Animated Logos: Why, Where and How to Use

Digital technologies keep bringing innovations so design field evolves fast. One trend changes another and designers need to keep up with modern techniques and directions.

Motion design was called one of the leading trends of this year. Animated elements have become a core part of the powerful design by delivering innovative and fresh solutions. The animation is applied for various UI components of a digital product as well as for any other graphic material.

Animated logo is a popular asset of marketing and brand identity. Motion designers turn static logos into something new and unique. Today many brands continue sharing the animated version of the logos with the world. But why do companies invest in logo animation? Let’s find out what profit an animated logo can bring to a brand and where it can be applied.

Horsy logo animation

What’s an animated logo?

A logo is like a heart of a brand identity. It presents a personality of a company or a product and plays a significant role in a branding strategy. A powerful logo can set the connection with the target audience as well as tell the story of a brand. If graphic designers do their job right, a logo establishes an effective brand image which serves as the foundation of a successful marketing strategy.

The age of only print-focused and static graphic design has passed. Modern technology opens great opportunities and professionals need to take advantage of it. To bring a fresh breath into the logo, design experts decided to add some motion.

The level of animation can vary from simple moves to the complete short video presentation. A company and designers agree on which kind of animation to choose and how long it will be according to business goals as well as the type of personality they want to demonstrate to the clients.

Today the tools helping to create animated graphics are in open access. Even more, they are clear enough to use so graphic designers often create animation on their own. However, in case a brand needs a complex video, it may be good to approach the specialists of the motion design sphere.

Really logo animation

Why does a brand need an animated logo?

As soon as the trend of the logo animation took its place, many big and small companies got in touch with designers. But why is it getting popular so fast?

An animated logo is a modern and dynamic way to present a brand. It can show a company character and transfer a certain message to attracting clients. Moreover, it is a good way to stand out from competitors since an animated logo guarantees originality. Let’s see the list of benefits that an animated logo brings to a brand.

An original image

It’s not a secret that some brands have similar logos and even more, sometimes they can be competitors. It may happen not on purpose but just because brands are forced to apply some recognition elements in a logo which would give a hint about their services.

To bring uniqueness to a logo, designers can add some motion. An animated logo allows the imagination to go out of control. Original graphics combined with different visual effects create a unique way to perceive the logo.

Higher brand awareness

Many experts say that dynamic images, as well as video content, are comprehended better than static which means they are easy to remember. A powerful animated logo connects with potential clients and draws their attention effectively. Some animations can last up to 10 seconds which increases chances of memorizing compared to a short glance at the static image.

Pleasant first impression

The first impression has a great impact on how people see a product. It takes only a few seconds for us to decide whether we like something or not. Since a logo is the first representative of a brand it needs to make a nice first impression on potential clients. An original animated logo is a good way to surprise people and increase the chances that they will remember your brand. Positive first impression helps to attract users’ interest.

Evoked emotions

People like fresh and unusual ideas and an animated logo is a good way to surprise them. An effective logo animation can become a trigger for excitement, joy, and intrigue. If a logo can bring some positive emotions to the target audience, there are great chances that they will remember a brand and associate it with something pleasant.

Whizzly logo animation

Better storytelling

An animated logo can become a working part of a storytelling process. Animation can give a more detailed explanation of the nature of a business than a static logo does. It works as a short video telling a unique story of a product or a company. Video content can easily set an emotional connection with viewers. In addition, video can be shared across the web which means more people can see a logo.

Company professionalism

Customers may not be experts in the marketing field still they understand what is trending. A lot of famous companies including Google have already acquired animated versions of their logos and proudly share it with the whole world. That’s why when a brand shows that they keep up with the innovations, people see them as the real professional.

Binned animated logo

Where to use an animated logo

Video content targets all the digital space and can be applied in different cases with different purposes. Let’s see what they are.

Social networks

Nowadays, social networks are one of the major platforms for product promotion. People spend plenty of time surfing the Internet and communicating on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. The video content is an effective marketing tool that is easy to share and which can be quickly found among the other content. Moreover, animated logos can be converted to GIFs becoming effective material for social posting, so they can be shared across social media.

Company website

Websites are like a CV for a company. It’s vital to make sure a website works effectively. An animated logo can improve the image of the site as well as boost its SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Visitors will watch logo animation and by doing so they will spend more time on a page. This indicator has a big impact on the website’s rank in the search results.

Presentations

Public figures often have to hold different presentations be it a product demonstration or a business meeting. By including an animated logo to slides, you can add the element of originality and creativity to the presentation.

Promo Videos

In our previous articles, we have described the role of promo video in business and said that many companies take profits from this marketing tool. So, why not to polish a promo video with an original animated logo? This combination can accomplish certain business and marketing tasks.

How to use an animated logo

As we can see, an animated logo is often applied as an effective promotional tool. It helps to increase memorability, brand awareness, improve storytelling, and create an original image for a brand. To make it work efficiently, don’t forget to consider the factors below.

• Before you create a logo animation, analyze the company’s business goals, and think of the personality a brand will show.
• Conduct user research. The logo animation should be oriented to the users’ preferences.
• Try to make users surprised. Create an animation that way so the final result would be unpredictable at the first second.
• Keep it short. Try not to make a complex movie from a logo. It is recommended to stay under 10 seconds.

Toonie Alarm logo animation

Read More

6 Creative Stages of Design for Branding

Benefits and Pitfalls of Promo Videos for Web

Creative Stages of Efficient Logo Design

Identity Design: 5 Basic Types of Logos

Animated Logo: Dynamic Way to Present a Brand. Collection of Design Concepts

Mascot Power for Creative Branding

Originally written for Tubik Blog