The types of motion design videos are distinguished by their use: explain an offer, animate an identity, present data, form or support a sale. The graphic style comes next. First choose what the viewer needs to understand and the expected action, then adapt the writing, sequences and versions to the broadcast channel.
Not all motion design videos are the same. Most importantly, they do not meet the same goals.
When we accompany our customers at home Biux, we quickly realize that many confuse motion design with "doing little men who move". The reality is much richer. Behind this term are several distinct formats, each with its own logic, its own use, its own typing force. Understanding these differences means increasing efficiency, budget and results.
So we’re going to clarify all this. No unnecessary jargon, no above-ground theory. Just what one agency video motion design like ours every day: some formats are cardboard to explain, others to sell, others still to mark the spirits. And knowing which one to choose according to your goal is already half the way to a video that performs.
The explanatory motion design: when vulgariser becomes an art
The most requested format, and for good reason. You have a complex SaaS product? A convoluted internal process? An innovative concept that no one understands at first contact? Explanatory video in motion design is your best ally.
Here we are talking about those 60 to 120 second videos that turn complexity into clarity. No frills, no flashy effects: just a fluid narration, clean visuals and a logical progression that leads the viewer from the problem to the solution.
Le motion design Omi Day directed by Biux presents an animated graphic universe. It illustrates the visual sequencing work that makes it possible to advance an explanation.
Why it works so well:
- The human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text. HubSpot and many neuroscience studies)
- Animations allow to show abstract concepts (data flows, automated processes, transformations)
- Storytelling Creates an Emotional Connection Where a Technical PDF Sleeps
- The short duration fits perfectly into a digital sales path
To evaluate an explanatory video, ask what the viewer has understood of the offer and what questions remain. The readability of the narrative and the use of the film in the commercial journey are more useful than a percentage of undocumented understanding.
Logo animation: the visual signature that remains
This animation of the Spotify logo shows a brand signature in motion. It illustrates a brief and reusable use of the motion design, distinct from the explanation of a product or commercial argument.
Often neglected, rarely properly budgeted, the animation of logo is yet what differentiates an amateur brand from a pro brand. It’s your visual handshake. Your serial credits. The micro-moment that says "we’ve worked our identity all the way to the details."
A good logo animation lasts only 3 to 5 seconds. But these few seconds, you will use them everywhere: intro of your YouTube videos, signature of your advertisements, transition in your customer presentations, animation of loading on your site.
The classic mistake? Want to do too much. The best logo animations are sober, memorable and consistent with brand identity. An elegant movement is better than ten 3D effects that are useless.
The product/service video: show before showing
Are you launching a new feature? Want to explain your premium offer? The video produced in motion design is this hybrid format between the explanatory and the commercial that converts without appearing to sell.
Unlike a classic screencast demo (which shows your raw interface), motion design allows you to style, accentuate key benefits and create a visual universe that is consistent with your brand. We do not film the interface as it is: we reinterpret it, we stage it, we make it desirable.
This approach transforms a boring product presentation into a story of transformation. And transformation stories sell. Much better than a feature list on a white background.
The VSL (Video Sales Letter): the ultimate conversion weapon
La VSL in motion design, it is the format that hurts when it is well executed. We are talking about a pure and lasting sales video, usually between 1 and 4 minutes, designed for a single objective: to convert a prospect into a customer.
Unlike other formats that inform, inspire or educate, VSL sells. Frontally. With an ultra-robust narrative structure: impactful hook, amplification of the problem, presentation of the solution, social proof, management of objections, urgency and call to action.
Le animated film Klyra Design produced by Biux presents an offer by graphical sequences. It provides a reference for examining the visual organization of a commercial message and its progress.
What makes a VSL motion design incredibly effective:
- The visual accompanies the explanation and helps to follow the stages of reasoning
- The animations illustrate the benefits in a tangible way (before/after, transformations, results)
- Visual rhythm amplifies the emotional impact of the sales script
- The format fits perfectly into automated sales tunnels
At Biux, we produce VSLs for our customers who sell training, premium consulting or SaaS solutions. The ROI is often spectacular: a good VSL can generate hundreds of thousands of euros of revenue if it is well broadcast. Forbes Confirms that animated sales videos have significantly higher conversion rates than text formats. But beware, it is also the most demanding format in terms of script and strategy. A failed VSL converts nothing.
