Case and point: the “animated smear” technique.

Animation Smear: The Dover Boys at Pimento University (1942)

In 1942, Warner Bros. released an animated short called “The Dover Boys at Pimento University.”

This Merrie Melodies cartoon (produced by Leon Schlesinger and directed by Chuck Jones) is significant for a couple of reasons. “The Dover Boys at Pimento University” was one of the first animated shorts to break away from the so-called “Disney look.” It was also one of the first animations to use the smear technique, which was a game changer for animation in terms of look, style, and production time.

What Is An Animation Smear?

Unlike traditional movement in animation, which uses keyframes (to plot beginning/ending points) and in-between frames (to create the illusion of movement), a “smear” depicts one quick “blur” of motion in a single frame.

Instead of drawing a perfect subject moving through an action in dozens of poses frame by frame, animation smears accomplish the illusion of motion in a single frame, or a short run of frames, placed in between typical keyframes. This “blur” creates the sensation of a sudden burst of speed that gives the animation a sense of frantic pace and action that careful keyframe animation doesn’t quite match. The best part is that your eye doesn’t even notice the difference.

Look at how fast this character “moves” with the smear technique. He’s a literal blur that the bartender’s eyes can barely follow.

Animation Smear vs. Motion Blurs

Every one second of animation is made up of 24 individual frames of animation. While you may “see” all 24 frames-per-second in a typical animation, the human eye can’t actually register each frame as a separate thing. It’s just too fast.

Instead, your brain stitches the frames together into a cohesive picture, creating the illusion of motion, and the source behind animation magic.

What’s even cooler is that this smear technique doesn’t just happen in cartoons. Smears happen in real life all the time. A baseball pitch whizzing past your face. An arrow blurring toward a bullseye. Fidgeting with your pen in the air while you try to think of what to write on a birthday card. Each of these actions creates real-life smears, otherwise known as “motion blurs.”

When an object is moving too fast, your brain can’t process every individual “frame” of motion.  Just like in cartoons, motion blurs stitch the motion together into a blur of speed. It’s the exact same principle on, and off, the page.
Now that you know what’s happening, let’s get back to the animation smear technique in practice, and see how it’s used in popular animation.

The Growth & Popularity Of Animated Smears

While the smear technique practically defines the style of classic Warner Bros. cartoons, it wasn’t always so popular. In fact, Chuck Jones’ clever time-saving animation technique was once frowned upon as a “lazy way to depict movement” by the heads of the studio.

According to Jones, the executives at Warner Bros. were so displeased with the his smear technique in “The Dover Boys” that they tried to fire him. However, they wound up keeping him on board after being unable to find a replacement, which turned out to be rather fortuitous for them, and for animation fans alike.

Chuck Jones would go on to write, direct and collaborate on famous Warner Bros. cartoons including “One Froggy Evening,” and “What’s Opera, Doc?” Jones also created some of the most iconic characters in the Looney Tunes universe, like Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote, Pepe Le Pew, and more.

Jones was a pioneer of the smear technique, and thanks to his success at Warner Bros., animation smears caught on as a speedy and stylish way to create quick transitions between keyframes.

The Best Animation Smear Examples

Animation smears create an exaggerated sense of speed and movement, save time and money during the animation process, and just plain look cool. We even used the animation smear technique in our explainer video for Sevanta:

Here are some of our favorite examples of animation smear from yesterday and today.

“The Up Standing Sitter” (1948)

“Hare Do” (1949)

Pink Panther – “Pinkfinger” (1965)

“Odd Ant Out” (1970)

Every Single “Road Runner” Episode. Ever.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

The Simpsons – “Some Enchanted Evening” (1990)

Steven Universe “A Cry for Help” (2015)

Animation Technique: Smear

If you’re interested in seeing more animated smear examples, check out “Smears, Multiples and Other Animation Gimmicks” for a comprehensive collection of great examples of this animation technique. Another great site is Animation Smears on Tumblr.

Considering animated video for your business? Get in touch to learn more about IdeaRocket’s unique approach 2D animation, 3D animation, whiteboard, motion graphics and more.

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• How to decide how much to spend
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Last week, we raved about an endlessly endearing short film called Planet Unknown. To learn more about how the film was made, we got to speak with Shawn Wang; the talented young animator who brought the story to life…

Blake J. Harris: Shawn, thank you so much for speaking with me. Where are you currently located at the moment?

Shawn Wang: I’m in Shanghai.

Blake J. Harris: Fantastic! Well, as you know, we were big fans of Planet Unknown. But before we talk about the making of that film, I was curious to hear about how you first got into animation. Can you tell me how that happened?

Shawn Wang: I became interested in this 3D stuff six years ago. I was actually in high school at the time. I studied photography and sometimes made short films with friends. Then I started getting interested in adding some extra elements to the video: VFX. Then motion graphics then it was 3D. Then I completely fell in love with 3D animation.

Blake J. Harris: How did you learn about 3D animation? Classes? On your own?

Shawn Wang: I learned some basics in school. But for many of the technical things, I had to learn those things on my own. Through online resources. Tutorials from different YouTube channels. And similar kinds of websites.

Blake J. Harris: I love self-taught education!

Shawn Wang: [laughs]

Blake J. Harris: So tell me about Planet Unknown. What was the first kernel of an idea?

