Motion graphics studio
Ideas that land at first glance.
Graphic design in motion and animation to explain a process, launch a product or make a brand message stick, so it’s understood first time. For your website, presentations, events and social, from concept to delivery with the same team.
Who we’ve worked with
In short
What are motion graphics?
Motion graphics are graphic design in motion: type, shapes, icons, illustration and data, animated to get an idea across in very little time. Brands use them to explain a process, present a product or give a brand message more energy, on the web, in presentations, at events and on social media.
2D animation goes hand in hand with it: drawn characters and scenes that tell a story. Most of our videos mix the two, and sometimes 3D or live action join in.
What a motion graphics video is for
Getting a message seen, understood and remembered. Three real projects, and the problem each one had to solve.
01Explaining a process nobody sees
Decathlon was piloting a scheme to recycle diving and swimming fins at the end of their life. We told the story in an animated film that ran in every one of its stores in France and in PADI dive schools.
Fins made from FinsDecathlon · SUBEA
View the case study
02Walking through a protocol step by step
For Prosegur, an animation of the main security and surveillance measures it runs at airports: what each team does, and in what order.
ProsegurProsegur
View the case study
03Raising awareness without preaching
With Fundación Mapfre, a series on road safety for pedestrians and motorcyclists, good manners online and saving money. Advice people remember because they’ve seen it.
PedestrianFundación Mapfre
View the case study
In your brand’s style
Your brand sets the style
Mahou, the Madrid brewer, wanted to thank the people who choose it every day by looking back at the awards it has won in different countries.
It asked for a style that was unmistakably its own: comic-book, hand-drawn lines and a tight palette of Mahou red, beer yellow and greens, for a young, urban audience. Every scene was drawn within those rules.
And it ends with a line: El mejor premio es saber que nos eliges cada día (the best award is knowing you choose us every day)
- Client
- Mahou
- Project
- 77 veces gracias
- Year
- 2021
Motion graphics, 2D, 3D or live action: which one fits
No technique is better than the others. One just fits what you need to say. Plenty of pieces mix two or three.
| Motion graphics | 2D animation | 3D animation | Live action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Type, shapes, icons and data in motion | Hand-drawn characters and scenes | Objects, characters and spaces modelled in three dimensions | Filmed with a camera: real people, places and products |
| When it works | Explaining a process, a figure or a brand message | Telling a story with characters, or in a warmer tone | Showing a product from the inside, or something you can’t film | Showing your team, your premises or the person fronting it |
| When it doesn’t | When what matters is seeing real people | When a product has to be shown with technical precision | When the message is simple and graphics will do | When what you need to show can’t be seen or filmed |
| One of ours | Fins made from Fins (Decathlon) | 77 veces gracias (Mahou) | EcoAdvanced (Energizer) | Practicooking (Fundación Mapfre) |
How we work
Five stages. At each one you see the work and sign it off before we move on, so nothing reaches the end without you having seen it.
Start with the briefStep 1: Brief
You tell us what needs explaining, to whom and where it will be seen. If there’s a deadline, that comes first.
You getA proposal with the approach, plan and quote
Step 2: Script
We shape the message: what gets said, in what order and with which images. If you already have a script, we start from yours.
You getThe script
Step 3: Style and storyboard
We design style frames in your brand’s look and draw the video scene by scene.
You getStyle frames and storyboard
Step 4: Animation
First an animatic with a scratch VO, to get the pacing right. Then the animation itself.
You getThe animatic and the animation
Step 5: Sound and delivery
Voice-over, music and sound effects, plus a version for every screen.
You getThe final video in every format
One video, every screen
We design it for where it will be watched: your website, a presentation, an in-store screen or social media.
- Landscape (16:9) for the web, presentations and events
- Vertical (9:16) and square (1:1) for social
- Short cut-downs for ads
- Subtitles, so it works with the sound off
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between motion graphics and 2D animation?
Motion graphics animate graphic design: text, shapes, icons and data. 2D animation brings drawn characters and scenes to life, like a cartoon. In practice, most corporate videos mix the two: Fins made from Fins, for Decathlon, explains a recycling process with flat illustration, friendly characters and graphics that order each step.
How much does a motion graphics video cost?
It mainly depends on three things: length, style (animating type and icons is not the same as animating bespoke illustrated characters) and how many versions you need, for social or in other languages, say. Voice-over and music count too. Tell us what you need to say and by when, and we’ll send you a proposal with a quote.
How long does it take to make an animated video?
It depends on the length, the style and how many rounds of changes are needed. What stretches a project isn’t the animation, it’s the decisions, which is why each stage (script, style, animatic) is signed off before the next one starts. If you have a date, such as a launch, an event or a campaign, tell us at the start: we plan backwards from it.
Do I need to have a script?
No. You can come to us with a script, a document, a presentation or just the idea. Shaping the message (what gets said, in what order and what stays out) is part of the job, and it’s usually what makes the biggest difference to the result.
How long should a motion graphics video be?
It depends on where it will be watched and what viewers need to remember. Short pieces work best on social; to explain a process, present at an event or train a team, the piece can run longer. We set the length with the script, and every scene has to earn its place.
Can you animate in our brand identity?
Yes. We start from your brand guidelines (typefaces, colours, logo and tone) and, where needed, propose how all of that should move. If the brand calls for a very specific style, that style leads, as in 77 veces gracias (77 Times Thanks) for Mahou: comic-book, hand-drawn lines and a palette of just a few colours.
Do you work with agencies and production companies?
Yes. We’ve made pieces with agencies such as Moonbook and LaZona. For a production company, we take on a self-contained part of the job, like a title sequence or the animation for a documentary, or we work inside their team for the length of the project.
For production companies and agenciesIs your team in Madrid?
What drives the price of an animated video, how each stage is signed off, and work for Mahou and Fundación Mapfre.
Motion graphics in MadridWe also do
02Explainer videosYour product, service or idea, understood in a minute.
033D animationProducts, processes and worlds you can’t film.
04Title design and graphics for film, TV and streamingTitle sequences, credits and maps for series and documentaries.- 08Animated infographics and data visualisationComplex figures and processes, clear at a glance.
What do you need to say?
Tell us what needs explaining, to whom and by when. We’ll get back to you and set up a time to talk it through properly.
info@isla-studio.com
The Isla Studio teamVideo production studio in Madrid