We were recently tasked with producing an explainer animation for UberEats to accompany their new package actionable data and interface designed for restaurants management. UberEats has developed a wealth of data within their Restaurant Manager platform to help business owners understand better their business, adapt and thrive.
Our mission was to create a piece that not only elevated UberEat’s brand image, but one that communicated the value and simplicity of its platform in an easy-to-understand way. We used an abstracted product UI and animated UI to make a direct visual idea of its functionality.
All frames were initially storyboarded with physical paper and pencil. After the flow of the narrative was approved, we designed and illustrated all of the animated assets in Illustrator, and focused strongly on proportion, emphasis and balance. It was tempting for us to further emblish the illustrations with shadows and gradients, though historically, Uber has never opted for complexity in their overall illustration style and art direction. We then produced all motion graphics and animation in Adobe AfterEffects.
The project is currently being shared across 27 countries and has obtained a high engagement on Behance too.
We learned that the effective explainer video demonstrates the following characteristics:
It’s Short – On average, you’ll want your video to be between 60-90 seconds for inbound, or 30-45 seconds for outbound.
It’s Simple – “Clear”, “concise”, “straightforward”. These are the words that should drive the production of an explainer video.
It’s High-Quality – Regardless of which format you choose, it must be well-executed. Even a poorly trained eye will pick up on production errors.
It Reinforces the Brand – It must include colours and/or graphic elements that reinforce brand identity in a subtle, but effective manner. You can always start with a client’s brand guidelines as a means of developing the appropriate style.
It Features Professional Voice-Over – Some people are good behind a camera. Others are made for the microphone. Choosing the right person to do voice-over work is crucial. People often take for granted how important audio is when it comes to a video experience. You can find solid VO options on Upwork and VoiceRealm.
