Animation, animation, animation. The moving visuals industry has been turning heads all over the world, anything from latest TV adverts to in cinemas experiences. 

Although brands are sharply lowering their budgets for creative projects, animation was hardly affected. The creative field is considered to be in the rare bright spot of demand, with studios and creatives reporting around 25% rise in service bookings. Animation is incredibly universal, and provides a more democratic and approachable approach to live action advertisements. 

Over the 1 year and a half of lockdowns, the animation industry has been proving to be incredibly adaptable in the media and entertainment world. Looking at all of the creative fields that were affected by the coronavirus pandemic and remote working, animators and animation studios barely blinked whilst lockdown took the majority of the creative industry upside down. 

With top performers such as Dua Lipa, Stormzy, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Katy Perry releasing their latest music videos that played with classic animation styles. Soon public health services such as the NHS and WHO started releasing animated messaging to communicate coronavirus safety tips. And big brands and supermarkets such as Lidl, Absolut, Waitrose and McDonald’s published ads with animated adverts. 

With the further rise of animation, the sector has been pushing us to consume a broader range of digital media than ever before. The sector involves a large network of expertise that ranges from 3D animation, CGI and VFX. 

3 UK based Animators to follow 👇

Sam Brandon, Motion Designer, Animator & Illustrator

Sam is a freelance 2D animator & illustrator based in the UK. He has worked on a number of incredibly creative projects with creative studios and agencies across the UK.

James Wignall, Animator/Motion Graphics/Illustrator

Mutanthands is the studio of James Wignall & Jing Zhang, a multi-disciplinary studio specialising in design, animation & direction.

Oded Shein, Animator/Motion Graphics

Oden Shein is a London based designer with over 15 years of experience across multiple industries including social media, B2B, entertainment and music. 

Top 3 animated adverts made in lockdown 👇

Absolut | It’s In Our Spirit | #togetherIRL

Wagamama ‘Bowl to Soul’

Breast Cancer Now | Love-Hate Relationship