Shawn Wang: The inspiration for the story came when I watched Interstellar. I wanted to make a story about the two robots on mission without the humans. And the inspiration for making the short film on my own came from a lot of individuals on Vimeo. There were several people I saw who were making short films on their own: they would spend, like, 2 or 3 years. I was really impressed by that. I thought: maybe I can try this. Maybe it could be my graduation project. So I thought this was a good opportunity to take this personal challenge.

Blake J. Harris: In terms of the challenge, what was the hardest part of the process?

Shawn Wang: The hardest part is I didn’t realize how hard it is until I got started.

Blake J. Harris: Ha!

Shawn Wang: [laughing] I didn’t realize. I think maybe 60% of the skills used to make the film were learned during the process. So it was very intense.

Blake J. Harris: What kinds of things did you need to learn?

Shawn Wang: Like how to make an explosion. I thought maybe this plug-in can do that. But it requires more than one plug-in. It requires a lot of knowledge to make this one single explosion. Especially to make a lot of explosions! It’s a lot harder. So a lot of stuff was learning by doing the process. I think that was a good part of doing this project.

Blake J. Harris: Tell me about the story. How did that evolve, and how did it change, from start to finish?

Shawn Wang: Actually, the story was not fixed when I started. This became a small problem because after a few months I suddenly got different ideas. So I had to evaluate if this was a good idea to actually go in the new direction. Because I had to give up a lot of 3D assets I already made. I decided, yes, I would like to go with this new idea. So, at that point, I gave up a few animated shots because it didn’t match the story.

Blake J. Harris: Very interesting. I am glad you followed your instincts.

Shawn Wang: Also, in the original version, only one of the robots survived the meteor explosion. And the other robot brings back the body. But I think that was a bit sad. So in the end I came up with a better idea to make a happy ending. I think it’s better for the audience.

Blake J. Harris: Personally, I was happy to see a happy ending. Especially because so much of the film is really about friendship.

Shawn Wang: Yes, that was the most important part of the story.

Blake J. Harris: How did you create that friendship without dialogue? Did you think a lot about their personalities in advance?

Shawn Wang: When I did the character design, I got the idea that the different robots should have different functionalities. After thinking about these different functions, I felt that the yellow robot was smarter and braver than the other guy. So the blue guy tends to be more timid.

Blake J. Harris: Do you have a favorite part of the film?

Shawn Wang: I think it’s the climax part towards the end. That was very hard to make. Very challenging. But it’s perfect for conveying the emotion.

Blake J. Harris: One final question: Do you think you’ll ever “work with” these characters again? Either in a sequel or a longer version of the film?

Shawn Wang: I think it’s very hard to make it again. Unless I came up with some better idea, I guess. But, for now, I think I will let it go and focus on other projects. 

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That said, we all know that animation itself is not a fix-all solution. Instead, animation is a tool. It is a tool that can help messages traverse cultural boundaries. And so, given that power of that tool, we can’t help but ask: what are the key characteristics of multicultural animation?

Not long ago, a couple researchers from Stanford—Barbara Hayes-Roth and Heidy Maldonado—attempted to answer this question. In a pair of research papers (“Designing for Diversity: Multi-Cultural Characters for a Multi-Cultural World” and “Toward Cross-Cultural Believability in Character Design”) Hayes-Roth and Maldonado identified 10 qualities that provide the framework for multicultural animation:

1. Identity
2. Backstory
3. Appearance
4. Content of speech
5. Manner of speaking
6. Manner of gesturing
7. Emotional dynamics
8. Social interaction patterns
9. Role
10. Role dynamics

Today, we’ll take a closer look at the first five characteristics. Tomorrow, in Part 2, we’ll cover the remaining qualities on this list.

1. Identity

At first glance, every item on this list may seem like a component of “identity.” But researchers Barbara Hayes-Roth and Heidy Maldonado believed it to be distinct enough to warrant its own category. The reason for this is because they view identity as something that goes deeper than what’s readily visible in a snapshot illustration. They see identity as a combination of both explicit and implicit attributes:

• Explicit: demographic depiction and character description
• Implicit: personality traits and qualities of the character (i.e. likes/dislikes, idiosyncratic behaviors)

The combination and interaction of these attributes is what will answer the fundamental question: who is this character? Additionally, it will help provide insight into other top-level questions like:

• What does this character represent?
• Who will this character appeal to?
• What makes this character unique?

2. Backstory

Hayes-Roth and Maldonado define backstory as both the history of the character as well as any personal facts pertaining to that character’s off-screen life. This includes details such as

• friendships
• favorite sports
• important celebrations
• love interests
• financial status
• political and religious affiliations

Details like these are especially significant because “every character inevitably highlights some cultural grounding from his or her backstory in their commonplace interactions.”

3. Appearance

Appearance, of course, refers to attributes like age, gender, race and other details that we as the viewer can immediately see. But there’s more to this category than just that. It also refer to how characters describe experience; the vernacular they use. 

“For example,” Hayes-Roth and Maldonado explain, “one can describe a character with the same identity as fat, chubby, round, pot-bellied, overweight, and even robust, with each word alluding to a different interpretation, and cultural implication.” 

4. Content of Speech

In addition to the importance of language and dialect, it is also vital to consider idiomatic expressions, slang, and colloquialisms. In particular, it’s make-or-break critical to understand the cultural sensitives of the target audience so as to avoid unintended offense.

