In this guide:
What sets the best VideoScribe videos apart from the rest? In most cases, it comes down to one thing: a cohesive video theme.
When your images, colors, fonts, and layout all work together, your video looks considered and professional. This is the kind of quality that builds trust with your audience before you've said a word. But achieving that polished, effortless look takes a little planning.
This guide covers everything you need to set a strong video theme in VideoScribe: from backgrounds and image styles to layout, color, typography, and voiceover. We'll also share some ready-made themed templates you can use as a starting point, so you don't have to build from scratch.
To put these tips into practice as you read, log in to your VideoScribe account or start a free 7-day trial.
Start with a plan: storyboard before you build
Before you choose a single image or color, it pays to think about the story you're telling. Where is it set? How will it flow? What do you need to show?
Answering these questions upfront (even with a rough sketch) will guide every visual decision you make. Download our free editable storyboard template to get started.
Use a themed template as your starting point
If you want a guaranteed cohesive look without building from scratch, our content-agnostic themed templates are the fastest way to get there. These are professionally designed video layouts, each one built around a coordinated visual style, that you can drop your own content into.
We have two design families, each available in Basic, Medium, and Advanced layouts so you can choose the level of complexity that suits your message.
Artistic templates
Expressive and characterful. The Artistic templates use a hand-drawn, illustrated aesthetic built around expressive script typography, ink splatter accents, calligraphic flourishes, and sketched card layouts — all in a bold black and white palette. The result feels creative and distinctive without relying on color. The Basic layout gives you a clean single-flow structure; Medium introduces more scene variety and decorative detail; Advanced builds out a full multi-section video with the richest range of layout options.
Retro templates
Bold, graphic, and high-impact. The Retro templates use a strong geometric design style inspired by 1960s and 70s graphic design — think mustard yellow and orange backgrounds, navy geometric shapes, blocky sans-serif typography, and patterned borders. It's a striking, color-saturated look that makes content feel energetic and memorable. Available across three layout complexities, from a simple single-flow structure right up to a full multi-scene production.
If you want to build your own theme from scratch the following sections will guide you...
Backgrounds
Your background sets the stage for everything else, so it's worth getting right. Here are the main options in VideoScribe. Learn how to change the background →
Backgrounds and Scenery: ready-made scene backgrounds
The image library's Backgrounds and Scenery category is the quickest place to start. You'll find a wide range of ready-made scenes, from landscapes, beaches, and woodland settings to indoor rooms, weather scenes, and more. Browse the Illustrations tab within this category to find a backdrop that fits your story, and switch between scenes as your narrative moves from setting to setting.
Graphics tab: patterns, textures, and gradients
For a more designed, abstract look, the Graphics tab in the image library gives you a dedicated collection of repeating patterns, hand-drawn textures, and color gradients you can use as backgrounds. Head to the backgrounds folder and then the Graphics tab. These work particularly well when you want something that feels contemporary and intentional without competing with your main content. Choose a pattern or gradient that complements your color palette and it will tie every scene together visually.
Photo backgrounds
Importing a photo as your background is one of the quickest ways to make a video look polished. You can use a single image or layer multiple photos for something more unique. Unsplash and Pexels are great sources for free, high-quality images.
Images: choosing a consistent style
Your image choices have more impact on your video's visual theme than almost any other element. The key principle is simple: pick a style and stick with it. Mixing bold illustrated characters with flat line icons with photo-realistic graphics creates visual noise that undermines the polished look you're aiming for.
Learn how to find images in the library →
Image types: what's available
VideoScribe's library is organized across three tabs in the image panel: Illustrations, Icons, and Graphics. Here's what each one offers and when to use it.
Illustrations
VideoScribe's main image library, covering thousands of graphics across every topic imaginable, from scenes and backgrounds to objects, concepts, and characters. Styles range from warm and cartoon-like to bold and expressive, clean and minimal, or sleek and contemporary. Use the Image Style filter to browse within a specific visual direction and keep everything in your video consistent.
Icons
A separate tab giving you access to millions of line icons covering virtually every subject imaginable. Icons are simple, single-concept graphics designed to communicate ideas at a glance. They work well for more minimal or concept-driven videos where you want clean, unfussy visuals.
Graphics
A dedicated tab for decorative design elements: flourishes, dividers, patterns, textures, and gradients. These are the finishing touches that tie your visual theme together and give your video a polished, considered feel. Use them as backgrounds, scene dividers, or overlays to add depth and detail that elevates your video from functional to genuinely designed.
