Spark Media Video Production Agency
4 Animation Styles We Love (and When to Use Them)
- Rebecca Snoad
Date Published: 02/06/2025
Animation is a fun and engaging way to give your brand some life. There’s a lot of different ways that could look and different styles can give the whole thing a completely different vibe.
We caught up with our animator Emily to chat about a few of the animation styles we use all the time at Spark in our client projects.
From motion graphics to frame-by-frame and more, she talked us through what each style is and when we tend to use it. Here’s what she had to say.
Motion Graphics
“This is a very broad term under the huge umbrella of animation, but generally I like to think of it as animation which specifically relates to graphic elements and text.
The look of this depends a lot on the designer’s style and the aims of the client. You could have something with more clean and simple shapes, or something a bit more illustrative.
This style of animated graphic design is everywhere you look, from UI design, logo design, explainer videos, brand films, events, social media, broadcasting and TV.
I guarantee you can’t go a single day without seeing some example of motion graphic design.”
Frame by Frame
“This is classic animation, where it all started.
Every frame is drawn by hand, generally at 12 frames per second, though this can change. It could be 6 or 24 frames per second depending on the project, what the style is and how you want it to look. That really makes it a labour of love.
It’s a very fluid style of animation, where your only limitations are time and your imagination.”
3D Animation
“3D allows animators to put models in a three dimensional environment, which makes life a lot easier if you want tons of different angles and dynamic cameras.
People might think 3D is something you go to if you want something more realistic. That is definitely something it excels at, considering the models, and you can make things very specifically. But, nowadays 3D animation is able to handle any kind of style, really, the world’s your oyster!”
Mixed Media
“Why not shove every single one of those eggs in the same basket?
This can involve essentially anything: photography, illustration, live action footage.
It can often lead to a collagey eclectic look, but it doesn’t have to if you just want to add a few little touches animation to some live action footage, to really make it pop.
If you just want to add a bit of zhuzh, mixed media is a great option.”
That’s a quick look at some of the animation styles we use to bring our client projects to life. Each style has its own strengths depending on the story we want to tell or the vibe we want to create. Knowing a bit about these options can help you figure out what might work best for your own video needs.
If you’re thinking about animation for your next project and want to chat about which style fits, just reach out – we’re happy to have a chat!