Ultimately, the key here is not only to think about the representation of a character, but also about how that representation will be perceived by your target audience. To highlight how that perception can re-define intention, Hayes-Roth and Maldonado cite a paper entitled “Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation” (Markus and Kitayama). In that paper, the researchers suggest that Americans tend to value qualities like autonomy and personal expressions of uniqueness from others and from the environment. The researchers then point out that these traits are valued to a much smaller degree in other cultures (particularly Asian cultures).

5. Manner of Speaking

When it comes to character animation, what a character says is only one facet of multicultural consideration. The how, when and why of a character’s speech is important as well. As are acoustic attributes as well, like intonation, pronunciation, timbre, and range of vocal expressions. Because, as Hayes-Roth and Maldonado note, “these conversational aids can be used to determine not only the geographical origin of a particular person or character, but even their cultural influences and several places of residences.”

6. Manner of Gesturing

Gestures, while subtle, play a significant role in communication. And one of the great things about animation is that the medium not only allows us to visually represent those subtleties but also to accentuate gestures.

In addition to the cultural variability that can be expressed through the gestures of character animation, Hayes-Roth and Maldonado also point out that frequency/volume is an important factor as well. To this point, they cite an MIT study called “Simultaneous Speech and Gesture Generation” (Cassell & Stone), which notes that “members of certain cultures exhibit a greater quantity of gestures per utterance than others.” For example, the British tend to use minimal gestures in conversations whereas Italian speakers often substitute gestures for speech.

As we mentioned yesterday in the “Manner of Speaking” section, it’s important to avoid communication that may inadvertently offend other cultures. To which, of course, the obvious question is: well, what kind of gestures might offend? Ultimately, this is where it pays to bring on something with expertise specific to your target audience, but on a broader level Hayes-Roth and Maldonado point out that assent and dissent gestures deserve careful consideration.

“For example,” they explain, “what Americans understand as the symbols for “ok,” with the thumb and forefinger forming a circle and the remaining fingers extended, is insulting for a wide range of cultures including Brazilians, Russians, and Germans. The same gesture is commonly used both to refer to money in Japan–alluding to a coin’s shape–and to worthless items–zero shape–in France.”

7. Emotional Dynamics

Although it’s not something we often think about (and when we do, we likely conflate it with backstory), the emotional dimensions of a character are largely dictated by how that character is designed and then animated.

How we perceive the depths of each emotion may vary by culture. But the in-depth work of Stuart Ewen, a historian of consumer culture, posits that there are a handful of emotions that are shared and recognized by all humans:

• Fear
• Anger
• Sadness
• Joy
• Disgust

In addition to those six, Ewen suggests that “Surprise” and “Interest” might also universally translate as well.

8. Social Interaction Patterns

Of all the items identified in the study, this is likely the one that faces the most multicultural variability. The oft-forgotten thing to keep in mind with “Social Interaction Patterns” is that it’s not just about how but also very much about when.

This is particularly true in situations featuring multiple animated characters, as many cultures have different norms about when different speakers should communicate. The when‘s in these scenario involve answering questions like:

• Who should speak first?
• How frequently should he or she speak?
• When (if at all) are interruptions appropriate?

When thinking about all these variables, it’s hard not to envision that mistakes will be made. And interestingly enough, the way in which animated characters react to mistakes is also an important consideration. There is a significance to “How the characters recuperate from these blunders,” Hayes-Roth and Maldonado explain. “Whether and how often they acknowledge a lack of understanding, and whether they apologize for it are highly dependent on each culture’s perception of mistakes and appropriateness of continued apologies.”

9. Role

Yesterday, when we first introduced this topic, we opened by talking about how technology has changed the way in which animation can reach audiences. Which makes it especially interesting that, when it comes to role, Hayes-Roth and Maldonado talk about technology. They suggest that how the content is delivered should factor into the roles we create for our characters. Or, in other words, the medium is part of the messenger’s role.

“For example,” the researchers explain, “a talkative character with slow loading animations will not contribute to the user’s experience in a efficiency-driven application, and may perhaps serve its advice purpose better through a text- based, emotionally muted response.”

The technology point is very interesting; and increasingly so as different social media applications and the prospect of virtual reality continually realign the landscape. But regardless of the medium, we must note that it’s still critical to create characters with distinct roles (and that those roles remain consistent throughout the message).

10. Role Dynamics

The parameters of role dynamics will undoubtedly be linked to “Social Interaction Patterns.” But beyond capturing cultural norms (and, ideally, crafting roles that can highlight the value and stakes of your message), the underpinnings of these dynamics hinge on believability.

“Achieving believability,” Hayes-Roth and Maldonado explain, “continues to be the holy grail of character design.” But, importantly, it’s not necessarily based on replicating reality. Animation is a different than reality and viewers intrinsically understand that. To that end, the researchers note, “even though believability is not dependent on accurate realistic simulations, it is highly dependent on the viewers’ ascription of emotion to the created characters, as these emotions are key to revealing how and when the characters appear to think and make decisions and act of their own volition. It is what creates the illusion of life.”

Understandably (and beautifully, in a way) role dynamics—and their relationship to what we’ve become accustomed to in our own lives—provides something of a template for creating that all-important sense of believability. And while the components necessary to build that framework will vary to some degree by audience the merits of achieving that goal cross every culture.