Characters
If your video tells a story with people in it, characters are one of the most powerful theming tools available. VideoScribe has a wide range of named characters, such as Mia and Ousmane, each available in multiple poses and emotions. Using the same character throughout your video builds narrative continuity and gives your audience someone to follow, making the story feel more cohesive and engaging.
You can customize each character's skin tone, hair color, clothing, and outline color, so they can be tailored to reflect your audience or match your brand. And because each named character has a full collection of poses, you can make them move around scenes and interact with other elements as your story unfolds.
To find a character's full collection, hover over any image in the library to see its name, then search by that name to see all available poses.
Choosing and maintaining a visual style
With thousands of images across a wide range of styles, the most important decision you can make is to choose one visual direction before you start and stick to it. VideoScribe's Image Style filter makes this straightforward. Open the filter panel when searching and you'll see a range of style categories to choose from, including Cartoon, Realistic, Simple, Conceptual, Minimal, and Stylized, as well as named style families like Barcelona, Brooklyn, Havana, and Dhaka for a more contemporary look. Select your style, apply the filter, and every result you see will match that visual direction.
Some styles suit certain types of content better than others. A Cartoon style feels warm and accessible, well suited to education or consumer-facing content. Minimal or Simple styles work well for corporate or professional topics where you want the message to lead. Realistic styles add credibility to more serious subject matter. For the named style families, three worth calling out: UX Colors features detailed, full-color illustrations with a polished, professional feel, well suited to tech or product-focused content; Brooklyn uses clean line art with a modern, corporate aesthetic, good for business or professional topics; and Barcelona has colorful, energetic flat characters with a contemporary feel, great for marketing or social content. The right choice depends on your audience and the tone you want to set. Whichever you pick, applying the filter consistently means you are always choosing from the same visual vocabulary, whether you are on scene one or scene twenty.
AI image generation
If you can't find exactly the right image to match your chosen theme, VideoScribe's AI image generator lets you create one from scratch. Describe what you need, choose between an outlined sketch or a fully colored image to match your animation style, and it appears on your canvas ready to use.
For best results, be specific with your description: "friendly person presenting at a whiteboard" will get you further than "person at work."
Want to go deeper on VideoScribe's image options? Read our complete guide to image features →
Colors
Color has more influence over how a video feels than almost any other element. Here's what to focus on.
🎨 Emotive colors
Different colors carry emotional associations that affect how your audience responds. Yellow tends to lift mood; red can signal energy or urgency; blue conveys trust and calm. Think about the emotion you want to create, then choose accordingly.
🔵🟠 Complementary colors
Colors at opposite sides of the color wheel (orange and blue, green and red) to create a naturally balanced, polished look. If you want your video to feel cohesive and professional, a complementary palette is usually a safe and effective choice.
⚡ Contrasting colors
For more visual impact, contrasting colors draw the eye and create energy. Think of bold brand palettes like Pepsi's red and blue. The same principle works in video, whether applied through images, backgrounds, or text.
🏷️ Brand colors
If you are creating videos for a brand, consistency with your existing color palette matters. VideoScribe lets you save custom colors so your brand colors are always at hand when editing images, text, or backgrounds. Set them up once and you can apply them throughout your video without having to re-enter hex codes every time.
For a deeper dive, read our introduction to color theory for video creators.
Don't forget - you can edit the colors of many VideoScribe library images to match your chosen palette, including character-specific options like skin tone, hair color, and clothing. Not every image supports color editing, but you can tell at a glance: images with the small colored lines icon in the top corner of their thumbnail are color-editable. If an image doesn't have that icon, its colors are fixed. Learn how to change image colors →
Layout
A strong video theme isn't just about what things look like. It's also about where things appear on screen. Consistent layout choices make it much easier for your audience to follow your content without distraction.
Think about setting standard positions for recurring elements: titles, captions, supporting images. If key information always appears in the same area of the canvas, your audience knows where to look. If it shifts around unpredictably, it creates friction, even if they can't quite put their finger on why.
Camera positions
VideoScribe lets you control the camera position for each scene. Using consistent framing (the same zoom level and positioning for similar types of content) creates a sense of rhythm and structure throughout your video.
