2D animation in marketing - when should you use it?

2D animation is not just one style

‍

The term "2D animation" is often associated with illustration or classic character animation. In practice, the possibilities are much broader. Animation can be based on simple geometric shapes, typography, illustration, collage, icons, data, or more elaborate scenes with characters. It can be minimalist and technical or expressive, colorful, and full of character. This is one of the greatest advantages of 2D. You don't have to force a brand into a specific aesthetic. Instead, the animation style can be built around an existing visual identity. Color, typography, illustrations, composition, and the way elements move can all stem directly from the brand's language. That is why the choice of 2D should not be decided by the question: "Do we like this style?" It is more important to ask: "Will this method of communication best help us achieve our goal?" If a brand needs material that simplifies, explains, guides attention, or builds its own visual language, 2D animation will very often be a good starting point.

When does 2D animation work best?

‍

There is no single situation where 2D always wins. However, there are projects where its capabilities are particularly well-suited to solving communication challenges.

When you need to explain a complex topic quickly

Some products are easy to show. All you need is a camera, good lighting, and a few shots. It is more difficult in the case of services, applications, processes, or technological solutions where the greatest value is not physically visible. How do you show data flow? What happens between several stages of a process? How do you explain a business model or a digital product feature in a few dozen seconds? In such situations, 2D animation allows you to remove everything unnecessary and leave only the information needed to understand the story. You can show a process as a few simple steps, use a metaphor, change the scale, or transition smoothly from a problem to a solution. That is why 2D often works well in Explainer Videos, where the most important task is not to represent the world realistically, but to quickly lead the viewer to the moment of: "I get it."

When a brand needs its own visual language

Stock footage can look good, but it is difficult to build something truly characteristic of a specific brand using it. Animation offers much greater control. You can design a world that uses the exact same principles as your visual identity: color palette, typography, shapes, iconography, or the way illustrations are used. Movement can also become an element of branding. How text appears, how interface elements behave, or how graphics transition from one scene to another can be just as distinctive as a color or a font. In this way, a single animation becomes part of a larger brand communication system. This is particularly important in projects within the field of Motion Design, where movement is not just an effect added at the end, but an integral part of the entire identity.

When one creative must work in many places

Today's campaigns rarely end with a single 16:9 video. The same idea may later be used for: social media, vertical ads, websites, presentations, digital signage, event screens, and sales materials. Well-designed 2D animation provides great flexibility for such adaptations. Elements are created as separate components, making it easier to change the layout, move a product, enlarge text, or rebuild a scene for a different format. This does not mean, of course, that every animation can be automatically cropped to a vertical format. The best results come from planning for different formats at the design stage. Then, a single idea can work across multiple channels without the need to create every asset from scratch.

When the message is more important than realism

In advertising, you don't always have to show the world exactly as it is. Sometimes, that actually hinders communication. If we want to talk about an emotion, a change, a process, or an abstract problem, simplification can be much clearer than a realistic image. 2D animation allows for the free use of metaphors. A company can be shown as a system of connected elements. A purchasing process can turn into a simple path. Data can flow seamlessly into a result, and a complex service can be distilled into a few key decisions. It is not about showing less. It is about showing exactly as much as the viewer needs at that given moment.

Where do brands use 2D animation?

‍

2D animation isn't just one specific format. It’s a technique that can be used at many different touchpoints in brand communication.

Advertising and campaigns

In short ad formats, the first few seconds often determine whether the viewer will stay with the content at all. Motion can quickly draw attention to a product, a slogan, or a benefit. That’s why 2D works well both in short social media creatives and in larger advertising animations. It can be the primary technique for an entire spot or combined with photography, video, or 3D elements.

Explainer videos

This is one of the most natural applications for 2D animation. Illustration and motion allow you to guide the viewer through a story without having to explain everything with text. You can show the problem first, then the mechanism of the solution, and finally its value to the user. This way, the animation doesn't become a feature presentation, but a story that leads to a specific conclusion.

Social media and content marketing

2D is also well-suited for regular communication. You don't always need a full spot. Sometimes a few seconds of motion, an animated chart, typography, a simple loop, or a series of repeatable formats is enough. If a brand creates a consistent set of visual and animation guidelines beforehand, subsequent materials can be produced much more consistently.

Digital signage and screens

In retail spaces, the viewer often doesn't hear the audio and doesn't watch the material from the first second to the last. Therefore, animation must work differently than a classic film. The most important information should be readable quickly, motion should guide the eye, and the product or message should be understandable even with a brief glance at the screen. That’s why 2D also works well as part of digital signagecontent, especially where communication needs to be regularly updated and adapted to many formats.

