Blackboard animation videos? VideoScribe can do that too!

Blackboard animation is one of the most distinctive styles in video marketing. The dark background, chalk-style text, and hand-drawn feel give any video an immediate sense of authority and clarity,  and VideoScribe lets you achieve it with just a few settings changes.

What is blackboard animation?

Blackboard animation (sometimes called chalkboard animation) is a style of animated explainer video where content appears to be drawn or written on a dark background, mimicking the look of chalk on a blackboard. Instead of the classic white canvas with a black marker, the color palette is inverted: a dark grey or black background with light text and illustrations drawn on top.

It is used widely across a range of contexts:

How to create a blackboard animation in VideoScribe

Creating the blackboard effect is straightforward. You are adjusting three things: your canvas, your text color, and your hand. Here are the exact settings to use:

The off-white text color reads like chalk without being too harsh against the dark background. Switch to the chalk hand and the effect is complete.

Seeing it in action: how DeepRed55 uses blackboard animation

UK digital agency DeepRed55 have been using VideoScribe since 2014 to help their clients with branding, marketing and customer engagement. One of their most effective videos uses a black canvas to give a Formula 1 theme, a great example of how a simple background change can transform the feel of a video entirely.

Karl Bantleman, Marketing Director at DeepRed55, explains how they use VideoScribe for clients in less obviously exciting industries:

We use them to describe the service of our client , in particular those clients that are in industries deemed to be less interesting than others. It helps the client maintain their customers' concentration, which allows them to get their message across.

Karl Bantleman, Internet Marketing Director, DeepRed55

DeepRed55 also made a VideoScribe video for 3BM, a mutual organization that provides support services to schools, an audience that responds especially well to the clarity and authority of a teaching-style format.

Not many digital agencies have an internal creative team and we wanted to combine our digital abilities with our ability to think creatively, and VideoScribe was perfect for that. We use VideoScribes when we pitch for business and the response has always been brilliant.

Karl Bantleman, Internet Marketing Director, DeepRed55

Why blackboard animation works

The power of blackboard animation comes down to contrast, both visual and conceptual.

Visually, dark backgrounds with light content have higher perceived contrast, which makes text and illustrations pop. In a world of white-background videos and bright marketing content, a dark canvas stands out.

Conceptually, the blackboard aesthetic carries associations that work in your favor: teaching, expertise, explanation. When viewers see chalk on a blackboard, they are primed to learn. That is valuable if your video is explaining a product, a process, or an idea.

It is a small design decision with a surprisingly large psychological effect.

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