7 Essential Tips When Choosing an Animation Company

So, to help you operate as a more competent, confident, and collaborative brand manager, here are seven essential tips that will guide you on how to choose the right animation company. 

Read on. 

• Check Portfolios

The first thing you want to do is have a closer look at the portfolio of the agency. Look for previous work. Don’t get excited with too old projects. Just check out what the team of animators has been working on recently. 

Also, see if the portfolio creatives are from the same industry as yours. Check for voiceover quality, and see if it syncs perfectly with the music and the video aesthetics. 

You don’t have to be a professional here. Instead, what you want to do is see that the video is coherent, and tells a complete story on its own. 

Make sure that you’re able to digest the tone of the messaging, and see if the video aligns well with the intended intonation and voice of the message. 

• See if the animation style is unique and captivating

The most important part of selecting an animation company is not the pricing. But essentially, it's the passion of the creative talent. You can check out the variety of animation styles they’ve used. Make sure to watch a bunch of the latest videos from the portfolio. See if the animation style is consistent, or the same across all. 

Usually, it’s a motion graphics agency that has a unique approach to animation. 

You don’t want to have the same style of presentation for your video. So, look for creativity, and passion. You don’t have to be an expert to analyze the videos. Anyone with plain insight into the creative realm can decide which video is best. 

• Watch their latest demo reel

A demo reel speaks for everything a video animation agency has done. If you can’t find it on the website, ask the creative team to share the latest demo reel. Here are a few things you need to check very carefully while watching the demo reel:

• Make sure the demo reel doesn't have too much stock footage

• Original animation and designs should be in there

• Sounds and music should be licensed

Besides, eye for animation talent. Look for clever transitions and artistic appeal. Besides, you need to be mindful of collaborative projects. You want to cross-check with the animator clan. Ask them what part of the project they worked on. Ideally, they should have worked on most or at least the most critical ones. 

If you don’t like the demo reel, and can’t find it original and enticing enough, it’s best to continue with your search. 

• Ask for Testimonials

The next thing you want to do is engage with the agency and ask them for contact with their previous clients. A top-notch agency won’t mind sharing details. You can engage with their older clients via call or email, and ask for testimonials. 

Getting a transparent review from previous clients would help you a great deal in understanding the quality of service. You may also openly ask about other aspects of service including, pricing, quality, communication, and creative talent. 

• Pay close attention to video presentation

I didn’t mention it before, but you don’t have to overlook this one. When checking the portfolio of your chosen animation company, your job is to pay close attention to the video presentation. Here are some tips to make your job a lot easier, and help you rely on objectivity before you decide;

• Focus on the animation style, character presentation, or personas

• Give listen to the music, and sound (Check if they’re licensed)

• Pay attention to the narrative, and see how the story unfolds

• Check the quality of the voiceover

• Connect with the team on a discovery call

It’s not just animation, but essentially it's the trust you put in people to take your project head-on and nail it to perfection. One way and probably the best, is to engage with that team and converse about how they aim to take up your project. 

This is often achieved by the help of a successful discovery call. You’re not expected to dive headfirst into it. Usually, agencies invite potential clients to get up on a discovery call and see what’s in it for them. 

You can ask about multiple aspects of work. From animation style to chosen software for artwork and design, creative process, scriptwriting, voiceover selection, stock music, and original character creation. Plus, interviewing the team will speak for itself. 

So, it’s always best to stay confident and open with your questions. 

• Check voiceover quality

Last but not least, you want to check voiceover quality. Most agencies have their voiceover artists. And, there's a good bunch who have voiceover talent on speed dial. So, feel free to ask for voiceover samples. 

AI voiceover is cool, but honestly, it’s the best when compared to a human voiceover, which is not just original but provides more depth, and greater emotion. You can even check out for celebrity-quality voiceovers. 

Wrap up

Let’s wrap this one up. Above we gave you seven essential tips for hiring the best animation talent from the current market. Here’s a small recap of what we covered. You can start with asking for the portfolio, and client testimonials. It’s encouraged to check for video presentation, animation style, and talent. Feel free to hop on a discovery call and engage the creative team before you make up your mind.