Animated institutional video: embodying its vision
Le Storm Reply film directed by Biux based on real shots. It is presented here as a point of comparison with an animated institutional film, not as a production entirely on motion design.
Institutional videos have long been synonymous with deadly boredom: CEO in costume in front of a green background, monochord voice-over that recites hollow values, corporate music insipid. Motion design has revolutionized this format.
Today, a well-thought-out institutional video tells the story of your company, embodies your vision, humanizes your mission. All without a single second of forced talking head.
The institutional motion design is used for strategic moments: fundraising, brand redesign, crisis communication, onboarding of new recruits. It is the format that says "here we really are" with just what it takes of depth and emotion.
The advantage of the classic video? You control absolutely everything. The visual universe, rhythm, metaphors. There is no risk of a discrepancy between what you want to say and what the image shows.
Animated infographic: the data that finally speak
Do you have key figures to report? Statistics that prove your impact? Results that impress? Animated infographics transform your data into visual storytelling.
The problem with numbers is that they are cold. Abstracts. Difficult to remember. A static infographic is already making things better. But an animated infographic is a completely different dimension: the bars that fill up, the percentages that scroll, the comparisons that come to life.
We regularly use this format for our clients in the annual reporting, impact communication or pitch investor phase. When your results are solid, you might as well present them as they deserve.
Advertising motion design: capture in 6 seconds
YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram: Ad platforms love motion design. Normal is the most effective format to capture attention in the first critical seconds.
A successful motion design ad doesn’t try to tell it all. She seeks to create a click, a curiosity, a desire to know more. The short format (6 to 30 seconds) imposes a radical narrative discipline: a message, a strong visual, a clear CTA.
Unlike video, motion design instantly adapts to different formats: square for Instagram, vertical for stories, horizontal for YouTube. Same creation, multiple variations. Maximum profitability.
Educational/tutorial video: training without falling asleep
Train your teams, educate your customers, popularize your expertise: educational video in motion design makes learning less painful. Or even downright nice.
Motion design allows you to visualize abstract concepts, simplify complex processes, maintain attention on subjects that could be soporific in pure text. A 3-minute animated tutorial effectively replaces a 20-page PDF that no one will ever read.
At Biux, we regularly produce series of educational videos for our customers who want to scale their expertise. The short format (2-4 minutes) allows you to cut a complex subject into digestible modules. And above all, re-usable to infinity.
How to choose the right format for your project
Now that you know the main types of motion design videos, the crucial question remains: which one to choose? Because a serious motion video design agency doesn’t sell you a format, it recommends the right tool for your goal.
Ask yourself these three questions:
- What is my main goal? Explain (explain), convert (VSL/product), inspire (institutional), train (educational), amplify (pub)
- Who is my audience? Cold prospects (explicative), hot clients (VSL), existing clients (tutorial), investors (institutional)
- Where will the video be broadcast? Website (explicative/product), sales tunnel (VSL), social networks (pub), event (institutional)
The answer to these questions naturally points to the most appropriate format. And often, the real strategy is to combine multiple formats into a consistent content journey.
Once the format is chosen, find the production techniques, tools and budgets in our full guide to the motion design.
Set the scope before asking for a quote
A format name does not yet describe the production to be carried out. "Product video" can refer to an interface path, a profit animation or a demonstration combining filming and graphics. The briefing must therefore specify what will actually be seen on the screen. Gather validated texts, charter, product elements and data before requesting an estimate. The claimant can then distinguish the elements provided from those that he must create.
The 2D motion design and 3D correspond to different techniques and means of production, not a quality ranking. The delay is 15 days after storyboard approval for 2D; the 3D follows a separate calendar of 3 to 5 weeks. A clear explanation in 2D can meet the need without adding modelling.
