Whiteboard Animation Videos
and How To Make Your Own

Everything you need to know about whiteboard animation videos

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Whiteboard Animation Videos – Why You Need One

Whiteboard animation videos have gained a lot of popularity as a marketing tool. Wonder why? Well, there are many reasons for this.

Firstly, many businesses are beginning to incorporate whiteboard cartoon and animated videos in their advertising and marketing strategy. Whiteboard animation videos have revolutionized the advertising and marketing industry, and we at Creamy Animation have been helping businesses leverage hand drawn animation videos for marketing.

Whiteboard Animation

We say that because when compared with conventional talking head videos, whiteboard videos has been proven to increase viewer retention by 15%. Isn’t that great! Also, video content increases the viewer’s willingness to share by more than 65%. Imagine what that could mean for your business and website!

You can use a whiteboard hand drawn videos for a variety of reasons, such as to sell an idea, to introduce your product or service, or even to teach your customers how to use a software application. The possibilities are endless.

In this article:

  1. What is whiteboard animation?
  2. Benefits of whiteboard animation videos
  3. Whiteboard animation examples
  4. Is whiteboard video content the right animation style for you?
  5. How to make a hand drawn whiteboard video?
    • Whiteboard video script
    • Storyboards
    • Illustrations
    • Voiceover
    • Animation
    • Video Editing
  6. Common whiteboard video production mistakes
  7. Top 5 whiteboard animation companies
  8. Whiteboard animation common questions
  9. Final thoughts

What is Whiteboard Animation?

Whiteboard Animation is an animated style using hand drawn animation on a whiteboard. In most cases, the whiteboard animation script is carefully structured as a third-person narration. In other cases, it can be a use-case example, which supports the story that’s told through the drawing.

In a whiteboard video, the whiteboard artist sketches visuals on a whiteboard. There is also a voiceover that describes certain concepts. This is why whiteboard marketing videos, such as tutorials, are also called animated explainer videos. Authors commonly use stop motion animation and make animation video content using time-lapsed drawings to liven up hand-drawn illustrations.

Whiteboard Animation Videos

Benefits of Whiteboard Animation Videos

We wrote this article to answer some questions on how to make a whiteboard animation for business. Our step-by-step, whiteboard video production process is easy to follow. You can use whiteboard video maker software or other custom animation websites.

As a top video production company in Vancouver, we work with you to develop concept, visuals, and produce a video that will communicate your message with clarity. When you watch the words and images unfold while viewing the video, it is mesmerizing. This makes a whiteboard video a hugely useful tool as it captures attention very quickly. It goes without saying that whiteboard video is incredibly valuable for explaining complex concepts in a simple manner that is easy to digest.

And there is another benefit. Because a whiteboard animation video is so straightforward, it costs much less than what you may expect. So, it won’t break your bank; instead, it will give you an impressive return on your investment.

Whiteboard Animation Examples

Here are some whiteboard animation examples to inspire you to create your own. You need to make a whiteboard animation that clearly communicates your message in a way that’s easy to understand.

What is Misinformation and Disinformation?

Yukon Employees Union

How Much Does A Whiteboard Animation Video Cost?

How much does a whiteboard animation video cost? Well, the production costs for making a whiteboard explainer video depends on several variables. The most common things we consider are the complexity of the story we’re telling and the quality of visuals you need. These range from simplistic drawings to high quality visuals with engaging motion graphics. Take a look at some whiteboard styles we make.

There are several free whiteboard video making software that will charge you a small fee for extra features. These DIY scribing video apps like Videoscribe and Animaker are great for making simple animations with little to no budget.

If you’re looking for highly customized video content you’ll need to hire a whiteboard animation company like Creamy Animation. Whilst we are not the cheapest around, you can clearly see from the examples videos above that it takes careful planning and execution to produce an excellent video.

Whiteboard Animation Companies

Whiteboard Videos in Marketing

What’s great about whiteboard video marketing is that it gives you a way to combine pictures and words in an entertaining and engaging format to explain your business or product. Whiteboard videos are simple yet appealing. In case you’ve ever seen a whiteboard explainer video, you know they can easily capture your attention.

And that is not all; a whiteboard explanation video is an excellent educational tool as it helps simplify a complicated message, making it engaging, fun, and entertaining in the process. It can also work the other way around as it can make a boring topic fascinating.

If you don’t know what whiteboard animation video is, then don’t worry as we have you covered.

