An animated infographic explainer video turns data, a process or a policy into a story the viewer can follow. These seven examples cover energy, public services, forestry, transportation and health.
By
Larry Mutenda
| What are the best animated infographic explainer video examples? Strong animated infographic explainer video examples include IISD for energy policy, the Cowichan Valley Regional District for public services and funding, Silvacom for wildfire salvage rules, Accelerate for zero-emission vehicles, Upper Hay Regional Forests for forest planning, an adult vaccination video for public health and ChartLamp for medical records. |
An animated infographic explainer video is a short video that presents data, statistics or a process with motion, voice and simple graphics. Most run 60 to 120 seconds. It sits between a static infographic, which does not move, and a general explainer, which may not center on data.
This article looks at seven animated infographic explainer videos from organizations in energy, local government, forestry, transportation and health. For each one, I describe what the video explains and how it makes the information clear. After the examples, I cover how the format compares with static infographics, where to use it and how to plan one.
Here is a quick overview of the seven videos in this article. The table links to each example below.
Each example turns data, a process or a policy into a clear visual story for a real organization. All seven come from the Creamy Animation video library. I describe each one from its own narration.
| # | Company | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IISD | Energy policy explained with data |
| 2 | Cowichan Valley Regional District | Public services and how they are funded |
| 3 | Silvacom | Harvest rules after a wildfire |
| 4 | Accelerate | Making the case for an industry |
| 5 | Upper Hay Regional Forests | Explaining a planning framework |
| 6 | Adult Vaccination Video | Public health data in a conversation |
| 7 | ChartLamp | Visualizing medical records |
Runtime: 1:25
The International Institute for Sustainable Development made this video about the future of Canada’s oil and gas sector. It explains that global demand for oil and gas is set to fall as the world switches to clean energy. It warns that jobs, communities and government revenue are at risk without a plan.
The video then makes the case for a managed decline that protects workers and diversifies the economy. Each step of the argument gets its own simple visual, so a policy position reads as a clear sequence.
The IISD video is drawn from the video library of Creamy Animation.
Runtime: 1:15
The Cowichan Valley Regional District made this video for residents. It explains that the district is a partnership of nine electoral areas and four municipalities that provides more than 180 services.
It also explains that each service has its own fixed budget, so money cannot move from one service to another. The video ends by pointing residents to the district’s website for details on their area.
Runtime: 0:55
This video explains how forestry companies in Alberta’s Upper Hay region shift to salvaging burnt timber after a wildfire. It shows why salvaged timber loses quality as decay and insects set in.
It then walks through the harvest rules, such as a minimum age of 90 years for white spruce stands and a common minimum stump diameter of 15 centimetres. In under a minute, it turns a set of standards into a clear sequence.
Runtime: 1:18
Accelerate is Canada’s zero-emission vehicle industrial alliance. The video sets out Canada’s strengths: the minerals needed for zero-emission vehicles, innovators building the technology and manufacturers inside an integrated North American market.
It then explains how the alliance connects industry, labour, Indigenous interests, government, academia and research institutions to grow the sector.
Runtime: 1:33
This video explains how Alberta tracks forest values in forest management plans. It introduces VOITs: values, objectives, indicators and targets.
Each value gets an objective, an indicator to track it and a target to keep it in place for the life of the plan. The video also explains that the public and Indigenous communities can add their own VOITs during planning.
Runtime: 1:37
This video is built as a conversation between a healthcare provider and an adult patient who doubts they need the latest COVID vaccine. The provider answers each concern with data, such as the share of adults aged 18 to 49 who have received the latest vaccine.
The video also explains what long COVID is and lists its symptoms. The dialogue format lets the numbers arrive as answers to real questions.
Runtime: 1:05
ChartLamp converts text-based medical information into images that show a person’s history in anatomical context. The video opens by comparing a long medical record to searching a dark room for one item.
It then shows how mapping the history visually makes review and communication faster. The product is itself a form of infographic, so the video shows the idea and the output at the same time.
A static infographic is a still image. The viewer scans it at their own pace. An animated infographic adds motion, timing and voice, so it can guide the viewer through the data in a set order.
A general explainer video teaches how something works and may use characters or scenarios. An animated infographic centers on data and information. Many videos mix both, as the adult vaccination example does.
One infographic video can support a report, a landing page, a conference talk and a social campaign. Public bodies use them to explain services and rules, as the Cowichan Valley Regional District does. Advocacy groups use them to make an argument, as IISD does.
Plan short and long cuts up front so the same data story works across placements.
Numbers alone do not hold attention. Give the data a beginning, middle and end so the viewer follows a thread, not a spreadsheet.
Pick the one point the viewer must remember. The Cowichan Valley Regional District video centers on one question: what services residents get and how they are funded.
Animation should point to what matters next. Show one figure or comparison at a time, rather than everything at once.
Clear type, restrained colour and simple charts read better in motion than dense visuals.
Decide where the video will run before production. A shorter cut suits social. A longer version suits reports and web pages.
A static infographic is a still image you scan at your own pace. An animated infographic video adds motion, timing and voice, so it can guide you through the data in a set order.
An explainer teaches how something works and may use characters or scenarios. An animated infographic video centers on data and information, using charts, figures and motion to make numbers clear.
Most run between 60 and 120 seconds. The examples here run from 55 seconds to just over a minute and a half.
Cost depends on length, style and how much custom design the data needs. See the explainer video cost guide for pricing by length and style.
Anything data or information heavy works well: research findings, statistics, processes, comparisons, rules and public information campaigns.
Use it on landing pages, in reports and presentations, in social posts and in campaigns where you need to make data memorable.
Most of the examples here use one. The adult vaccination video uses a dialogue between two characters instead.
Yes. IISD uses one to argue for a managed decline of oil and gas production. Upper Hay Regional Forests uses one to explain how forest values are tracked in a management plan.
The best animated infographic explainer videos make data clear and easy to remember. Each example here takes an information-heavy subject and gives it a story the viewer can follow.
Larry is the founder and Chief Storyteller at Creamy Animation, founded in 2009. He leads a team that creates story-driven videos for businesses and nonprofits. 15+ years in video strategy and production, specializing in SaaS, B2B, and nonprofit storytelling. A marketer, designer, and animator, Larry has overseen the production of more than 1,500 videos for Fujitsu, Logitech, Warner Brothers, NFL, Blockdaemon, Astronomer, Canonical, and 370+ others.
For Larry, God is first, and everything else is a blessing that comes from serving Him. When he’s not working, he’s hanging out with his wife and three kids, playing the piano, or pursuing his filmmaking side hustle.
