“Explainer video” and “motion graphics” get used interchangeably a lot, but they’re not quite the same thing, and knowing the difference makes it much easier to brief an agency and get the right result. Here’s a straightforward breakdown from our team in Skipton.

What is an explainer video?

An explainer video is defined by its job, not its look. It exists to explain something: what your product does, how your service works, or why a customer should care. It usually runs between 60 and 90 seconds and follows a simple shape: the problem, the solution, and what to do next.

An explainer can be made in lots of ways. It might be live action with a presenter, an animated story, a screen walkthrough, or a mix of all three. What makes it an explainer is that it has a clear message and a clear audience.

What is motion graphics?

Motion graphics is a technique. It’s the art of animating graphic elements such as text, shapes, icons, charts and logos to communicate an idea or add polish to a piece of video. Think animated titles, data visualisations, lower thirds and the moving diagrams that make complicated information easy to follow.

Motion graphics doesn’t need a story or a presenter. It can stand alone, such as an animated logo sting or an infographic that moves, or it can sit inside a bigger project like a corporate film.

So where’s the overlap?

Plenty of explainer videos are built using motion graphics. That’s why the two terms get mixed up. An animated explainer is simply an explainer video where motion graphics does the visual heavy lifting. But not every explainer uses motion graphics, and not every piece of motion graphics is an explainer.

A useful way to think about it: the explainer is the finished product and the motion graphics is one of the tools we might use to build it.

Which do you need?

Start with the question you’re trying to answer, rather than the format.

You probably need an explainer video if you have something that’s hard to describe in a sentence or two, you want to give new customers a quick introduction, or you need one clear piece of content for your homepage, a sales conversation or social media.

You probably need motion graphics if you already have footage and want it to look more polished, you need to present numbers or a process visually, or you want a consistent animated style for titles, logos and branding across lots of videos.

You may need both if you want a complete, professional piece that explains your offer while carrying your brand through every frame. That’s very common, and it’s often the most effective route.

How to brief it well

Whichever way you’re leaning, a good brief saves time and money. Before you get in touch with any video production company, it helps to know:

• Who the video is for, and what you want them to do afterwards
• Where it will be seen, whether that’s your website, social media, trade shows or sales meetings
• Roughly how long it should be
• Any brand guidelines, colours, fonts or existing assets we should work with
• Examples of videos you like, and ones you don’t

You don’t need a finished script. Most of our clients come to us with a rough idea and we shape it together from there.

Not sure which is right for you?

That’s completely normal, and it’s exactly the sort of thing we’re happy to talk through. We work with businesses across Skipton, Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate and the wider Yorkshire area, producing everything from corporate films to animation and motion graphics.

If you’ve got a project in mind and want an honest view on the best approach, get in touch with us and we’ll point you in the right direction.