The technicalities of kinetic typography in online video

What is kinetic typography?
We’re not going to spend too long explaining this one - it’s text that moves!

In particular we’re referring to text within online videos, whether in music videos, famous speeches, tributes, explainer videos for startups or animated videos, we’re looking at the various styles of kinetic text that are used to convey a specific idea, vision or emotion.

Temporal typography
Temporal typography is typography that appears to move or change its identity over time, one of the most widely recognised examples of this is Channel 4’s logo idents screened prior to the start of programmes - here the form relies upon the changing landscapes to create the number four. Temporal typography can be divided into three categories - dynamic layout, scrolling and fluid typography...

  

Dynamic layout typography
In dynamic layout typography the movement, size, form and direction of the letters and words is used to prioritise and emphasize messages over and above the background scene. This technique is often utilised for online explainer videos and is often at its most effective when it's complemented by a coordinating voiceover.

Scrolling typography Similar to dynamic layout scrolling typography is when text moves in a directional motion, this can be horizontally, vertically or even to give the idea of the text moving closer or further away. Scrolling typography can be used effectively to tell a story and allows the viewer to easily skip on. The celebrated scrolling introduction to Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes back is an early example of scrolling typography.

Fluid Typography
Fluid typography is the least used of the typography techniques we’ve described, namely as a result of the difficulty in creating it. With fluid typography individual letters and words can change and morph their shape, identity and location. Forms become malleable and fluid, letters and words can be created from forms and vice a versa.

Fluid typography is often used to animate logos, and it can be effectively used to represent multiple meanings and convey emotions.

There are no limits to how kinetic typography can be used, and with the proliferation of online video it has become an increasingly effective tool when engaging audiences, advertising products and services, promoting ideas and evoking emotions.

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Making use of whiteboard animations for startups

Online videos have fast become an essential element of digital marketing for businesses, and in particular startups looking to engage and expose their brands to a wider audience.

As with television advertising online videos combine the potent combination of sound and vision to engage audiences, not only making it quicker to convey complex messages but also making them more likely to be remembered.

While conversion rates of video marketing are far greater, upwards of 200% more than traditional media, not every video is guaranteed of hitting the right mark. For a video to prompt a tangible reaction in the form of an enquiry it must have just the right balance of information and engagement.

          

On average we only remember 20% of what we hear and 30% of what we see… But we remember 70% of what we see and hear

Artistic storytelling
Whiteboard animations are one of the groundbreaking techniques employed by video marketers to leave a lasting impression on their target audience.

This relatively simple but effective form of video animation presents an idea or message in the form of a live drawing by an artist, and complements it by a corresponding voice over. This maximises the viewers understanding of the subject by fixing their eyes on the artistic content being sketched out before them while asserting the messages with a corresponding voice over. If employed well this technique is remarkably watchable, almost hypnotic.

Startups often make use of whiteboards to demonstrate and appeal to potential customers and investors. They can focus their attention on telling their story, from the conception of an idea or process to its growth and evolution using a friendly and emollient format.

Low cost
A well thought out and conceptualised whiteboard offers great value for money for both the viewer and the brand it represents. With no considerations around live filming, actors, lighting and locations, the costs involved in creating a video makes them hugely cost effective and appealing for startups.

For audiences video content provides minimum effort to consume, be it product demonstrations, corporate videos, pitches and much more, right from their smartphones or tablets, whenever and wherever they are.

Multipurpose tools
Whiteboard animations can be utilised to replace a multitude of other tools and media for businesses and organisations. They’re often used as explainer videos placed upon website homepage's to quickly explain the features and benefits of products and services to visitors.

The flexibility of the format has led to them being used all over the internet, including some unusual places from replacing live training videos to government communications and celebrity interviews.

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New year, new start - on the way the top, perhaps.

Christmas is over and I’m back at my desk contemplating whether now is the time to make a move, no not to get my third cup of coffee of the morning but a real move, from my current ‘ordinary’ job to something more fulfilling, dynamic and full of ambition, at which point I drag myself off to the kitchen to boil the kettle and put on a couple of crumpets.

For today is traditionally the busiest day of the year for people searching for new jobs - with many of us suffering from post Christmas and New Year blues, and having mingled with many of our peers over the festive period that all seem to have much more appealing occupations than ourselves we’re now on the look out for just the right position that offers us excitement, variety, much more money and endless prospects - whilst at the same time consuming slightly less effort than we’re currently exerting.

Having identified that there’s little or no prospects in our immediate vicinity many of us get over excited eyeing up positions further afield that we’re totally unsuitable for, but do happen to mention broad activities and skills that we’ve been involved in and demonstrate, albeit to a much lesser extent than they appear to be demanding, for example... 

“Head of Marketing and Sales at Virgin Atlantic” 

• Experience of working with or managing marketing and sales teams
• Leadership qualities
• Excellent communication skills
• blah blah blah

That’s definitely me, I have extensive experience in managing and cultivating successful teams, both Dave and Phil have been here almost 2 years, and it won’t be long until we can let Phil talk directly with clients, I think.

For the vast majority of us we’ll remain in the positions that we’re in, often like myself because we secretly really enjoy it, both the people we work with, the clients we service, and the simple fact that the grass isn’t always greener - and if it is, it comes with plenty more dog shit to navigate.

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