Are Whiteboard Videos Outdated? Innovations in Whiteboard Animation

Whiteboard animation is a powerful tool for breaking down complex ideas and making them easy to understand. In fact, the benefits of whiteboard videos are endless.

But when my friend asked if the medium is outdated, I could see where he was coming from. After all, whiteboard videos have been around for over a decade now.

Animators can keep their work feeling fresh and new by being intentional about innovations in whiteboard animation. And if you’re considering outsourcing the production of a whiteboard video, you can learn how to identify the best whiteboard animation company for you.

In this post, we’ll show you some innovations in whiteboard animation so that you can level up your next whiteboard video.

But before we do, let’s address a crucial question.

Authenticity or Innovation?

In today’s world of shorter videos and shiny headshots, we may have forgotten the reason why whiteboard videos are so effective: they’re the closest thing to an informal, in-person whiteboard session. Complex ideas are mapped out, conversations are made, and guided explanations create feelings of anticipation that keep us engaged.

And when whiteboard videos are well-scripted using natural language, they’re refreshingly authentic and feel unscripted.

Whiteboard animators have to remember that innovation is as important as authenticity. We need to keep up with modern attention spans and keep our videos fresh and engaging. And so maybe the days of staring at an entire video where a hand draws image after image are behind us. Or should be.

Innovations in Whiteboard Animation

Today’s whiteboard animation companies must continuously evolve the medium.

Here are some tips for pushing the limits of whiteboard animation as a medium, and some examples of our own explorations at Exaltus.

Ditch the sharpie

Instead of emulating a marker on a whiteboard, how about a pen on paper? Or chalk on a blackboard? Or even painting with a brush? Take a look at these two animated holiday cards for inspiration:

Move to the Music

It’s not surprising that adding music to a whiteboard video can elevate viewer engagement. But when you align the hand’s movement to that music, the results can be dramatic. 

In the chalkboard example above, take a look at the ornaments being drawn to the sound of a Christmas carol. And in the musical painting cord, see how some of the brush strokes seem to dance to the music. Those moments become almost magical.

Tackle Less Literal Themes

Critics of whiteboard videos may condemn the medium for being too literal. And certainly, there’s history to back that claim. 

But whiteboard videos can do more than explain a product. 

Don’t be afraid to take on more abstract and emotional concepts like creativity and regret, as we did in our Seth Godin and Daniel Pink videos below.

Draw in Different Illustration Styles

If you want to completely transform a video, switch up the illustration style.

We love a quirky cartoon… but we would never use it for a whiteboard video on the subject of famine or domestic violence.

Give some thought to the right illustration style for your subject matter.

Turn your Hands and Voices into Characters

To make your video even more powerful, bring your story to life with characters you can see and hear.

Our objective for our Living Room Duet greeting card was to create a feeling of collaboration. And so we:

• Showed two distinct hands on screen at the same time (a first!).
• Hired two vocalists to record a duet.
• Aligned each voice to a hand.

Take a look at the result:

Layer Your Videos

It’s tough to compete with 3D animation! If you want to give more depth to the scenes you create, try layering multiple videos…. 

In the video shared just above, notice how depth and richness are added to the scene by having snow fall through the open window while the living room is set up.

Play with Colour

Colour sparks emotion. Emotion moves people to act. Colour also knows how to create some good ol’ drama. 

Take a look at the effect we created in our Ann Handley video below, by colourizing the imagery. (The video is cued to the right spot.)

Go Beyond the Drawing Board

We love watching someone draw. Love it. But even we get bored when that’s all that’s happening in your video.

Try mixing in different video styles, like live-action or 2D animation. In the Ann Handley video, for example, the banter between Ann and Quippy was brought to you by a new style we’re dabbling with: character animation.

Dive for Data

Whiteboard videos grab attention and retention, boasting a recall rate that’s 15% higher than talking head videos. That’s definitely a cure for the data doldrums.

But when it comes to sharing stats, few formats can go toe to toe with the all-mighty infographic. Why? Because infographics are printable. So people can sit with them and dive deep into the digits at their leisure.

The fact that both formats have advantages forces a choice. Or does it? We thought not, and created the first (that we know of) whiteboard animated infographic:

Over to you

I hope these examples did a good job of showing you the innovation that’s possible when you make it a priority and experiment with different ideas and techniques.

So what do you think? Are whiteboard videos still relevant? Drop a comment to let us know. Also, check out more whiteboard animation examples in our portfolio. And if you’d like us to put our ideas to work for you, contact Exaltus to book a consultation today.