With video being consumed like crazy, it’ll look good for you to have an animated logo to include in your content. These are some of the pro’s of having animated logo:
- Helps make content look professional
- They reinforce your brand
- Let you add a notable jingle / sound associated with brand
- It’s a cue that information is coming
There are some downsides to be weary of, though they can usually be avoided.
- They can interrupt content flow
- They can piss people off enough to skip your video
- Logo intros can be detected and automatically skipped
OK so, how do we make the best of it and cut down on the bad stuff? For those born in the dark ages, before the 2000’s, think back to cartoon intros. The Simpsons is a good example. When the Simpsons kicked off, their intro kept you waiting for about 1 minute 15 seconds. These days, the intro usually shown has been cut down to 25 seconds. In the dark ages, people didn’t have a choice, they had to be locked onto the screen. There are ways to keep people locked in, but they really suck. You can do better than that.
You need to keep it so short, that even ad blockers don’t bother with it. Try and keep it between 5-10 seconds. When you have it made, allow for enough static tail of the video so you can blend it into content. By keeping the video logo intro short, you’ll let it do its job – reminding viewers of your brand, without bothering them so much that they’ll switch away. This is something you can use on a shitload of content, so don’t cheap out on it. Also, pay special attention to the sound. Think of it as an intro cue. People are always spammed with visual cues, having an audio cue as well, gives you a bit more extra presence. Put effort into the sound design, hell, hire a composer or producer. Don’t get me started on how great Intel’s sound cue is. Let this sound nerd show you. The right sound can make peoples ears perk up.
Try and lock down something like the UPFM animation where you can use it as an interrupt, a topic change, a point marker, or an update spot. Get the video made in a high resolution, 4k or above would be most ideal. Most templates are 1080p at least, whatever you do don’t sink under 1080p. You can always shrink down, you can’t blow up (without more effort than making a new spot all together).
The placement of the intro can be played with too. In the dark ages, most shows started with the intro – they kinda had to. Whatever the platform, from radio to TV, at some point content would follow adverts. In modern times, there’s a lot more freedom. Feel free to explore with the timing of your logo drop. See how people react, and adjust it as you need. If you’re placing adverts in your content (even adverts for your own products), consider coming out of the advert with it. In any case, a video logo is well worth it. The more tools you have in the shed, the better.