Last updated on 21st November 2023
In this article we’re going to take a look at 30 of the best corporate animation examples ever!
According to our State of Video Marketing Survey 2022, a huge proportion of marketers (92%) value video as an important part of their marketing strategy.
And it might surprise you to know that 33% of companies primarily use animated videos. Animation can have connotations of childlike whimsy; bringing to mind Saturday morning cartoons, or Pixar movies.
But not all animations are “cartoony”. Many corporate businesses, from startups to Fortune 500s, work with a chosen animated video production company – they know that animation has the versatility to engage audiences, explain difficult or dry concepts, and increase sales.
30 of the best corporate animation examples EVER!
1. Spotify
The first video on our list is a 30 second ad from Spotify. In just half a minute – and with no voiceover – this video expresses so much.
We all know that tired “just-got-home-from-work” feeling, and the animated character in this video portrays it perfectly: close door, loosen tie, sigh, sit down, shoes off, relax.
The beautiful animation also works hard to paint the picture of zen that music from Spotify can provide, transforming the character’s living room into a luscious green field with snow capped hills and the aurora borealis lights dancing in the night sky.
We’d like to see live action do THAT (on the same budget).
2. Communyco
We created this animated explainer video for the start-up, Communyco. Communyco is an app where creators can connect and build a community around the things they love.
Explainer videos are the perfect way for start-ups to explain what they’re all about while putting their personality out there.
For a video like this, aimed at lots of different people, animation did the trick because we could create characters that were as unique as the audience themselves!
Characters like these are not only fun and playful, they also ensure that you don’t accidentally exclude any groups from being represented in your video.
3. Slack
Slack is a communication tool for businesses, and this video perfectly outlines what life is like for workers before and after Slack.
The perpetual motion in this video makes it near impossible to look away, and the subtle use of Slack’s colours and sound effects is a perfect example of an excellently branded piece of content.
This is another win for animation because if this video was live action then it would probably be a struggle to find a huge number of props that perfectly match Slack’s brand colours. With an animated video, all you need is the hex code!
4. Wyzowl
When we rebranded our business we of course wanted to announce it with an amazing video. We wanted something sleek and stylish that showed our evolution and told our story, while also being energetic and creating excitement for the future – and this is what our animation team came up with!
We included this on our list of corporate animation examples because we think it shows just how much you can express with kinetic typography. Not every brand suits having animated characters or icons, but that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from an animated video.
If you like this style we highly recommend you check out this article: Kinetic Typography: 50+ Amazing Examples.
5. Guardicore
Guardicore is a security solution software for clouds, and in this explainer video they cover the evolution of the IT world and how their product can help businesses secure their critical assets.
The limited colour palette, 3D icons, and simple text on screen all work together to ensure that this video maintains a professional look and feel.
Feel free to check out our cyber security video production page for more examples from the IT/security industry.
6. McDonalds
McDonalds is one of those fortunate businesses that everyone knows the name of. This gives them the freedom to play with lots of different styles – as you can see from the above example!
This ad promoting McDonald’s recruitment has been created in an anime style and uses both visual and story tropes from the genre. It’s different, it’s fun, and it definitely attracted a lot of attention.
7. New York Presbyterian
Cancer is a disease that sadly everyone knows the name of, however, not everyone knows exactly how it works.
New York Presbyterian uses animation in this video to explain how cancer attacks the body and also how immunotherapy can help to find and destroy cancer.
The visual concepts shown make these difficult topics much easier to grasp and, with one icon transforming effortlessly into another in numerous inventive ways, the video is also very interesting to watch.
8. Starbucks
Similar to the New York Presbyterain video, this Starbucks explainer shows icons flowing and reshaping from one thing to the next, but in a completely different animated style.
This video uses softer colours and textures overlaid to almost make it look like a moving watercolour painting. This is just one more example of how versatile animation can be!
9. BlueCross BlueShield
If you think that animated characters always equal “cartoon”, then watch this video and see if you change your mind!
