This is an important question, and both are essential in any good whiteboard animation. Getting the balance right takes careful creative direction, visual thinking and research. When it’s done well, this combination allows visual thinking to explain complex ideas in an engaging and accessible way, expanding their reach and impact!
To find out more about this process and getting the balance right, Dan Stirrup, We Are Cognitive’s Managing Senior Creative, spoke to us about how he approaches this challenge.
If you have a message or idea that could benefit from whiteboard animation, we’d love to talk to you! Contact us today or book a free creative consultation to ask us a question.
I have written a lot about failure. It’s something of a fascination for me. I am in a constantly evolving process with failure. When does failure become a success? Are there any true failures or is it just an endless process?
If you’ve spent any time in creative circles, you’ll know that while education has the potential to transform, we’ve been wielding this so-called "weapon" like a blunt instrument for far too long.
No matter where we find ourselves on the spectrum of human experience, creativity can play a vital role in survival, healing, and hope.
AI could revolutionise the NHS by taking on administrative tasks, giving doctors more time to spend with their patients. However, while this sounds like a dream solution, it comes with challenges. With great power comes great potential for, let’s face it, accidental chaos.
So, here’s the reflective takeaway: in a world of endless scrolling and relentless sameness, being bold is essential, but it’s only the first step. Jaguar has smashed the glass case, but now they need to decide what to do with the diamond.
Let’s face it, presenting isn’t just about showing up with slides and stats. It’s a performance. A dance. A chance to make ideas leap off the screen and stick. But how do you know if you’re nailing it? That’s where the Presentation Pulse Check comes in.
The familiar feels safe, even when it’s clearly sinking. Here’s the harsh truth: in a world that moves as fast as a TikTok trend, being slow to adapt is a recipe for stagnation.
Over-complication isn’t just tedious—it’s the nemesis of efficiency. Enter the KISS principle: “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”
Here’s the thing about getting comfortable – it’s the silent killer of real growth, and I am not talking about bottom-line growth – I’m talking about the type of growth that is far more valuable.
Ah, the Inverted Pyramid—It sounds like a tragic prog rock album you might find at a car boot sale, but it’s a concept that’s as intriguing as it is practical.
Sometimes it’s bloody tempting to focus on fighting today’s fires while forgetting the bigger picture, isn’t it?
Affordance is how something shows you what it can do, like a door handle that makes you want to pull the door open or a button that looks like it should be pressed.
Have you ever been in a meeting where you could just feel your team's energy slipping away? Sometimes meetings drag on, and fresh ideas are as rare as a decent cup of tea, well, in the whole of America!
This peculiar proportion, approximately 1.618, has been lurking in the shadows of human creativity for millennia, like a mathematical James Bond, seducing architects, artists, and designers with its promise of perfection.
Have you ever been in a meeting where you could just feel your team's energy slipping away? Sometimes meetings drag on, and fresh ideas are as rare as a decent cup of tea, well, in the whole of America!
Why do we see faces in clouds, cars with expressions, or even attribute human emotions to our household appliances (admit it, your Henry Hoover has feelings)? The answer lies in the ancient concept of anthropomorphism—a principle as old as humanity itself, born from our inherent need to understand and relate to the world around us by projecting our own characteristics onto it.
Picture this: You walk into a diner with a menu the size of a small novel. You’re hungry, but now you’re stuck—overwhelmed by choice, paralysed by indecision. Welcome to Hick’s Law in action, a psychological principle that’s been quietly dictating human behaviour since the 1950s...
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? That frantic rush, always trying to keep up with the latest trend. Blink, and it’s gone—again. It’s like standing on a moving walkway, but it’s speeding up, and you’re dragging along a suitcase packed full of never-ending to-do lists.
Understanding the Scaling Fallacy isn't just for philosophers or over-caffeinated academics. It's vital for anyone who wants to make an impact with their ideas, especially in creative fields where size does not always equate to success.
Here’s the thing—staying in your comfort zone isn’t just boring; it’s risky. You know what they say: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”
Performance Load teaches us that less truly is more. Visual thinking is about distilling complexity into clarity, turning a tangled web of ideas into a neat, navigable roadmap.
You know that feeling when you’ve just nailed a quick win? The rush, the thrill, the sense of accomplishment—it’s like a hit of dopamine, making you feel like you’re on top of the world. But here’s the thing no one tells you...
Ever heard of the phrase, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’? Turns out, constraint is its often-overlooked sibling—perhaps the unsung hero of creativity.
Ignoring burnout doesn't just impact outcomes; it gradually wears down the very essence of team connection and effectiveness. But here's the encouraging part: there's a way forward that is both within reach and within our control.
In the chaotic symphony of modern life, where every ping and notification competes for our limited attention, the concept of ‘signal to noise’ has never been more relevant. But before it became the buzzword of the digital age, it had its origins in the dry and dusty world of early telecommunications.
It is more than just rounding off; it is a psychological experience where the brain concludes what remains hanging in the balance.
Have you ever wondered why certain stories just hit us in a different way? Chances are, you're in the grasp of something archetypal; those universal, almost sneaky patterns of theme and form that are hardwired into our very being.
When we design, whether that be a piece of graphic design, a software integration or a whiteboard animation, we should strive to minimise errors and make them easy to correct.
Today, I want to explore a theme that is as ancient as it is perpetually relevant, failure. It’s a concept that shapes our very DNA, prompting where we go, helping us grow in our personal and our professional lives.
If you could pin down the essence of truth, could you draw it? That’s the question that lingered in my mind after speaking with Dan Ariely for my RSA Animate documentary—a project allowing me to reconnect with some of the most compelling thinkers of our time.