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For those unfamiliar with Dollar Shave Club, it’s a subscription-based service that, for as little as $1 per month (plus $2 shipping), delivers razors to the homes of its customers. Although founded in July 2011, Dollar Shave Club didn’t begin offering subscriptions until March 2012. In conjunction with the launch, Dollar Shave Club also released a YouTube explainer video that same day. The video, which runs just over 90 seconds long, stars founder Michael Dubin. And like the best explainers, this one does more than just explain a company or a product:

This video was released on March 6, 2012. Within six hours, Dollar Shave Club’s website crashed. Meanwhile, DSC managed to sell out all their inventory in that time and as referenced above—having already signed up over 2 million paying subscribers—the company has continued to thrive in the years since.

It would be silly to say that the reason Dollar Shave Club succeeded was because of that video. But it would also be naive to suggest that the video didn’t play a large role. Because not only did that video help shape how the message was received, but I would suspect (based on both experience with clients as well as speaking with startups in general) that the process of making this video was itself beneficial in helping the company identify its own mission and lock down its messaging.

With that in mind, let’s dive deeper into the video and highlight some of the key messaging decisions that Dollar Shave Club made:

Putting A Face To A Name

Until you actually try one of the Dollar Shave Club’s razors on your skin (and feel, specifically, what the experience you are purchasing is like), it’s hard to differentiate what they are selling from the products that customers are used to buying. As a result, DSC’s chooses not to make their product the “face” of the message, but instead use their founder Mike Dubin for that.

The video opens with Dubin at a desk (above). Now, it should be noted that this approach—literally putting a face to a name—can often be a dangerous tact (as it puts a lot of eggs into a single basket), but it’s an approach that immediately creates a more personal connection. Which for a new company looking to build trust goes a long way≥

What’s also impressive here is how DSC uses the rest of the screen’s composition. If you look behind Dubin, you’ll notice that there are dozens of fun knickknacks. Not only does this add a subtle sense of fun to the opening frames, but it helps cushion any concerns that may have arisen from that character-driven eggs-in-a-basket approach.

Perfectly Sets The Tone

We could go on and on about how the tone and persona of Dollar Shave Club is vastly different from the “traditional razor blade companies.” Ultimately though, with major credit to them, the company managed to perfectly encapsulate much of that in this  wonderful image:

The Explainer Keeps It Moving

On this blog, we often warn against the dangers of stagnation. Particularly with animated explainer videos, we preach the importance of using continuous action. In fact, that’s one reason why the always-moving-methodology of whiteboard animation can be so effective. But in a live-action video, where each sequence is essentially a self-contained scene, keeping the movement going is often quite difficult.

Impressively, however, Dollar Shave Club’s explainer rises to the challenge by marching its protagonist throughout the majority of the video. From start to finish, Dubin is almost always on the go. Yet importantly, all throughout, he remains engaged with the camera (and therefore the audience). As a result, we remain captivated from start to finish.

Easter Eggs/Non-Sequiturs

Lastly, one of the other great things this explainer video does is include humorous non-sequitur. There are several somewhat subtle objects and moments that spice up the video, but which might not be noticeable upon first view. Not only do these things make the video more fun, but they also provide some incentive for viewers to re-watch the explainer.

Examples include the little girl shaving someone’s head (and the fact that the shavee is reading The Lean Startup)…

A portrait of Dubin’s grandfather…

And a man in a bear suit…

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Given this intersection of needs and the value of a strong business proposal, it only makes sense that a handful of cloud-based, template-proposals products would emerge to meet the demand. But, as in every category, not all products are created equally. Proposify, to our great delight, is more than just a paint-by-the-numbers proposal provider. So let’s take a closer look at their product offering…

Before we dive into what makes Proposify unique, let’s first learn a bit about the company’s unique origin. A story which begins in 2008, when Kyle Racki (Proposify’s CEO) and Kevin Springer (Proposify’s President) launched a digital ad agency called Headspace Design based in Halifax, Canada. Five years later, in January 2013 (and just over a year before Racki and Springer would sell Headspace), the two design-gurus-turned-entrepreneurs started Pitch Perfect Software with the hopes of helping companies to make better proposals faster and win more business.

In 2014, Pitch Perfect Software evolved into Proposify and after securing financing from places like Innovacorp they have since hit the ground running. Largely due to an impressive ability to leverage design and speed with user and business needs. Simply put, there’s a lot to like about Proposify. Below are a few of our favorite features…

Great Themes + Beautiful Design = Excellent Look

Like creating a webpage, the value of a builder goes way beyond themes and designs. But starting off with those things is a great place to begin. Such is the case with Proposify, who offers a versatile roster of potential looks for your company’s proposal.

Drag And Drop Functionality

Good software equips you with the tools to do what needs to be done. But great software will make you feel good as you do it. And there’s something about the drag and drop functionality that Proposify offers–something elegant, something intuitive–that makes using the tool feel, well, natural.

Just Sign That Dotted Line

Proposify’s signature tool is built right into the document. Not only does this easy-to-use feature removes that whole print/sign/scan rigamarole but because the software is cloud-based it also eliminates that awkward dance of you-sign-then-me-then-him as everyone can simply autograph the document on their own schedule.

Dare to Compare

As alluded to above, Proposify isn’t the only company in the cloud-based proposal-software space. There are places like Bidsketch, PandaDoc and Adobe’s InDesign, each of which has a unique offering of features. To address this very point, one thing that’s nice about Proposify’s website is that there’s a section that (respectfully and in-depth) highlights what they believe differentiates them from each of their competitors:

• PandaDoc
• Bidsketch
• Quoteroller
• InDesign
• Google Docs

Although the details are, of course, skewed to highlight the merits of Proposify, it is admittedly nice to have all information in one spot.

