Principles of Animation and How They Can Help Your Business

It is all in the nuances

Being a business owner is kind of like being the director of an animation film. Each element–from your team to your product/service–needs to exist and function in harmony to ensure a fluid experience for your customers. Just like in an animation, where all elements have an intent and reason to be where they are. Small adjustments in movement can have a massive impact on how the viewer perceives the story you are trying to tell, similar to how you would strategise for a pitch you are about to give to your next big client.

The principles of animation, originally derived from the work of Disney animators, can be translated into the approach of building a successful and engaging brand. The following section breaks down some of the principles of animation which when applied can breathe life, personality and strategy to your business operations, allowing your brand to resonate with your audience on a much deeper and organic level.

Principles of Animation and How They Can Help Your Business

1. Squash and Stretch: Adding Dynamism to Your Brand

• What it is: The principle of flexibility & weight. Keeping this principle in mind, animators establish a sense of weight and flexibility of objects and characters as they move and interact with the world. For eg., a rubber ball bouncing off a concrete wall compared to a metal block falling on a trampoline.
• For your business: Apply this concept to your brand visuals or product animations. The "stretch" can make transitions smoother, while "squash" adds weight and significance. A distinct movement and feeling to visual elements are bound to catch eyes. By using this in motion graphics for a website or an ad, your product or service comes to life in a way that feels fluid and dynamic. It makes your content more engaging and human.

2. Anticipation: Creating Expectation and Excitement

• What it is: Anticipation prepares the audience for what’s coming next, like a character winding up before a punch. Animators use it to create tension;
• i) Visual: A rock swaying ever so slightly at the tip of a cliff before falling down, or ii) Emotional: the pause before the reveal of a life altering news.
• For your business: Anticipation as a principle is very impactful as it helps set clear expectations for the viewer, whether it is leading them toward a call to action or building excitement for a product launch. A good combination of content flow paired with visuals primed with anticipation hooks the viewer in and keeps the engagement natural. This also results in a higher likelihood of the viewer going through the entire product journey.

3. Staging: Directing Attention where it matters

• What it is: Staging refers to clarity of the scene. It is to ensure that the viewer's eye doesn’t get lost in translation, and instead is drawn to the most important action or element. It is essential for cutting out any fluff that doesn’t add value in terms of story or design.
• For your business: In a cluttered digital space, staging helps you cut through the noise. In web design or video content, this principle is applied to bring focus to the message or product feature to help it stand out. Everything within a frame of view must have an intention and should serve a clear purpose. Solid staging leads to a clearer brand narrative and more effective communication, which ultimately boosts conversion rates.

4. Timing: Is Everything

• What it is: Timing controls the speed of an action, making it either fast and snappy, or slow and deliberate, depending on the message. In a literal sense, the timing of movement is affected by the weight and material of an object. Animators use this physical understanding metaphorically to create an emotional impact. For eg., a contract could have a snail like speed and movement to show how slow the process is.
• For your business: If you are a business owner, you sure as hell understand the importance of timing. When it comes to communication, good timing is essential in conveying a message efficiently and seamlessly. Whether it’s a product demo or a social media ad, the pacing of the animation can affect how the audience processes information. Fast-paced animations create energy, while slower animations can convey luxury or thoughtfulness, just like slow paced website scrolls. A well written message and timed visuals resonate and stick with your audience.

5. Exaggeration: Emphasising Your Message

• What it is: Sometimes, accurate reality can be a bit dull. The principle of Exaggeration involves amplifying certain actions or elements to make them more striking or impactful. For eg., a character’s eyes pop out and double in size to express shock, or a character is absolutely drowning in paperwork when applying for a new subscription.
• For your business: Exaggeration in your brand touch points can highlight key selling points or features. Whether you're emphasising the durability of a product or the uniqueness of your service, exaggerating your message with visual metaphors has a high likelihood of leaving an impression. Though, exaggeration should be practised with caution, as it is only impactful when used scarcely and with deliberation.

6. Appeal: Having a Point of View

• What it is: Appeal in animation is about designing characters and visuals that are not just attractive, but also charming. What this means is that a visual or character must have its distinct features and traits which gives it its identity. Anything with an identity, or a point of view, will definitely connect with the audience. For eg., Scar from The Lion King is very distinct and memorable, definitely because of his visual character design but also the personality traits that are evident from his walk and talk.
• For your business: In marketing, appeal is crucial. Anything that you release out in the world for people to engage with should reflect your brand’s personality and values. It should definitely be a joy to look at, but it should reflect your point of view as business, because that is what truly sets you apart from others. By way of thoughtful Graphic Design and Motion design, a simple logo animation or product explainer can help foster an emotional connection with your audience. Appeal, in some ways, is being authentic.

Bringing It All Together

A major goal of all businesses is to create value—for both their customers and for themselves. This value is realised by understanding and solving real problems, consistently innovating, and strategically adapting to market needs. A significant weight of conveying this value is in the communications that take place between the business and the external world.

When the principles of animation work in tandem with each other, the result is a beautiful and impactful animation film; essentially an experience that is well rounded and authentic. An experience that conveys value. People are naturally drawn to such experiences. In a world brimming with businesses competing for attention, those that embrace these concepts in their operations and strategies can leave a lasting impression and truly stand out.

Understanding and applying these principles adds a deeper layer to how people perceive and interact with a brand. All business may be transactional at its core, but there is an undeniable soul to every successful venture.