Animation & Motion Graphics
Reality Can Be So Unreal. We Animate With Soul.
Find out more about our (favorite) animation styles
Beyond the Limits of Live-Action Animation: lets you show things that would be impossible, expensive, or just plain boring to film. Need to explain how your software works? Take viewers inside the interface. Want to show 50 years of company growth? Compress decades into 90 seconds without putting anyone to sleep. You control every element of your story.
Animation With a Point: We don't create animation to win awards or impress other animators. We create animation that serves your business goals first, looks impressive second. Whether it's killer motion graphics that turn data into stories or character-driven 2D animation for explainer video production - our animation is jargon-free and utterly watchable.
Who We Work With: We've worked with global corporations, scrappy startups, higher education institutions, agencies that need real collaborators, and social good organizations working to make the world better. What they all have in common? They understand that great animation requires both creative vision and clear strategic goals.
Chicago Animation Studio: Creative Vision, Proven Results Our Chicago-based team brings creative vision and business sense to every animation project. We know when to suggest 2D animation for relatability, when motion graphics will communicate better than live action, and when simple illustrations will outperform elaborate character work. The approach matches your actual goals, not the latest design trends.
Animation services we excel at:
Explainer Video Production
Explainer videos are where animation really earns its keep. When you need to turn something complicated into something clear, animation lets you control every element of the story. No lighting issues, no retakes because someone forgot their line, no scheduling conflicts with talent.
Our explainer video production process starts with understanding not just what you do, but why it matters to your audience. We work with your team to identify the core message, the main objections, and the proof points that actually move people to action. Then we figure out the visual approach that makes all of that feel effortless to absorb.
We've created explainer videos for SaaS companies that turn complex software into simple solutions, healthcare organizations that make medical procedures less intimidating, and manufacturing companies that show how they're solving problems people didn't even know existed. The best explainer videos feel like conversations with someone who really gets it - served up jargon-free and surprisingly engaging.
Explainer video approach:
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Understanding what you do AND why it matters to your audience
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Identifying core message, objections, and proof points that move people
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Visual approach that makes complex information effortless to absorb
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Conversations with someone who really gets it - jargon-free and engaging
Why animation works for business
Animation isn't just for kids' shows and movie studios anymore (though we love those too). For businesses, animation offers some unique advantages:
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Control - You control every element of the story, from lighting to timing to exactly how that complex process gets explained.
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Flexibility - Need to update something? Much easier to change an animated sequence than to reshoot live-action content.
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Attention - Good animation cuts through the noise in ways that talking heads and PowerPoint slides just can't.
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Clarity - Animation lets you visualize abstract concepts, simplify complex ideas, and guide attention exactly where it needs to go.
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Consistency - Your animated characters never have bad hair days, and your brand elements always look exactly right.
What success looks like
The animation projects we're most proud of are the ones that worked for our clients' businesses. We've created explainer videos that increased conversion rates, training animations that actually improved performance metrics, and brand animations that helped companies stand out in crowded markets.
Our 2D animation services have helped startups worldwide explain their value propositions, established companies launch new products, and non-profits communicate their impact in ways that inspire action. Our motion graphics work has turned boring corporate presentations into engaging experiences and complex data into compelling stories, no matter where our clients are located.
Here's how we know we did our job right: Did your animation accomplish what you set out to do? Did it increase understanding, drive engagement, improve training outcomes, or help close deals? Those are the metrics that matter.
The real success stories are the clients who come back because they know we'll create animation that serves their goals first and looks impressive second. And yeah, we'll have fun making it happen too.
Ready to Make Something That Moves People?
If you're tired of animation that looks like everything else, sounds like everything else, and accomplishes about as much as everything else, let's talk. Our 2D animation services and motion graphics production aren't about following trends—they're about telling your story in a way that actually matters.
We're not here to impress you with industry jargon or oversell you on features you don't need. We're here to be honest about what will work, collaborative about how to make it happen, and relentless about delivering results that actually move your business forward.
Because at the end of the day, the best animation isn't just technically excellent—it's strategically smart, creatively inspired, and built on the kind of partnership that makes great work possible.
Your dedication, hard work, and teamwork were instrumental in making our videos come to life. It's truly inspiring to witness and work with such a talented and dedicated group of individuals...Looking forward to future collaborations and continued success together!
Adam Chhab
Head of Video Production, Equitable
2D Animation
2D or not 2D, that is the question (that nobody has ever asked). Since animation is about simplifying things that can feel hard to understand, and making it feel visually interesting, we often use 2D animation because it allows for so much creativity and flexibility in style, format and adaptability (use in different formats or aspect ratios).
Our 2D work ranges from character-driven narratives, to conceptual pieces where ideas themselves become the stars. We've animated everything from how to make a delicious tiramisu to ways of combating violence in the world.