Whether you’re an animation studio like us or in a completely different line of business, Proposify might be right for you. To learn more about Proposify and/or sign up for their free 30-day trial, visit their website. 

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Inviting guest animators to craft a novel (and often highly stylized) couch gag is something The Simpsons has been doing more and more in recent years. Notable “guests” have included Banksy, Guillermo del Toro and Bill Plympton. In addition to attracting big name talent, this practice has also infused the title sequence with a flair of artistic splendor.

So today, to celebrate some of this incredible animation work, we wanted to highlight ten of our favorite Simpsons couch gags from over the years…

1. “Clown in the Dumps” (Guest Animator: Don Hertzfeldt)

In this Simpsons Couch Gag, idiosyncratic animator and filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt conjures up an amazing potpourri of sci-fi circumstances featuring American’s favorite four-fingered family. Almost as interesting as the animation itself, is hearing the artist talk about his process.

“When I did the Simpsons piece,” Hertzfeldt explained in an interview with the A.V. Club, “one of the steps in our original agreement was, okay, please deliver us a synopsis, please deliver us storyboards, please deliver us an animatic. I don’t storyboard, I’ve never made an animatic for anything. [Laughs.] And so I was just like, ‘Guys, can I just deliver the thing and if you don’t like it, I can go back and change things?’ Which is what I did. I feel like if I had to pitch projects, if I had to storyboard projects, they’d be very uninteresting. It’s not really until I’m in it that the sparks are actually happening to make an interesting image.”

2. “MoneyBart” (Guest Animator: Banksy)

The first thought I had watching Banksy’s Couch Gag was: wow, what an interestingly dark (yet fun) take on the commercialization.

The second thought: wait, how did The Simpsons even manage to track him down?!

Getting in touch with the notoriously reclusive graffiti artist was certainly a challenge, and it would seem a great deal of the credit should go to casting director Bonnie Pietila. According to a New York Times interview with The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean, it all began after he saw Exit Through The Gift Shop. “We should see if he would do a main title for the show,” Jean recalled. “So I asked Bonnie Pietila, our casting director, if she could locate him, because she had previously located people like Thomas Pynchon. And she did it through the producers of that film. We didn’t have any agenda. We said, ‘We’d like to see if you would do a couch gag.’ So he sent back boards for pretty much what you saw.”

3. “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” (Guest Animator: Guillermo del Toro)

Guillermo del Toro’s opening sequence is an epic homage to the entire canon of horror films. As such, it contains dozens of references to flicks both old and new.

If (like me!) you found yourself unsure of several illusions, this handy guide from Screencrush lays out all the horror references in nitty-gritty detail.

4. “Diggs” (Guest Animator: Sylvain Chomet)

In 2014, French animator, illustrator and filmmaker Sylvain Chomet dazzled Simpsons fans with his enticingly bizarre take on The Simpsons. Like Kricfalusi, Chomet (best known for The Illusionist, The Old Lady and the Pigeons and The Triplets of Belleville Paris) left a dent on Springfield by bringing Fox’s beloved cartoon family into his unique visual vortex.

5. “What to Expect When Bart’s Expecting” (Guest Animator: Michel Socha)

Unlike last night’s Ikea-influenced couch gag (also created by Socha), the artist’s first foray into Springfield began with a very different aesthetic. In “What to Expect When Bart’s Expecting,” Socha used a mix of CG and 2D animation and an ominous red and black palette to create an opening much more in like with his 2008 short Chick.

For Socha, this opportunity to guest animate was a major career milestone. Not only because the prestige of those whose ranks he was joining, but because The Simpsons has been a longtime favorite show of his. “I started watching the series in the mid-nineties,” Socha recounted in an interview with Animation World Network, and have been a huge fan of the Simpsons up until now…What is cool about The Simpsons is that it never gets old and I always have smile on my face watching the series.”

6. “Married to the Blob” (Guest Animator: Bill Plympton)

Legendary animator Bill Plympton–famous for his meticulously crafted hand-drawn films–has created not one, not two, but a very impressive three opening sequence couch gags for The Simpsons. Each is beautifully crafted and worthy of several viewing, but we chose his work on “Married to the Blob” for the vibrant dream-like quality he manages to infuse through a series of backgrounds/landscapes that feel simultaneously eccentric, exciting and cozy.

7. “Mathlete’s Feat” (Guest Animators: Rick and Morty Team)

What are Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty doing in Springfield? Wreaking havoc left and right?! Apparently Simpsons creator Matt Groening is a big fan of the show (he did a commentary track for the Rick and Morty Blu-Ray). If nothing else, it’s great to see great animated storytelling respecting (and crossing over with!) great animated storytelling.

8. “Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles” (Guest Animator: Steve Cutts)

Unlike many of those who have guested a Couch Gag on The Simpsons, Steve Cutts is unique in that he doesn’t come from a background in film or television (nor is he, you know, a famous graffiti artist). Instead, Steve Cutts made a name for himself online, where several of his shorts have become viral hits. You can see several of Cutts’ animated shorts on his YouTube Channel (in particular, we highly recommend checking out MAN and The Walk Home).