This animated video uses lighting techniques, intelligent transitions, and detailed character designs to appear as professional-looking as any live-action could be.
The use of the superpan (as we saw in the Slack video) helps to tell a rounded story from the home, to the ER, the classroom, the outdoors, and home again.
10. ERW
This is another explainer video we made for a start-up. ERW is a revolutionary flight pack that can cure jet lag.
Not many start-ups are in a position to create a video that shows a plane landing, Tour de France footage, a desert, and an exotic beach – but animation makes all of this possible on a smaller budget.
Plus, with a stripped back, flat design style like this one the video maintains a professional look and feel.
11. Kadence
Kadence is a hybrid workplace management solution, and when they came to us looking for an explainer video we knew they wanted something fun yet professional.
We achieved this by using their brand colours to create simple characters and icons. Each scene includes just the right amount of engaging elements to keep viewers interested while not distracting them from the message.
12. Bankwest
3D animation is a great way to communicate with your audience in a memorable and immersive way.
3D animation is a lot more expensive than 2D. However, one way to adjust for these additional costs is to use just one 3D model, or character, like Bankwest have done with this video.
This video shows lots of different versions of the same character, Becky. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the character’s hair is the same in every shot. Simple tricks like this can limit the costs of a 3D video, while using background and prop changes can draw the viewer’s eye and keep them interested.
13. Airbnb
This video by Airbnb couldn’t be more different from the Bankwest example, yet both are brilliant examples of corporate animations.
This striking video utilises a superpan (a common theme among a lot of videos on our list!), beautiful bold colours and simple flat graphics to showcase their best cycling experiences.
14. Pearl Certification
This slick video uses a mix of characters and animated screenshots to showcase not only how the Green Door app works, and also how it impacts customers and their homes.
Home improvement, especially when it comes to things like air quality and thermal efficiency can be difficult to portray. The use of simple visuals to make complicated ideas easier to understand and digest is a great benefit of animated videos, and this is why a lot of businesses choose animation.
15. Clever Devices
As you can tell by the face masks, this video was made during the height of the COVID pandemic. At the time, there may have been social distancing rules in place which made a live action video difficult to create – this is yet another benefit of animation. No people, no problem!
This video uses a large and diverse cast of characters, plus several different locations. Animation makes it possible to do this on a budget and in a much shorter time frame than live action.
16. PetTech
This cute and fun 45 second video is a great introduction to PetTech, a tech company building smart and safe solutions for pets.
Short and snappy videos like this can grab attention online and when they follow a story (like this one) can also encourage viewers to share the video on social media with their friends. According to our State of Video Marketing Survey 2022, people are twice as likely to share a video than any other type of content.
17. Apple
Yes, even Apple occasionally steps away from live action video to delve into the wonderful world of animation.
This video flips back and forth between 2D animation and stop-motion animation as it goes through many relatable stresses and worries that people have. This mix of two styles keeps the video interesting and encourages viewers to continue watching.
For more on different animation styles, check out this article: 6 Types of Animation Used by Brands.
18. Taylor Wessing
Protecting your trademarks in Europe isn’t exactly a topic that is going to set hearts racing, so Taylor Wessing cleverly used a visual metaphor to make their video more exciting.
The racing analogy that runs through this video makes it more engaging to watch and the simple flat graphic design along with the limited colour palette ensures the video maintains a professional feel.
19. Med Mart
Cosmetic surgery is a sensitive topic, and if Med Mart had opted to use real people in this explainer video they could have risked causing controversy around representing different body types and body issues.
Using animated characters limits the risk of offending people, and with this detailed 3D style Med Mart doesn’t really miss out on anything they could have included if the video was live action.
For example, just take a look at how detailed the character’s room is in the video. From the french horn on the chair, to the light coming from the desk lamp, to the plants on the window sill, this level of attention to detail can really add depth to a video.
20. Amazon
Here’s another 3D animated video, this time from Amazon. Amazon decided to use animation to explain their new biometrics payment system, Amazon One.
