Your logo is the symbol of your brand. And adding animation can take that symbol from static to striking. Logo animation is a simple but powerful way to capture attention and convey your brand personality. We share some inspiring examples, plus our best advice on how to animate a logo for maximum impact.
Why Make an Animated Logo?
Brands make a logo with animation for the same reason they make videos. Movement draws the eye. So, an animated logo is more attention grabbing than a static logo.
Movement also conveys the personality of your brand in ways still images can’t achieve. Letters bouncing in from all sides communicate something very different from those same letters swooping in smoothly from the right.
Animated logos are valuable assets for presentations, websites, and videos. You can use them in many of the same places you would use a static logo to add a little extra interest.
Logo Animation Examples
These logo animation examples give a glimpse of how movement enlivens a logo. Each one takes the company’s standard logo and adds moving elements to draw attention.
The first example is a simple animation of our IdeaRocket logo. Although the video is about 3 seconds long, most of the movement happens in the first second. The words fade in quickly as the rocket pops up to take its place between them.
This simple version is clean, quick, and unobtrusive. It’s perfect for emails or splash screens where we want to quickly draw attention to the branding without overwhelming the message.
But sometimes, the logo is the main point. For example, at the start of our 2024 highlight reel we created a more immersive experience. The Idea Rocket logo animation below adds a space background and our Rocket Man mascot to make sure every viewer knows who we are.
Customized animations can integrate branding into a video without creating a distraction. The logo in the video for Intuit below merged seamlessly with the rest of the ad by featuring characters that would appear throughout.
These three examples offer a glimpse at the range of uses for animated logos. The most famous example of a logo animation breaks a few rules, but it’s worth studying. Pixar uses a lamp character to add visual interest to its Pixar Animation Studios logo.
In just 13 seconds, the brand conveys its playfulness and creativity. It showcases Pixar’s ability to turn even the most mundane household object into a loveable character.
Best Practices for Making Animated Logos
The following best practices will help make your animated logo as effective as possible.
- Match brand style and personality. The colors, movement, and any character elements should match the style of your brand. Your animated logo should look at home amidst your other branding assets.
- Keep it brief. We mentioned that the Pixar logo breaks a few rules with its 13-second logo. Unless you’re a world-renowned animation brand with a captive audience, the ideal timing for an animated logo is between 2 and 5 seconds.
- Use sound sparingly. Sound effects can add extra dimension to your animated logo. Just make sure you’re using them with intention. Any sounds you use should underscore the movement and style of your animation, not steal the spotlight.
The logo below for Tool Academy uses sound at the beginning and end of the 5 second animation to make sure viewers don’t miss a thing. The buzz saw immediately draws attention. It also perfectly matches the style and personality of the brand.
How to Animate a Logo
If you know how to animate, adding movement to a logo is a simple motion graphics challenge. Here are the basic steps:
- Review your brand guide to make sure your style and tone are fresh in your mind. Identify the feeling you’re trying to evoke with this logo. Curiosity, trust, and amusement are all good starting-points.
- Split your logo into parts. Does it make sense to animate individual letters or whole words? Are there images or characters that might move independently? The goal is to have enough pieces to create good movement without overwhelming the viewer with too many moving parts.
- Set it in motion. Use your favorite animation software to add some motion. Most animated logos start with a blank screen or simplified logo and “assemble” the full image through movement. Keep in mind that less is more, and limit the run-time to 5 seconds or less.
- Share for review. Show your draft to people you trust for feedback on style and movement. Ask how the animation makes them feel.
- Add sound if desired. Sound is not required, but it can add extra dimension.
Once your animated logo is complete, start adding it to your website, videos, or other marketing collateral. For help creating your own animated logo, contact the animation experts at IdeaRocket. We’re experienced in 2d animation, 3d animation, whiteboard, and motion graphics, to create a logo that matches your brand style.
