There’s no single formula for the best whiteboard animation. The style, which usually combines a blank white backdrop and a loose, hand-sketched approach, is different than traditional 2D animation because the viewer sees objects being outlined and shaded. It gives a video a more personal and immediate touch, and lets you create characters that seem more alive and present.
These videos, all by sellers you can find on Fiverr, are among the best out there. They help spread the word about topics both serious and light, and each can teach both animators and entrepreneurs new techniques to get the most out of their next whiteboard animation.
Throwing a little colorful shade
Want to make your whiteboard animation tutorial stand out? Add a second marker color for shading, and vary the width of your markers and lines. That’s what sent this explainer from Fiverr Pro seller toongoose to the top of our charts.
Illustrating the experts
This whiteboard explainer from Fiverr Pro seller silueta_pro is a terrific combination of a qualified expert speaker and deft animation. If you just listened to behavioral economist Dan Ariely explain the quandary of short-term choice, you’d learn plenty. But the whiteboard adds tremendous layers of depth and understanding. Watch towards the end for the terrific subtle touches around the 2:45 mark, where people who look comfortable in bed are suddenly on the move with just a few strokes of a pen.
Sweet lines for a stinky subject
Not everybody is comfortable talking about human waste, so Fiverr Pro seller silueta_pro had a tough challenge making The Poop Project pleasant and relatable. The video’s friendly characters and thin, clean lines do a great job setting a balance between the serious contamination threats and the positive potential of reusing waste to help reduce reliance on non-renewable resources.
Drawing with a twist
This 60-second promotional video from Fiverr Pro seller toongoose isn’t a true whiteboard animation, but it is smooth and eye-catching. It uses a white background and a machine-drawn feel to appeal to the 3D printing enthusiasts the client serves. The voiceover is clear and confident, adding to the video’s overall authority.
More samples from this seller at https://www.fiverr.com/toongoose/create-promotional-video-for-your-brand
Blended styles
Fiverr Pro seller arikboas combines multiple animation styles, including two-tone hand-drawn elements, in their whiteboard animation services. Blending styles keeps the audience engaged, watching with an open mind.
Put pencil to paper
Most of us had notebook paper before a whiteboard, and it was an easy call for Fiverr Pro seller gallywix to create a short, perky promo for a notebook brand in a notebook paper style. It’s not just the shading of the pencil lines but the distinctive sound of the pencil that makes this very brief video so engaging.
A universal hero
This self-referential video also by gallywix introduces Stickboy, an animated hero for the whiteboard universe. We all understand that a stick figure can stand in for absolutely anyone, so Stickboy can be an expert or novice, young or old, buyer or seller. He is truly a blank slate for any whiteboard explainer or promo.
Whiteboard titles add variety
A whiteboard can be an accent rather than the main meal of your promo or explainer video. Fiverr Pro seller sales3591 uses whiteboard captions and squiggles to enhance this conventional 2D animation, breaking up the styles with a hand-crafted feel.
Keeping eyes fixed on multiple messages
This explainer video from Fiverr Pro seller ppawlowski has a lot of work to do in 90 seconds. It starts as a promo for a British cab-hailing app. Then it turns into an explainer video, encouraging drivers not just to download the app but to use it more effectively. The pace of the whiteboard animation, filling in sketches until they become solid characters, helps keep eyes focused until the entire message is delivered.
Whiteboards build anticipation
One of the great things about whiteboard animation is that the style lets you decide how to build anticipation by what you reveal first. Fiverr Pro seller thisable put together a clinic of a demo reel. Watch it a few times (it’s only a minute long!) to appreciate how each scene has its own rhythm, based on how the artist starts the scene and fills in details.
A vote for blueprint
Tired of the same old whiteboard look? Shake it up and go with its close cousin, the blueprint style. Fiverr Pro seller mezzoanimation shows how effective a blueprint can be. Whiteboards can come off as hastily drawn and easily erased. Blueprints are drawn with clear, steady lines and lead to permanent buildings. If your project needs that air of authority, the blueprint style is a clever alternative.
Not-safe-for-work whiteboards
Every so often, someone writes an off-color joke on a shared whiteboard. Fiverr Pro seller mezzoanimation takes advantage of that open secret in this wry, boundary-pushing explainer video that encourages people to express their creativity and let their freak flag fly in the name of business development.
Intentionally lengthy whiteboarding
Third item in carousel at https://www.fiverr.com/irfan421/make-an-awesome-whiteboard-explainer-video
Alt: Whiteboard animations can keep attention fixed during long tales
This video from Fiverr doer irfan421 feels drawn out (no pun intended) because the protagonist of the story doesn’t get any answers to her medical problems for the first minute of the video. It turns out that’s what the service, a healthcare social community, was created to address. So it’s actually a great use of animated storytelling, showing the protagonist’s long and frustrating journey, with a happy ending that comes as a relief to everyone.
Breaking down the quotes
Last item in carousel – https://www.fiverr.com/cwiney/create-a-professional-whiteboard-animation-video
Alt: Words matter in whiteboarding
This short whiteboard video from Fiverr doer cwiney is notable for its use of the whiteboard to show what prominent tech brands have to say about search engine optimization. Combining the written quotes with friendly hand-drawn logos and a pleasant voiceover helps drive home the point in multiple ways, setting up the viewer to see the seller as a helpful authority.
Keep the colors real
Third item in carousel – https://www.fiverr.com/animation_expo/do-custom-whiteboard-video-animation-for-business
Alt: Little details, like marker tips, matter
Afraid you’re phoning in the effort on your whiteboard animations? Get inspired by this example from Fiverr doer animation_expo. The tip of the marker changes to match the color being drawn. It’s a subtle but important touch that keeps viewers invested in the digital whiteboard illusion.
Lightening burdens with whiteboards
Third from last item in carousel – https://www.fiverr.com/jelena_video/create-an-awesome-whiteboard-video
Alt: Friendly characters keep difficult topics light
This bright, brisk whiteboard animation from Fiverr doer jelena_video shows how animation can help keep tricky topics lighthearted without becoming childish or patronizing. The service helps people who need to sell property under duress, but the cheery two-minute video doesn’t rush them to make a hasty decision. It’s a valuable lesson in pacing when discussing an uncomfortable subject and a great use of whiteboard animation.
No topic is too niche
Last item in carousel – https://www.fiverr.com/hemal27/create-professional-whiteboard-animation-9cf99145-2563-4624-8f86-fb7b7e62411e
Alt: Affordable whiteboard videos mean any business can invest in one
If you’ve ever wondered if there’s an audience for your whiteboard video, trust us, there definitely is. Fiverr doer hemal27‘s upbeat promo for friendly Canadian geckos as pets makes that abundantly clear. And if the cute gecko drawn in the first few seconds doesn’t suck you in, the concise list of features and benefits will. The words are written on a whiteboard-within-a-whiteboard, which is a very meta touch that adds wry irony to any video.
Whiteboards started out in corporate meeting rooms to encourage rapid brainstorming and a culture of “there are no bad ideas.” The diversity and success of whiteboard videos show that audiences understand that inspiration is often just a few marker strokes away.
What’s the most effective whiteboard video you’ve ever seen? Do you think there’s a better one out there? Tell us about it in the comments.