Whiteboard Videos

Is Whiteboard Video the Right Animation Style for You?

Whiteboard videos are great. That’s a fact. But something great is not always great for every situation. When it comes to hand drawn videos, it makes sense to use it in some scenarios but not in others. Here are a few scenarios where using this type videos can be useful:

If your products or services are complicated or highly detailed

Whiteboard animation videos are, by nature, educational. They thrive in communicating intricate and complex information or topics. Think about how the traditional whiteboard has been used for countless years in many offices to explain complicated concepts. Whiteboard explainer videos take this experience and bring it to modern digital media, helping you communicate your ideas and concepts clearly and concisely.

When you have a lot of information to cover

Most explainer videos are created to communicate a lot of information in a concise and easy-to-understand format. Whiteboard videos are similar in this sense but go one step further – they add a presentation format that helps sequentially unpack ideas and concepts without any distractions from other video elements. With whiteboard videos, you can create longer-than-average videos while still retaining your viewer’s attention through engaging and dynamic informational graphics.

When you want a corporate yet lighthearted tone

Whiteboard videos for B2B are equally useful and vital. In fact, whiteboard videos excel in communicating corporate messages while retaining a sense of light-heartedness. A whiteboard video can help you immediately capture your B2C audience’s attention with clean-cut and streamlined aesthetics balanced with a thought-provoking script.

How to Make Your Own Whiteboard Animation Video

Hand-Drawn Animation

Are you wondering what steps are involved in whiteboard animation production? Follow these steps to create an effective whiteboard video.

Making a whiteboard explainer video is a journey that starts with a good video marketing strategy. To ensure the success of your animated video, gather customer data to help shape the content of your whiteboard video. Making a whiteboard explainer video is a journey that starts with a good video marketing strategy. To ensure you get the full benefits of an explainer video, gather customer data to help shape the content of your whiteboard video.

Begin by identifying who your target audience is, the message you would like to communicate and if a whiteboard animation is the right medium. It is important to analyze the demographics of the target audience to determine the most effective approach for the video. Then, choose a topic that they will find informative and engaging.

Business Video Production

Whiteboard cartoon characters spark empathy and identification in your target audience. This is more likely if these characters are modelled after the audience. Identifying specific buyer personas that could respond better to your whiteboard animated video is essential. Then model the characters, setting, style, situation, and tone to target this particular buyer.

With appropriate heatmap tools such as CrazyEgg, you could gather valuable information about your website. Factors, such as webpage bounce rates, your landing page conversion rates, how long visitors spend time on each webpage, and how well particular features will engage your site visitors are important to consider.

Using tools like Google Analytics will help you track all of the different sources that bring visitors to your site and develop a traffic source map.

You should use this data to confidently create a whiteboard animation video that:

  • Speaks directly to and resonates with your target audience
  • Alleviates any objections and concerns they may have about your service or product
  • You can publish in the locations where it can have the most impact

How to Write A Whiteboard Animation Script

Your next step in the whiteboard animation production process is the script. The script is one of the most important components of the storytelling process. If your whiteboard explainer video has a week script, everything else in the process will be ineffective. So, make sure you get the script right the first time around.

A simple formula for creating a whiteboard animation for business is to have an introduction, problem, solution, and call-to-action. Here’s a simple format on how to write a video script.

Whiteboard Animation Script

The Introduction

Talk about your target audience’s typical daily task they face concerning your business or product. This could be a business owner trying to sell their products online.

The Problem

Next, we identify the most common problem they face in trying to complete the task or achieve a particular goal. A good rule of thumb is to point out some of the solutions out there and their accompanying bottlenecks. The problem should be critical to their operations, efficiency, profitability, or anything critical to the organization.

The Solution

Now that your audience sees their problem, you introduce your solution. Talk about how your business or product solves their problem. Explain why your solution is superior to other products or services out there. Give your audience enough information to decide to contact you or buy your product.

Provide your target audience with the next steps that they should follow after viewing the whiteboard video.

You may have them complete a contact form, contact you with any questions or download a whitepaper. Do not make the mistake of leaving them hanging – tell them clearly what you would like them to do.

Whiteboard Cartoon Drawings

Create Whiteboard Cartoon Sketches

Using your script you’ll need to draw whiteboard cartoon sketches that represents each scene in your script. At this stage, they could be rough. You do not have to create works of art; rather, just make sure you get all the ideas on paper. Consider using colors.