Education and internal communication

Instructions, procedures, employee onboarding, and educational materials also benefit from the same advantage: the ability to simplify a topic. Animation can show the sequence of actions, draw attention to the most important elements, and limit the amount of information appearing at once. Well-designed material doesn't just look better than a dozen slides. Above all, it helps the viewer understand what they should focus on.

2D or 3D animation?

‍

This question comes up very often, but comparing the techniques alone doesn't get you very far. 2D and 3D simply solve different problems.

2D animation is particularly useful when the following are important:

• storytelling
• simplifying information
• illustration
• branding 
• metaphor
• stylistic flexibility

‍

3D is more often the right choice when the following are essential:

• realistic product appearance
• materials and lighting
• construction
• technical details,
• showing an object from multiple angles
• spatial effect

‍

Of course, the line is not rigid. More and more projects combine both techniques. A product can be prepared in 3D, while typography, graphics, and other communication elements work in 2D. That is why a better question is: Which technique will best help show what is most important in this project?

We have covered this topic in more detail in our article "2D or 3D animation? How to choose the right technique?".

What really determines the quality of 2D animation?

‍

The technique itself says little about the quality of the final result. Two animations can be created in the exact same software and yet perform completely differently.

The Concept

Motion shouldn't be the answer to the question, "What can we animate here?" First, you need to know what the viewer should see, understand, or remember. Only then can you decide what kind of movement is needed. A pretty animation without a clear purpose quickly becomes just decoration.

Storyboard and Composition

Good animation starts working before anything even moves. A storyboard helps establish the flow of information, the rhythm of the scenes, and the narrative approach. Composition, on the other hand, determines whether the viewer immediately knows where to look. If everything is equally important, in practice, nothing is.

Graphic Style

Style shouldn't be developed in isolation from the brand. A tech company, an FMCG brand, and an educational institution each require a different visual language. A good design board helps define this direction before the actual animation begins.

Motion

More motion doesn't mean better animation. Every appearance, transition, or transformation should have a purpose. Motion can guide the eye, emphasize hierarchy, build pace, or signal a change. If all elements are moving all the time, the viewer quickly loses track of what is most important.

Sound

In content meant to be watched with sound, its role is immense. Sound design can highlight micro-movements, give transitions character, or increase the sense of dynamics. Music, in turn, sets the pace for the entire story. Even a visually simple animation can take on a completely different character thanks to well-designed sound.

When is 2D animation not the best choice?

‍

2D animation is flexible, but it isn't the solution for everything. If the physical appearance of a product is its greatest communication value, it is worth considering 3D animation.

This is especially true in situations where you need to show:

‍

• realistic material
• product surface
• light
• structure
• device interior
• how the mechanism works
• product from any angle

‍

The same applies to projects where the spatial effect itself is the core of the concept. In such cases, trying to execute everything in 2D might unnecessarily limit the design. Sometimes, the best solution is to combine both techniques. The most important thing is not to choose a technology just because it was specified in the brief. The technique should be determined by what we want to show.

How to start a 2D animation project?

‍

Before discussing illustration styles or transition types, it is worth answering a few simpler questions.

‍

What should the viewer understand?

Not everything we know about a product needs to be included in the video.

‍

What should the viewer do after watching?

Make a purchase? Remember the brand? Understand the service? Visit the website?

‍

Where will the animation be viewed?

Designing a video for a website is different from creating an Instagram ad, which is again different from content for an in-store display.

‍

How much time do we have to convey the message?

A ten-second ad requires a completely different approach than a two-minute explainer video.

‍

How should the animation align with the brand?

Are we using existing assets? Do we need a new illustration style? Should the motion become part of a larger system? 

‍

Only by answering these questions can we consciously choose the right technique and scope of production. That is why at elomate we often start with one rule: Goal first. Motion second.

2D animation is a tool, not the goal

‍

The greatest advantage of 2D animation isn't just that it brings graphics to life. Its true value emerges when motion helps the audience grasp a message faster, visualize things that are difficult to capture with a camera, or immerse them in a visual world unique to a specific brand. Sometimes the best solution is minimalist motion design. Sometimes it’s an illustrative story. Sometimes it’s a blend of 2D with 3D product elements. And sometimes, animation might not be needed at all. That is why the starting point shouldn't be: "We want a 2D animation." It’s better to start with: "What do we want to achieve?" And only then decide which type of motion will best help us get there.

‍

‍