production, editing, sound design and final outputting. Throughout our process there are clear review milestones to ensure we’re on track to meet your vision.
If there’s a specific format you require for a deliverable (broadcast television being a notable one), then it’s best we know at the start. By standard we produce our animations in both ProRes (lossless) and MP4 (web) formats. The resolution of the animation is a key part of our briefing process.
Yes! We often work in multiple languages, it’s a true advantage to 2D animation over live-action video. We have techniques to create text in multiple languages without having to do the work from scratch each time. Tell us at the start of the project and we can really accommodate this to make your project as efficient as possible!
2D animation can be the most cost-effective way to tell your story of the 3 potential routes. It’s timeless in a way live-action isn’t, and it’s much more accessible in terms of budget and timelines when compared to 3D animation. 2D animation gives you nearly all of the pro’s compared to 3D, without many of the con’s!
2D animation is a powerful, strategic marketing tool that can transform how your audience perceives your message.
It has a unique ability to capture attention, narrate compelling stories, and simply complex processes, products and services. Unlike live-action, which is limited to reality, or 3D animation, which is often higher in cost and longer in production time, 2D animation gives you the freedom to go beyond boundaries, articulate complex ideas with simplicity and engage your audience with memorable communication.
Are you ready to see how 2D animation can ensure your story resonates, educates and entertains? Call us on 01244 560 537, or fill out our online contact form to submit an enquiry.
Let’s bring your story to life!