Although many whiteboard animations are often black and white, the effective use of color to emphasize key points and increase engagement levels must always be considered. For healthcare video content, adding colour will help add life to the visuals.

The next step in the process is creating a storyboard. This is similar to a “comic strip” that describes all actions and the visual aspects of the video. Follow your script from the previous step and draw a sequence of important scenes.

Storyboard Sketches
Whiteboard Storyboard
Whiteboard Drawing
Hand Drawn Animation

Creating a storyboard must be a part of the whiteboard video production process since it helps you in staying organized. It also gives you a sense of pacing while linking images and voiceovers. Use imagery that clarifies and explains the points you are making.

It is advisable to sketch 3-4 illustrations per sentence. As a whiteboard video simulates an individual drawing on a white board while conveying a story, a whiteboard storyboard can’t present too many transitions. You should also note that one of the three primary elements of a whiteboard explainer video is the drawing hand; hence, do not forget to incorporate it in every frame of the storyboard.

Create A Professional Voiceover

You can easily capture the audio voiceover as it is relatively simple, provided you have a solid script. The important thing here is to make the voiceover upbeat, engaging, and lively to capture your audience’s attention. Unless you’re making a whiteboard animation video for fun, we recommend hiring a professional voiceover artist that can effectively deliver your message with the right tone.

As whiteboard animation videos are often more limited in the means of expression compared to standard live or 2D or 3D animated videos, music, and voiceover are extremely important for your video to do well.

Leverage music and sound effects to complement and enhance the storytelling power of your animated video. However, you should never make the mistake of overshadowing it. Sound effects should not compete with the voice and should have a lower volume.

Here is a crucial thing about voiceovers: they must be recorded by a native speaker of both the language and region that you are targeting. In short, the voice should resonate with your audience. You should pay due attention to background noise and breathing, and use intonation carefully. It pays to hire a voiceover professional that understands how to tell stories in a way that engages the viewer and delivers your message.

Whiteboard Explainer Video

Whiteboard Explainer Video Final Stages

Recording The Video

When you are recording the video, remember that you can speed up the video. So, it is advisable to move at a pace which suits you. It isn’t a live recording, so don’t hesitate to take short breaks when necessary. Everything would be edited together at the end to appear like one continuous shot.

Whiteboard Animation Editing with Voiceover

Essentially, this is your dress rehearsal for the whiteboard animated video. You have to play the voiceover while you are sketching to ensure that the speed of the audio works with the movements.

You may use your video editing software to speed up your video so that it synchronizes with your voiceover. It is vital to cut out any unnecessary parts and mistakes at this stage. You can apply filters to make the lines black, and the paper should look white.

You will likely have filmed your animated video in multiple parts. If that’s the case, use a tool to tie all your clips together. After stringing your clips together, upload your whiteboard animation video. You may also add a custom watermark along with your name, logo, or brand if you would like.

Your video is now complete and ready to launch. Embed the video on your website, share it across all your social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. If you’re already doing email marketing, you can email the video link to your subscribers. Let everyone hear your story!

Business Video Production

Common Whiteboard Video Production Mistakes

Watching a professionally made whiteboard animation video can make it seem like making one is obvious and straightforward. But this is not always the case. You can make some mistakes, primarily if you work with a whiteboard animation company that lacks the skill or experience to deliver quality work.

In such cases, here are some mistakes you should look out for:

Whiteboard Animation Company

Using The Drawing Hand

It might sound odd or even trivial, but showing a hand on a whiteboard video is important. When a whiteboard video does not show a hand, it loses the a bit of the element of a whiteboard video. Showing a hand adds dynamism and relatability to the video, helping viewers easily connect with the content and concepts unfolding. However there are some rare instances where having the hand can be a distraction to the message.

Using Colored Backgrounds

The white in whiteboard videos is non-negotiable. You may find some whiteboard companies being creative and wanting to use different colors – bad idea. The white color makes it not only relatable to the traditional whiteboard but offers a clean background, so graphics stand out. Remember whiteboard videos have lots of text, so a white background makes perfect sense.

What Styles You Should Use

It’s all good trying to be creative and experimenting with different styles, but too much creativity can ruin a whiteboard video. Think about the best whiteboard videos you have seen; it’s the simplicity and clarity of the style that makes it easy to follow the information and not get distracted by complex visual elements. Sticking to the essential aspects of creating a whiteboard video is necessary if you want o make a great video.