Like Michel Socha above, Cutts was also a longtime fan of the series. “I’d grown up watching The Simpsons every week,” he said in an interview with Cartoon Brew, “so to be part of that legacy was a bit of an honor to say the least.”

Initially, after being offered the opportunity, Cutts thought about attempting a much bleaker tone and palette than his final animation. “I toyed with the idea of doing something darker in tone,” he explained. “With more social commentary, or even a comment on the nature and longevity of the show in general, but I felt that both Banksy and [Don] Hertzfeldt had already covered this territory.” So instead, seeking to tread new terrain, Cutts opted for a more vibrant, turbo-charged aesthetic. One which moves briskly–with an action-series like gusto–and is filled with nods to fixtures of ’80s pop culture (like Miami Vice, He-Man and The Mask).

9. “The Fabulous Faker Boy” (Guest Animators: Robot Chicken Team)

No list of Simpsons Couch Gags would be complete without highlighting the amazing stop-motion animation work of the Robot Chicken Team. Between the murder of Ned Flanders, Homer turning into a donut and some suburban drift-racing, it’s just a beautiful blend of both look and tone between The Simpsons and Robot Chicken.

If you’re interested in animated video production, be sure to contact us at IdeaRocket for any of your animation needs.

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• How to decide how much to spend
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• Working with the creative team
• How to calculate ROI on your video project
• How to promote your video
• Keeping metrics so you can learn

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The post 9 Incredible Simpsons Couch Gags Created By Guest Animators appeared first on IdeaRocket.

To celebrate that similarity and further explore the value that animation can bring to storytelling, today we’re going to look at the design behind five great animated title sequences. Three of which come from television shows, two of which come from movies.

Animated TV Show Title Sequences We Love

Halt And Catch Fire (TMC)

Halt and Catch Fire Main Titles from Patrick Clair on Vimeo.

The title credit for Halt and Catch Fire were directed by Patrick Clair (from Elastic) and designed by Raoul Marks. After a handful of meetings with the showrunners, the goal was to create something that captured the spirit of entrepreneurship (particularly during 80s, in which the show takes place) as well as touch on the primary themes of the show: ego, ambition and creativity. As the central motif to embody all of this, they decided upon a light bulb.

“With that in mind, we boarded out a sequence,” explained Marks in an interview with Art of the Title. “In essence these boards depicted the birth of a ‘signal’ and its journey to fire up a light. This was at the machine code level, an idea represented by simple graphic forms slowly evolving as it gathers pace.”

With inspiration from sources like David Lewandowski’s work on Tron: Legacy and the prologue sequence from X-Men: First Class, Elastic set out to weave those ideas together into something that stood out. One of the most notable things about this sequence is the glitchy-looking character portraits. To make this work, they took photos of the cast and then, as he describes, “manually ‘de-rezzed’ them…We experimented with many techniques to give it a feeling of constant flux and energy — textures, grain, undulating light flares to make the red/magenta feel electric and alive, never flat.”

Produced by: Elastic
Creative Direction by: Antibody
Executive Producer: Jennifer Sofio Hall
Director: Patrick Clair
Art Direction: Eddy Herringson
Animation and Design: Raoul Marks
Logo Design: Paul Sangwoo Kim
Production Manager: Bridget Walsh
Typography Consultant: Jennifer Walsh
Visual Researcher: Pat Da Cunha
Music: Trentemøller

Manhattan (WGN)

The opener for Manhattan was produced by Imaginary Forces, who had the difficult task of trying to create a sequence that juggled secrecy and scientific breakthrough. To that end, one of the most interesting things about the design of the opening credits is that the showrunners–looking for fresh eyes and open minds–intentionally did not provide Imaginary Forces with too much information.

Without seeing the pilot, Imaginary Forces focused on the human element. With hundreds of the brightest minds all living together in Los Alamos to try and create the bomb, they ran with the idea of juxtaposing home life and scientific work. To fit with the theme and come up with the aesthetic, the team did a lot of research into the time and place (with a particularly affinity for the since-declassified documents about the US nuclear program from the late ’40s and early ’50s). And interestingly enough, the concept was primarily designed by an employee named Griffin Frazen…who was just an intern there at the time.

Designed & Produced by: Imaginary Forces
Creative Director: Dan Gregoras
Art Director: Jeremy Cox
Executive Producer: Gabriel Marquez
Producer: Jon Hassell
Designer: Griffin Frazen
Animator: Sekani Solomon
Cel Animator: Peter Ahern
Editor: Karl Amdal
Additional Design: Audrey Davis, Tim Haldee

Music by: Jónsi & Alex

Game Of Thrones (HBO)

The Game of Throne‘s title sequence was directed by Angus Wall (also of Elastic) and it might surprise fans of the show to learn that the map motif wasn’t the original idea.

“In the original pilot script,” Wall described during an interview with Art of the Title, “Dan Weiss and Dave Benioff [the showrunners] had written a title sequence in which a raven flies from King’s Landing to Winterfell. We did some concept sketches around that idea but when the pilot was shot, they called us in and said: People are confused about where they are. Can you guys create little map pieces? Not a title sequence per se, but something that shows us exactly where we are when we go from place to place.”