The magic happens when you stop thinking about what animation "should" look like and start thinking about what your story needs. Maybe your financial services company needs geometric shapes that transform to show market relationships. Maybe your healthcare startup needs a character journey that makes complex medical processes feel human and approachable. The medium serves the message, not the other way around.
What makes our 2D animation work:
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Technical execution that serves the story
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Every line, color, and movement advances your message
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Characters with personality or abstract visuals that clarify concepts
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Always asking: does this help people understand and care about what you're communicating?
Motion Graphics
Motion graphics are the Swiss Army knife of video content. Need to make your quarterly results actually compelling? Motion graphics can turn spreadsheets into stories. Want to show how your product works without a complicated live-action setup? Motion graphics get straight to the point.
Our motion graphics work has helped companies around the world turn boring data into engaging presentations, complex processes into clear demonstrations, and abstract services into concrete value propositions. From our Chicago studio, we're especially good at taking existing brand elements - logos, colors, fonts, imagery - and bringing them to life in ways that feel natural rather than forced.
The secret to good motion graphics is restraint. Just because you can make everything bounce and spin doesn't mean you should. We focus on movement that serves the message, transitions that guide attention, and pacing that respects your audience's time.
Our motion graphics specialties:
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Quarterly results and data that actually compel attention
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Complex process demonstrations made clear
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Brand elements brought to life naturally
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Movement that serves the message, not overwhelms it
How We Approach Animation Projects
Concept Development (Where Ideas Meet Reality)
Every animation project starts with understanding what you're really trying to accomplish. Are you trying to educate, persuade, entertain, or inspire? Who's your audience and where will they encounter this content? What's your timeline and budget look like?
We don't pitch concepts that ignore your constraints. Instead, we find creative solutions that work within your parameters while still delivering something that stands out. Sometimes the best approach is simple and clean. Sometimes you need something more elaborate. The key is making sure the approach matches the goal.
Design and Style Development
This is where we figure out what your animation should actually look like. Simple illustrations? Detailed characters? Abstract shapes that transform to show relationships? The style needs to serve your message, not just follow whatever's trending on design blogs.
Whether we're extending your existing brand guidelines or creating something entirely new, the design work is built to support your story, not overshadow it. We create style frames, color palettes, and character designs that get everyone aligned before we start animating. It's much easier to make changes at this stage than after we've already animated 90 seconds of content.
Production and Animation
Here's where the magic happens, but also where project management becomes critical. Animation looks digital and easy, but it's not. Each second of finished animation can take hours or days to create, and unlike live-action shoots, you can't just "grab one more take" when something's already been animated.
That's why we plan thoroughly and communicate constantly throughout production. We provide regular updates so you can see how things are developing and give feedback when it's actually useful. Our goal is to deliver exactly what you expected, but better.
Sound Design and Music
Animation without good audio is just a moving picture. We approach sound design and music selection with the same strategic thinking we bring to the visuals. Sometimes you need custom music that matches your brand perfectly. Sometimes the right stock track does exactly what you need for a fraction of the cost.
We work with composers and sound designers who understand that audio in business content needs to support the message, not compete with it. The goal is creating a complete experience that keeps people engaged from start to finish.
Mixed Media Animation
Mixed media is where we combine photo-realistic elements with illustrations and textures to create a unique visual approach that's part photography, part animation, all personality. It's a way to blend reality with animation without shooting video footage, giving you the authenticity of real imagery with the creative control of animation.
This approach works especially well for social good messaging and nonprofit work, where you need to balance serious subject matter with engaging visuals. Mixed media lets you tell visual stories or text-based narratives with cool typography instead of relying on voice-over. It's also perfect when you want a distinctive look that stands out from more traditional 2D or 3D animation styles.
We've used mixed media for organizations like Planned Parenthood, Ventra Chicago (CTA), Life After Hate, and SAIC - projects where the message needed to feel both real and aspirational, grounded but forward-thinking.
When mixed media makes sense:
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Social good and nonprofit messaging that needs authenticity
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Brands wanting a distinctive visual identity beyond standard animation styles
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Visual storytelling that incorporates typography as a design element
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Projects that benefit from blending real imagery with animated elements
Stop motion is the craft beer of animation - it takes more time, costs more to make, but when it's done right with soul and intention, there's nothing else like it. We don't do stop motion for every project, but when we do, it's because the tactile, handmade quality serves the story in ways that other approaches can't match.
Stop motion works especially well for brands that want to emphasize craftsmanship, authenticity, or a more human touch. There's something about seeing real objects move that creates an emotional connection that's hard to achieve with other animation techniques. We've used stop motion for product launches, brand stories, and social campaigns where the medium really is part of the message.
When stop motion makes sense:
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Brands emphasizing craftsmanship and authenticity
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Tactile, handmade quality that serves the story
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Creating emotional connection through real objects
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Product launches and brand stories where medium is the message