Whitebaord Illustrations

Whiteboard videos tend to have simple illustrations, making it seem as though it is simple to make these illustrations. Designers will always tell you the simplest designs are the hardest to create. The same goes for whiteboard video illustrations. It takes a highly skilled whiteboard video graphics designer to create simple, clear, and compelling illustrations.

Whiteboard Animation Studios

Here are the top five whiteboard animation companies in Vancouver right now:

  1. Creamy Animation
  2. Marant Media
  3. Animation Videos
  4. GoSmart Animation
  5. Mammothic Films

Creamy Animation

Creamy Animation is one of the top whiteboard animation video companies in Canada and for a good reason too! Here’s why they make this list:

  • All their videos are 100% custom-made for each client.
  • They offer high-quality video, beating most other providers in the market.
  • They always offer a price-to-quality guarantee for all the work we deliver.
  • Efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility are at the core of our whiteboard video production process.
  • Besides kickass animation videos, they offer a comprehensive video marketing strategy to help your business thrive.

As one of the top video production companies in the USA and Canada, Creamy Animation has worked with brands like such as Warner Brothers, Fujitsu, Bloackdaemon, Logitech, and Canonical. Get in touch with them and find out for yourself why Creamy Animation is one of the top animation companies in Vancouver.

Marant Media

Marant Media is a full-service video production company that produces everything from live-action commercials to animations. The company serves multiple regions in Canada including Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and others. Marant Media combines both an in-house team and a vetted network of qualified videographers to provide exceptional video services to its clients.

Video It

Video It is a dedicated video animation company serving the Vancouver area. The company specializes in creating corporate videos targeting various industries, including HR, healthcare, and others. Besides animation videos, Video It also offers TV commercial services, training, and e-learning videos, among others.

GoSmart Animation

GoSmart Animation is an animation studio that offers 2D and 3D video animations, motion graphics videos, among others. The company services clients in Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, among other areas.

Mammothic Films

Mammothic Films is a Vancouver video production company specializing in live action and animation videos for every step of your corporate sales and marketing cycle. Mammothic Films offers services in corporate videos, explainer videos, video marketing, training videos, sales demo videos, and documentaries. Our whiteboard animation services are provided through our sister company, Creamy Animation.

Whiteboard Drawings

Whiteboard Videos – Frequently Asked Questions

After working on hundreds of whiteboard animation videos, here are some of the questions we frequently get from customers:

How long does it take to make a whiteboard animation?

A 1-2 minute whiteboard animation takes an average of 4-6 weeks to produce. There are several steps involved in making a whiteboard video, as explained in the article. Some projects are simple and straightforward and need less time to produce. If you have a very complicated subject you want to turn into a video, it may take longer to develop your messaging.

How much does a whiteboard video cost?

A whiteboard animation video costs anywhere from $2,500 – $10,000 or more. The final costs  depend on the project details, level of complexity, and production time involved. It’s important to note that “more expensive” does not always translate into a better video.

At the same time going cheap on your sales pitch is bad for your business and mostly yields negative results. Balancing cost and quality is essential to getting the right video at the right price. Contact us today to discuss your budget and how we can help you get the highest return on your investment.

What is a Storyboard?

A storyboard is a visualization of how the final video will play out. You can think of it as a blueprint for the steps the video will take to communicate your message. Any animation requires a storyboard or storyboarding. Our storyboards provide a clear scene by scene sketch of the video so you have a clear understanding of how your video will look.

Best Practices for Making Whiteboard Videos

We’ve explained the whiteboard video production process above, but in summary, here’s what happens. A typical high-quality video will take around 6-8 weeks to complete. Over this time, we’ll work on scripting, illustrations, storyboards, animation, and recording. We top this off at the end with sound design and professional voice acting.

Final Thoughts

Whiteboard animation videos are a great educational and marketing tool. It is a style that quickly sets your target audience’s mind into a learning mood, and at the same time, it’s engaging enough to really make learning look simple and cool. Whiteboard scribing videos are handy for sharing ideas in an engaging and fun way with ease.

Video content plays a pivotal role in content marketing and is one of the most effective marketing tools you can use. If your organization would like to include animation that won’t cost a fortune but would still work as a useful marketing tool, then whiteboard animation is an excellent choice.

Following these easy steps, you can make the most of a genre of videos that is all the rage these days across several industries. Find out how Mammothic Films can help you make your own whiteboard video that delivers the results you need.