From there, they created five pre-visualization map shots that were used each time the show transported to a different surrounding. This was a great way to help viewers gather their bearings, but unfortunately it seemed to interrupt the narrative flow of the story. As a result, the map idea was pushed (fortuitously!) into the open. Not only has it became one of the most iconic animated title sequences on television today, but it helps add a sense of realism and authenticity to the fantasy world in which the show takes place.

Production Studio: Elastic
Director: Angus Wall

POST PRODUCTION
Design Studio: Elastic
Art Director: Rob Feng
Lead Designer: Chris Sanchez
Designers: Henry De Leon, Leanne Dare
Concept Artists: George Fuentes, Rustam Hasanov
Storyboard & Concept Artist: Lance Leblanc
Production Artist: Patrick Raines
Producer: Hameed Shaukat
Executive Producer: Jennifer Sofio Hall

VFX Studio: a52
CG Supervisor: Kirk Shintani
Lead Surfacing & Lighting: Ian Ruhfass
CG Artists: Paulo de Almada, John Tumlin, Christian Sanchez, Erin Clark, Tom Nemeth, Joe Paniagua, Dan Gutierrez
2D Animation Artists: Tony Kandalaft, Brock Boyts
Compositers: Sarah Blank, Eric Demeusy
Smoke & Colorist: Paul Yacono

Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Angus Wall
Assistant Editor: Anton Capaldo-Smith, Austyn Daines
Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver, Linda Carlson

Composer: Ramin Djawadi
Sound Design: Andy Kennedy

Animated Movie Title Sequences We Love

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

The title sequence for Catch Me If You Can was designed by a pair of French illustrator by the names of Florence Deygas and Olivier Kuntzel. With some inspiration by the great Saul Bass, Deygas and Kuntzel set out to create an opener that leveraged the interaction between music and animation.

“In order to capture the spirit of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character,” said Deyas in an interview with Art of the Title, “we chose to employ a creative process that did not resort to the use of high technology. We used the same techniques as the film’s protagonist, by imagining the characters in stamp form, made from the same cutters as those used in the film by Frank Abagnale Jr. We wanted to preserve that crudeness.”

“The original stamps, that we created in a few hours, are those that exist in the final product. The magic of the first try was not altered. The force of the sketch remained. That seemed to cohere with the Spielberg spirit.”

Armed with this style and spirit, Deygas and Kuntzel sought to bring their own graphic vocabulary to the typical handmade aspect associated with the title sequences of the ’60s.

“Embedding such lovely handmade animations,” Deygas further explained, “into a precise, down-to-the-millimetre décor on a computer served as a bridge between the past and the present. The audience was able to taste a remnant of that past through the visual comfort of which they are used to today.”

Production Company: Nexus Productions
Creative Directors: Kuntzel + Deygas
Produced by: Chris O’Reilly and Charlotte Bavasso
2D Animation: Agnes Fauve
Layout & Typography: Olivier Marquézy
Editing: Florent Porte
3D Supervision: Robin Kobrynski
Visual Effects Supervision: Patrice Mugnier
3D & Composition: Péregrine McCafferty and Pierre Savel
2D Composition: Pierre Yves Joseph
Compositing Assistance: Alexandre Scalvino
General Assistance: Ghislaine Marchand
Production Co-Ordinator: Julia Parfitt
Production Assistants: Juliette Stern and Lucy Glyn
Production Accountant: Ian Mansel-Thomas

The Pink Panther (1963)

The animated title sequence for The Pink Panther–which perhaps stands as the most iconic animated title sequence of all–was designed by Friz Freleng who, by this point in his career, had already achieved legendary status for his work at MGM and Warner Bros (where he directed hundreds of Looney Tunes cartoons). Not long after leaving Warner Bros., he and his production partner David DePatie were commissioned to create the opening titles for Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther.

The resulting sequence, which starred a cool, charismatic cartoon cat, became so popular that United Artists (who had distributed The Pink Panther) had Freleng produce a short cartoon with this cartoon star entitled The Pink Phink. Not only was The Pink Phink immediately beloved by fans, but it won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Short. Following this success, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises produced a full series of Pink Panther cartoons.

Main Title by: DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
Animation Producers: David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng

Lead Graphic Designer: Corny Cole
Background Artists: George DeLado, Tom O’Loughlin
Layout Artist: Dick Ung
Animation Sequence Director: Hawley Pratt
Animators: Warren Batchelder, Dale Case, Manny Gould, George Grandpré, Laverne Harding, Ken Harris, Bob Matz, Norm McCabe, Manuel Perez, Don Williams

Production Coordinator: Harry Love

Music: Henry Mancini

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• How to decide how much to spend
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• Choosing a provider and style for your video
• Working with your stakeholders
• Working with the creative team
• How to calculate ROI on your video project
• How to promote your video
• Keeping metrics so you can learn

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The post 5 Great Animated Title Sequence Designs In TV And Movies appeared first on IdeaRocket.

If questions like these are frequently on your mind, then you might enjoy reading an interesting new business book called Rocket Fuel. Written by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters (and published by BenBella Books), the book’s message is based on a discovery that Wickman made over 20 years ago when running a family business, when he realized that there are two distinct types of leaders in all small businesses: the “Visionary” (who sees the future) and the “Integrator” (who makes that future happen). “These two roles could not be more different from each other,” Wickman and Winter write. “That is why it is magic when they work well together.”