Animation is perfect for explaining conceptual ideas like this as it allows businesses to make marketing videos about their products before they’re ready and available to the public.
What’s more, if the look or feel of your product changes you don’t have to update your marketing materials if you create an animated video that doesn’t include a like-for-like image of your product, platform, or app.
21. Webfleet
This “Day in the Life” video from Webfleet shows what life is like for drivers who don’t use their app and what it’s like for drivers who do (spoiler alert: it’s much better!)
Throughout this video there are many scenes that would’ve been difficult to create for a live action explainer video, namely the car accident scene and the scenes that feature heavy rain. We all know that you can’t control the weather, but with animation you can!
22. Microsoft
When it came to advertising their whiteboard feature, Microsoft opted for a 2D animation instead of recording directly from their platform.
This could’ve been to limit the number of changes needed to marketing videos as the UI updates over time, but it could also have been because animation makes it easier to showcase their collaboration feature.
Thanks to animation Microsoft can show different characters all on screen making changes at the same time, really highlighting the main benefit of their feature.
23. Nest
This beautiful mixed media video pairs animation with real Nest products to explain exactly how they work in the home.
Animation works well for this video because it allows Nest to show certain things that their products do that aren’t visible, such as data moving between devices and carbon monoxide being detected.
The video uses simple shapes to reflect these abstract processes and we think it works wonderfully!
24. American Express
We’ve seen animation wear a lot of different hats so far in these examples, and in this 30 second ad for American Express we see animation express luxury.
Luxury is a difficult state to express but this video does an excellent job by using rich blue and gold colours, and showing scenes like an airport lounge and poolside hotel room.
The fluidity between scenes and clever transitions from one icon to another also make this a really engaging watch from start to end.
25. HonestGorilla
Here’s another 30 second ad that uses a limited colour palette to create a well-branded and beautiful looking animated video.
HonestGorilla is an energy comparison company and this video expresses to viewers how easy and fun it is to use their platform.
26. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is an SEO tool suite that people can use to grow their business online. This playful explainer video takes viewers through a problem-solution-benefits scenario that shows how Ahrefs can help website owners to boost their online visibility.
By using animation, Ahrefs are able to showcase their most popular features without showing the actual user interface of their platform. This adds longevity to their video should they choose to update their UI in the future.
27. Poppulo
We love this upbeat animated video we created for Poppulo. With only 30 seconds to get across a lot of important information, we knew this video needed to be fast-paced and engaging.
The kinetic typography mixed with simple icons helps to hammer home each point made by the voiceover and the glitch effects keep the audience guessing and give the video a more ‘techy’ feel.
28. B&Q
Here’s a powerful stop-motion animation from B&Q. Stop-motion animation was made popular by studios like Aardman, who brought Wallace and Gromit onto screens.
Stop-motion involves creating and building real sets and characters, and pain-stakingly moving on-screen elements on a frame by frame basis, but the hard work really pays off for B&Q here.
29. TSB
This 2D animated video has an almost watercolour-like quality and this beautiful imagery, paired with the peaceful soundtrack, makes this ad a joy to watch.
This video also uses a lot of panning and zooming to follow characters around in a way that creates a very personal story. It definitely helps to give the bank the ‘local’, personal feel they’re going for.
30. Nestle
Here’s yet another example of a simple yet beautiful animated video that oozes professionalism. Videos like this show just how perfect animation can be for corporate videos – not all animation is “cartoony” (far from it).
It’s interesting that Nestle chose to use animation for their sustainable future video as animation is a very sustainable form of media!
For example, Nestle didn’t have to travel across multiple locations to create this video – yet they were able to show multiple locations through the power of animation.
Animation allows you to create the world you want to. As a famous animator by the name of Walt Disney once said: “Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive.”
Final thoughts
It seems almost every brand out there has tried their hand at animation at some point, with some very impressive results!
This list shows only 30 amazing examples, but there are hundreds more out there, and maybe yours could be the next one we feature on our list!
To find out more about corporate animations, including different video types and costs, check out our corporate video production company page.