Titles and text placement
Decide early where on-screen text will appear and keep it consistent. A title that floats to a different corner on every scene makes the video feel disjointed, even if every other element is well-designed.
Repeating image positions
If a character, icon, or logo appears throughout your video, anchor it to the same area of the canvas so your audience builds a relationship with it over time.
Learn how to choose the right layout for your video →
Fonts
If your video includes on-screen text, font choice matters. Here's what to think about.
Your audience
A font that feels fun and friendly for a children's educational video will look out of place in a boardroom presentation. Match the register of your font to the register of your message.
Your brand
If you're representing a brand, your font should reflect its personality, whether that's authoritative, playful, modern, or traditional.
Your message
Fonts carry emotional weight. A sharp, condensed sans-serif communicates urgency. A flowing script communicates warmth. Make font choices that reinforce your story, not ones that contradict it.
If you're using more than one font, take time to pair them well. A good pairing typically combines one display or heading font with one clean, readable body font. Consider weight, contrast, and whether they complement or clash. Some reliable combinations to try in VideoScribe: Montserrat with Open Sans for a modern, professional feel; Playfair Display with Source Sans Pro for something more editorial and authoritative; or Lobster with Roboto for a warmer, more characterful look. Two well-paired fonts add visual interest and hierarchy; three poorly chosen ones create confusion.
Text animation tips
The font you choose is only part of the picture. How your text appears on screen affects how well it lands. A few things that make a real difference:
Size contrast
Make key words or headings noticeably larger than supporting text. Clear size hierarchy guides the eye and makes your message easier to absorb.
Color contrast
High contrast between text and background is both more accessible and more attention-grabbing. Dark text on a light background or vice versa creates a visual anchor that draws the eye.
White space
Resist the urge to fill the canvas. Generous spacing around text lets it breathe and makes each element feel more considered.
Timing
Let important phrases linger before moving on. Giving viewers time to read and absorb what they've just seen makes the information stick.
See our full guide to font pairing and text animation in VideoScribe →
Hands and narration: creating a consistent voice and feel
The drawing hand is part of your video's personality. VideoScribe has a library of named hands to choose from, representing a range of people varying in gender, age, and skin tone. Each person holds a range of different tools including pens, pencils, and erasers, so you can find a combination that feels right for your content. There are also children's hands in the library, useful if you're creating content aimed at younger audiences. You can also choose to show no hand at all, with images appearing to draw themselves.
Here's how to think about which hand to pick.
Your audience
If the audience is meant to see themselves in the video, the hand should reflect that. Choosing someone who broadly represents your viewer builds a subtle sense of connection and makes the video feel more personal.
Your narrator
The hand and the voice should feel like they belong to the same person. A warm, conversational voiceover paired with a formal, mismatched hand creates a subtle disconnect. Think about these two elements together when making your choices.
Learn how to change the hand →
Narration: matching your voice to your theme
VideoScribe gives you three ways to add narration to your video. You can record your own voice directly in the app, upload a pre-recorded audio track, or use the AI voiceover generator to create natural-sounding narration from your script. The AI option lets you choose from a range of voices, accents, languages, and tones, so you can dial in something that feels right for your content without needing to record anything yourself.
Whichever route you take, think about whether the voice matches the visual style of your video. A polished, professional video with a clean, modern look suits a clear, measured voice. A warm, playful Retro-themed video might call for something more conversational and characterful. These choices work together to create a consistent overall experience from first frame to last.
You can also use the AI script generator to write your script before handing it to the voiceover tool.
Learn more about VideoScribe's AI tools →
Putting it all together
The best video themes aren't the result of making individual good choices. They're the result of making choices that work together. A consistent illustration style paired with a contemporary font, a clean complementary color palette, consistent layout positioning, and a well-matched voiceover creates something that feels intentional from start to finish.
Use this checklist before you publish:
✅ Pre-publish theme checklist
Background style established and consistent throughout
Image style chosen and filtered to stay within a single visual family
Graphic Elements used to add polish and tie scenes together
Colors support the emotion and message of the video
Layout positions consistent across scenes
Font choices appropriate to audience and brand
Hand and voiceover feel like they belong to the same narrator
For a step-by-step technical guide to setting each of these elements in VideoScribe, visit our help article on setting a theme.
Ready to put it into practice? Start a free 7-day trial or log in to your account and explore the templates gallery to find a starting point that suits your style.
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