“Animation is just for kids.” The meteoric rise of animated content in diverse industries — the golden age of advertising, explainer videos, education, gaming, etc. — has long crushed that misconception. Animated characters today shape brand identity, convey ideas, and deepen audience engagement like nothing else.
Did you know? As per a Statista report, the global animation market, which is valued at more than $391 billion in 2022, is expected to exceed $587 billion by 2030, driven by top-grossing films and beloved franchises such as Pixar’s Toy Story and Despicable Me.
On this blog, we will treat the fantastic world of creating animated characters and teach you how to create engaging characters for your brand, explainer video, or whatever you can think of thus, whether you are a beginner or a business that wants to learn how to create animated characters in marketing, as well as how to the cartoon character design, character rigging, the best character animation software, character animation & more.
1. Why Should You Invest in Creating Animated Characters for Your Business?
2D animation services offer more than just visually appealing characters—they provide one of the most effective ways for businesses to communicate messages clearly and engage audiences. Animated characters can simplify complex ideas, boost brand recognition, and increase engagement, making them an essential tool for modern marketing
Here’s why:
- Higher Engagement: Studies have shown that animated content has 5 times more engagement than static content.
- Brand Recall: Another reason animated characters are helpful. Consider the famous mascots like the Michelin Man or Geico’s Gecko — they stay with you.
- Versatility: Animated characters can be used on all platforms — from social media to explainer videos and product demos.
You are leveraging the power of animated characters so that your content stands out from the crowd. With the appropriate animation software, you can easily animate these characters.
2. How to Create Animated Characters from Scratch?
Making animated characters is a huge task, and may seem impossible when you’re just starting.
We’re gonna go through it one step at a time. Here’s what you can do to get started:
Step 1: Create Your Character
Before you start throwing stuff into the software, think about your character’s purpose. Will you produce something that represents your brand, explains a concept, or tells a story? When you have an overall layout, put pencil to paper, or use a design program on your computer (like Sketch or Adobe, for example).
Step 2: Define Key Features
What is unique about your character? Pay attention to details — color, clothing, accessories, physical features (eyes, mouth, body shape). This ensures that your character is unique and memorable.
Step 3: Decide Which Animation Software You Want to Use
From beginner-friendly to professional-grade software, the best software for character animation is widely available. Choose the right software to begin designing your character based on your needs.
Step 5: Generate the Character Model
After choosing a design, you can create a model to see the design come to life. This character will be used in the base for any animation in the future, and you might want to make some poses and expressions too, since you might want your character to look the same way.
Step 5: Rig Your Character
The character rigging is the skeleton of your character. That makes the character so, you can animate their body and their face.
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3. What Are the Basics of Animation for Beginners?
For those new to animation, it’s important to understand the fundamentals. Here’s a quick beginner’s guide to animation to help you get started:
- Keyframes: These are the starting and ending points of an animation sequence.
- In-Betweening: This is the process of filling in the frames between keyframes to make the animation smooth.
- Timing and Spacing: This affects the fluidity and realism of the animation. It determines how fast or slow the action happens.
Understanding these basic principles will make it much easier when you start learning how to animate a character step by step.
4. How to Use Software Tools to Create Animated Characters
When it comes to creating animated characters, you need the right animation software. Whether you’re looking to create a 2D animated character or a more advanced 3D model, choosing the right tool is crucial.
Here’s a comparison of popular animation tools:
|
Software |
Best For | Price Range | Features |
|
Animaker |
2D character animation | Free, Subscription | Easy drag-and-drop, pre-made assets |
| Toon Boom Harmony | Advanced 2D animation | Free |
Open-source, highly customizable |
| Adobe Animate | Both 2D & 3D character animation | Subscription |
Industry-standard software for animation |
These tools provide various features to help you animate characters, with some offering easy drag-and-drop options for beginners and others offering powerful tools for professionals.
5. How to Create Custom Avatars for Your Brand
I want an avatar that is unique to my brand. Here’s how to make-to-order avatars for your business:
Step 1: Choose Your Software
Choose online tools to make an animated character like Animaker, or use more advanced software solutions to generate detailed 3D avatars, such as Blender.
Step 2: Design Your Avatar
Keep things on brand, focus on the personality and characteristics that best represent you. So think about color schemes, clothes, and accessories that are in tune with your brand identity.
Step 3: Animate Your Avatar
After making your custom avatar, you can animate it through keyframing, lip-sync tools, and facial expressions. Next, I’m going to take it and make it alive.
