Whiteboard animations are videos that contain simple illustrations drawn on a white background, also commonly known as videoscribes or animated doodling.

They are often used as a fantastic way to tell stories and communicate messages, as they make images come to life through the action of drawing.

This type of video helps viewers better understand and retain the message, idea or concept because it captivates their attention and makes it hard to look away. These days you’ll find whiteboard animations everywhere, used by companies and organisations all over the world to persuade, educate and promote.

We’ve produced whiteboard animations for our clients to help them:

• Promote a new product
• Explain a core concept or idea
• Describe how a process works in detail
• Communicate a new strategy or training initiative
• Tell their brand story
• Educate students or the general public
• Present research findings
• Draw attention to their important message

In the last few years, people have started to really see the potential of video content marketing in general. As this trend continues, the internet becomes increasingly populated by videos and animations of all kinds.

The advantage of high quality whiteboard videos is that they are disarmingly simple and direct. They don’t rely on flashy effects to keep viewers engaged, they only use carefully crafted hand-drawn illustrations, which not only captivate the short attention spans of today’s internet generation, they also help viewers remember what they have seen and heard in a way no other video format has achieved.

Just look at the trend of Google searches for ‘Whiteboard Animation’, and you’ll see just how popular this style is becoming.

There are many reasons why whiteboard animations are so effective in drawing attention and getting your message across. Here are our top 5 reasons in no specific order:

They are multi-sensory

Whiteboard videos target different areas of the brain at the same time. The combination of illustrations, audio and on-screen text work together to reinforce the message. Some people are more visual learners, some prefer to learn by listening, but you can’t go wrong with these videos because they work for everyone!

They are incredibly simple

Many videos you’ll come across will use flashy graphics and very fast motion to keep viewers engaged. Actually this only overloads our senses and makes it harder to remember what we’ve seen. By skipping these over the top methods, whiteboard videos get right to the point with simple illustrations. Everything you see is important and helps to enhance the message, so there’s no pointless distractions.

They are truly captivating

Maybe it’s the animation of the hand moving across the screen and directing your attention, or just something to do with the images being revealed a part at a time. There’s definitely something about them that glues your eyes to the screen like you don’t want to miss what happens next. This means viewers will stick around and pay attention to a whiteboard video more than a talking head video or other video types.

They are actually fun

When you’re trying to get someone to listen to what you’re saying, if you put them in a good mood by creating a sense of fun, you can get anyone to be more receptive to your message. When whiteboard videos include images that are more cartoony and less boring and corporate, watching them feels less like work and more like fun. It’s a great way of getting people to let down their defences and just enjoy what they’re watching.

They are definitely memorable

In studies carried out by Dr Richard Wiseman, these types of videos were found to increase retention of the message by 15% compared to a talking head video. To put this in context, getting an increase of 5% or 10% would be very impressive, but getting a 15% increase is something really special. Viewers will remember what they’ve seen for longer and will be much more likely to share it and come back for more.