Dallas Video Company Explains: How to Use Icons in Explainer Videos?

One of the most popular visual styles for explainer videos is pairing your points with icons. Icons are simple silhouettes of easily recognizable shapes. Illustrations of people, a magnifying glass, a clock etc…draw connections between reality and the ideas that your business is trying to convey. Videos using iconography often have a fun, simple appeal that is perfect for corporate explainer videos. However, icons do have some limitations. Below are some tips to get the most out of your iconography.

1.Use icons to show concrete ideas.

Icons work best in a “see it, say it” situation. Showing how a product works or a specific work situation will be much more effective than trying to illustrate concepts like “we provide the best solutions”.  The more abstract your concepts are, the harder it will be to come up with simple symbols that accurately reflect your script

2.Avoid pairing icons with complex sentences and technical jargon. 

Viewers like to draw direct connections between the icons on the screen and the information they are hearing. Complex sentences and technical jargon can insert awkward timing difficulties or make the visuals seem irrelevant.

3.Switch it up.

Use common icons wisely and sparingly. Try to brainstorm creative alternatives to illustrate common concepts. Give the viewer what they expect, with a couple of refreshing visual surprises.

4.Keep it simple.

Avoid cluttering up your frames with lots of moving icons. Trying to listen to a voice-over while keeping track of multiple moving images can be overwhelming for a viewer. Give your audience enough time to recognize your image and then move onto a different screen.

Before moving into animation, take another look at your script. If you can’t visualize icon images that pair well with your words, consider a script re-write, or include other explainer video styles, like typography. The Frozen Fire and Yvolver’s videos are two great examples of corporate explainer videos that use icon images.

Always have your production company create a storyboard for you to approve before they start animating. Use the storyboard to visualize the finished video. If you aren’t sure if you’ll like the end product, or you don’t think the images pair well, discuss your concerns with your production team. These conversations can save a lot of time and money on a project in the long run.

If you’re interested in finding a video production company to create a corporate explainer video with you, contact Frozen Fire.

By Liz LeGrande

Frozen Fire is a digital business development and communication strategy firm that exists so that businesses have the tools necessary to know exactly who their customers are and what their customers are looking for; we help companies connect with their customers via digital marketing strategies; and we help them to drive their sales, business development and marketing efforts, so as to gain the maximum return on their investments in terms of marketing dollars, efforts, and human resources. Contact us to learn how we can help your business know, connect, drive.