Step 4: Use in Your Content
Explainer video services allow you to create a memorable animated avatar that can be used across social media, email campaigns, explainer videos, websites, and more, ensuring a consistent and impactful brand presence.
6. What Is Character Rigging, and Why Is It Important?
Character rigging for beginners might sound technical, but it’s essential if you want your character to move fluidly. Character rigging involves creating the “skeleton” that dictates how your character moves. It allows your character to perform actions, such as walking or talking, while keeping movements natural.
There are different rigging techniques, and some animation software (like Toon Boom Harmony) simplifies the process by offering pre-built rigs.
7. How to Make a Talking Animated Character?
To make your character talk, you need to match its mouth and facial movements to the audio. Here’s how you can do it:
Step 1: Record the Audio
That’s your dialogue or narration for the character. Match the voice to the personality and tone of the character.
Step 2: Use Lip Sync Software
When using animation programs like Adobe Animate or Animaker, there are built-in lip-sync features that accommodate automating your character’s mouth movements to the audio.
Step 3: Fine-Tune Movements
After lip syncing, you can animate the character’s expressions and gestures to match the tone of the speech.
8. What Are the Best Animation Techniques for Storytelling?
This technique adds to storytelling with animated and video-based characters, which is critical when creating characters for explainer videos or advertisements. Some ideas to consider to creating and designing characters for a story:
- Facial Expressions and Body Language: Commit to the moment via facial expressions and body language.
- Development Arcs: Do some kind of development arc for your character.
- Minimal Design: Don’t overcomplicate the design — you want it to be easily recognized, especially in explainer videos or advertisements.
If you use these basic principles for creating character designs , your characters not only will look great but will also make an emotional connection with your audience.
9. How to Create Animated Characters Using Free Tools?
If you’re just starting, several free animation software options are available. Here’s a table comparing a few of them:
|
Software |
Best For | Price | Features |
|
Pencil2D |
2D animation | Free | Lightweight, open-source animation tool |
| Synfig Studio | 2D vector-based animation | Free |
Advanced vector animation, automatic tweening |
| OpenToonz | 2D animation | Free |
Professional tools with advanced features |
These tools allow you to experiment with 2D animation and begin animating without a significant financial commitment.
10. How to Create Animated Characters for Explainer Videos?
Animated characters in explainer videos are powerful tools for businesses, helping simplify complex ideas into digestible visuals. Here’s how to create the perfect animated character for an explainer video:
- Match the Tone: Your character should fit the tone of the video, whether it’s playful or professional.
- Keep It Simple: Use minimalist designs to keep the focus on the message.
- Use Callouts: Add text callouts or arrows to enhance the visual storytelling.
By focusing on clear character design principles, you can easily integrate animated characters into your explainer videos for impactful results.
Conclusion:
So, whether you’re learning how to create animated characters for a personal project or with business in mind, this guide has given you the fundamental tools, software, and advice required to create animated characters. Master character rigging, learn basic principles of animation, and pick the right software for you, and you’ll be bringing your characters to life in no time.
So, are you ready to build your animated characters?
Explore this software, experiment with designs, and tell great stories with animations of your brand today!
Animated Videos feature high-quality 2D animation with stunning motion graphics and innovative 2D designs. Visit blogs for insights.
FAQs
How to create animated characters for a business?
To create animated characters for your business, start by following the steps to design cartoon characters, considering your brand’s identity. Use the best software for character animation to bring your character to life. Tools like Animaker offer an easy animated character creation tutorial for beginners to help you create professional avatars for use in explainer videos or branding.
What are the basics of animation for beginners?
For beginners, understanding the basics of animation is key. This includes grasping concepts like character rigging for beginners and learning how to animate a character step by step. If you’re new to the process, a beginner’s guide to animation can provide a solid foundation before diving into more complex techniques.
How can I make a 2D animated character for my website?
To make a 2D animated character, you can use tools like Animaker or other online tools for creating animated characters. These tools allow you to design and animate your character quickly, which can be used across websites, social media, and email campaigns to boost your brand presence.
What is Character Animation and How Does it Work?
Character animation refers to how a character comes to life through movement. It uses motion graphics animation, frame-by-frame animation techniques, and lip-sync animation software to give you realistic or stylized animations to convey your message so that it’s engaging for your audience.
Where can I find the animated characters maker online for free?
And if you want to create animator characters online for free, check out Animaker or any other free online cartoon-making tools. The tools range from custom avatars to explainer video character design to storytelling.