The 2D offer includes script, storyboard, illustration, animation, voice-over and sound design. The estimate specifies the final versions. Set languages, ratios and variants that are useful from the start, as changing a framing does not always mean automatically resetting a file. A text may become illegible, too dense a diagram or inappropriate transition when the composition changes. Each deliverable must have an identified use.
| Format envisaged | Elements to be provided | Point to validate before animation |
|---|---|---|
| Explaining | Problem, public and supply operation | Script understanding and stage progression |
| Infographic | Data sources, units and definitions | Accuracy of values and readability of comparisons |
| Tutorial | Procedure and user environment | Order of steps and expected result |
| Animated signature | Vector logo and charter | Movement, usage context and necessary files |
Finally, choose a validator capable of grouping internal returns. A decision on the message must be taken at the script stage; a decision on the compositions, at the storyboard. Asking a finished animation to make another speech is like changing the scope. A clear process allows these requests to be discussed before they are completed and to maintain consistency between what has been ordered and what will be delivered.
Looking for the right motion design format for your business? Describe your project in two minutesBiux returns to you with precise cost estimate.
Errors that blur the choice of format
The first mistake is to choose a technique before you get a message. Asking for 3D because it seems more spectacular does not solve a confused explanation. First write the spectator’s question and the answer you want to give him. If a simple illustration is sufficient to show the mechanism, the additional complexity must have a narrative or technical justification, not only aesthetic.
The second error is to confuse presentation with instructions for use. A discovery video can show the benefits of a software without reproducing each screen. A tutorial should be used to follow a manipulation or to understand a procedure. Mixing these intentions often produces content that is too detailed for prospects and too incomplete for users. Separate usages before preparing the scenes.
The third mistake is to turn a data into a set. An animated infographic must keep the definition, unity and context of the figure. A spectacular movement does not correct a misleading comparison. Check the sources with the person responsible for the subject, then choose a representation that helps to read the data. Legends and scales are part of the message, as is the voice-over.
Our approach at Biux
What differentiates us from a classic video motion design agency is that we don’t think "format" but "result". We always start by understanding what you want to achieve in practice. Generate leads? Increase your conversion rate? Reduce onboarding time? Is it easier to sell?
Only then is it determined what type of motion design video will best serve this purpose. Sometimes it’s a 90-second explanation. Sometimes it’s a 5 minute VSL for a sales tunnel. Sometimes this is a series of 6 micro-videos produced for LinkedIn.
To go further, discover How to use motion design to generate leads or explore what motion design is for in marketing and communication. Motion design is not an end in itself. It is an extraordinarily effective way to communicate, to convince, to train, to sell. As long as you use it wisely, with the right strategy behind it.
And that’s exactly what we do on a daily basis: turn your business goals into videos that actually perform. No unnecessary frills, no free creativity. Just what works, measured, optimized, efficient.
Because in the end, a good motion design video is not judged by its beauty. They judge themselves by their results.
FAQ
What type of motion design choose to explain a service?
An explanation is appropriate when the public needs to understand a problem, a functioning and a solution. The script organizes this progression before the choice of style. Prepare examples of usage and the questions of your prospects; illustrations should clarify the steps, rather than decorate a commercial text already too dense.
How much does a video motion design Biux cost?
The estimate specifies the scenes, the graphic work and the versions. A VSL falls within another commercial area, to be distinguished from an animated explanation.
How long will it take between the brief and the delivery?
the Biux pricing guide provides 15 days after storyboard approval for the 2D motion design and 3 to 5 weeks for the 3D. The calendar organizes validations of script, storyboard, graphics and animation. Gather the product elements and designate a validation interlocutor before starting to properly prepare each step.
What deliverables include the 2D motion design?
The 2D offer includes script, storyboard, illustration, animation, voice-over and sound design. The estimate specifies the formats, languages and variants of the film delivered. An animated signature, tutorial and explanation do not require the same source elements; indicate the intended uses and files your team will need.
Should we focus on 2D or 3D?
2D is suitable for many graphical messages, interfaces and processes. 3D meets other representation, volume or modelling needs. Choose according to what the viewer should see and understand, not according to a supposed hierarchy of quality. The brief must justify the technique by the content to be shown.
Can animations be reused on multiple channels?
Yes, if the variations are foreseen and the rights allow. A horizontal composition must sometimes be reorganized to become vertical, and a short version may require a new opening. Define the destinations before animation to provide reusable elements and files adapted to the actually chosen uses.