As such, Rocket Fuel chronicles the importance of the Visionary and the Integrator, ultimately exploring the roles of each individual and how a symbiotic relationship between the two can help a business thrive. To make their case, Wickman and Winters draw on personal/anecdotal experiences, various business principles and famous historical pairings. And in less than 200 pages, they make a compelling case for unlocking the power of a successful Visionary/Integrator relationship.

To understand the basis of their perspective, and shine light on some of the kernels from their book, let’s take a closer look at Rocket Fuel.

To better understand Rocket Fuel, it’s probably wise to first better understand EOS®. Created by Rocket Fuel co-author Gino Wickman, EOS (short for “The Entrepreneurial Operating System”) is a system of tools, concepts and philosophies that’s aimed at helping entrepreneurs maximizing their chances for success. In particular, EOS aims to help leadership teams excel at three things:

1. Vision: Getting everyone in an organization on the same page.
2. Traction®: Instilling focus, discipline, and accountability throughout the company.
3. Health: Helping leaders become more cohesive and functional.

Wickman’s EOS method can be implemented in a variety of ways and with varying degrees of information/support. Choices include:

• Downloading an assortment free tools.
• Utilizing the EOS Worldwide App (also free).
• Hiring a certified EOS Implementer to speak/present at an event.
• Purchasing an online training course called Base Camp.
• Reading one of the EOS-inspired books (In addition to Rocket Fuel, there are three other books: Traction, Get a Grip and Decide!)

In this context, it’s best not to look at Rocket Fuel (or, frankly, any business book) as the be-all and end-all. Instead, Rocket Fuel is a piece of a larger puzzle that aims to bring some art, science and inspiration to entrepreneurship. And the book certainly delivers in that regard.

Rocket Fuel opens with an introduction (aptly introducing the book as a How-To Manual for understanding and managing the relationship between a “Visionary” and an “Integrator”) and then is broken down into two nearly equal sections (Part One: The Context and Part Two: The How-To’s).

In the spirit of that context that the first half of this book is all about, I wanted to share a compelling fact cited by the authors. According to John F. Dini’s Hunting in a Farmer’s World: Celebrating the Mind of an Entrepreneur, 3% of the population (Visionaries) create 66% of the new jobs in our economy. After reading that stat, it’s easy to understand why Wickman and Winter decided to write this book. And, if you’re like me, it led you to ask: what, exactly, does a Visionary bring to his or her organization?

Rocket Fuel is careful, smartly so, to note that no two visionaries (nor two integrators, for that matter) are created equally. Therefore descriptions of these roles are not written in stone. But, generally speaking, here are some of the attributes typical of a Visionary:

• Idea Generation (which is why they are often the company founders)
• Inspiration
• Strategic Thinking (with a penchant for seeing the Big Picture and solving big problems)
• Cultivation of Corporate Vision

With these great qualities, however, tend to come a host of challenges. Such as staying focused, sweating the details, developing talent and “organizational whiplash.” To help mitigate these weaknesses and strengthen those assets above, a Visionary can benefit tremendously by partnering with the right Integrator.

Famous examples of this Visionary/Integrator relationship include Ray Kroc and Fred Turner (at McDonalds), Henry Ford and James Couzens (Ford) and Walt Disney and Roy Disney. Knowing as we do that all relationships are inherently different, what then are the attributes typical of an Integrator? Wickman and Winters’ list includes the following:

• Running the Day-to-Day
• Managing Projects
• Providing a Steady Force
• Serving as the Voice of Reason

In general, the Integrator acts as the “glue” that holds an organization together. But, at the same time, due to the nature of his or her job, the Integrator tends to be an unsung hero. Not only is there little glory, but the Integrator tends to be perceived as a “pessimist” internally and often has to play the role of disciplinarian.

All of which is why much of Rocket Fuel is focused on the interplay between Integrator and Visionary, and how the two roles–when operating in harmony–can catapult an organization further. If achieving that kind of harmony is important to you, or if you believe that further exploring the Visionary/Integrator dynamic might benefit your organization, then you’ll likely enjoy reading Rocket Fuel. 

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Learn how to manage an animated video project for your organization:

• How to decide how much to spend
• Gaining buy-in from your organization
• Choosing a provider and style for your video
• Working with your stakeholders
• Working with the creative team
• How to calculate ROI on your video project
• How to promote your video
• Keeping metrics so you can learn

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The post Book Review: Rocket Fuel By Gino Wickman, Mark C. Winters appeared first on IdeaRocket.

• Does Stress Cause Pimples?
• Why is Yawning Contagious?
• What Makes Tattoos Permanent?

In fact, we loved them so much that we spoke with Dr. Claudia (@doctorclaudia) about her work with Ted-Ed, the challenges (and rewards) of making these videos, and why it’s important that messages like these are communicated to the public.

IdeaRocket: First off, can you tell me how long you’ve been researching sleep and sleep deprivation for?

Dr. Claudia: I got into the neuroscience of sleep just a few years ago. My background is in neuroscience and I studied quite a few different things so I tend to research all sorts of different areas because I consult the health and wellness industries. So whatever sort of pops up, or starts percolating in the neuroscience field, I like to tap into that and then go deeper and explain it to the public.

IdeaRocket: Which makes doing Ted-Ed Originals a great fit for you; a way to explain a complex neuroscience topic in a way that the public can easily understand. How did your relationship with Ted begin?

Dr. Claudia: I’ve been working with Ted-Ed for about four years now. It was very new, it had just launched. I actually did one of their first lessons. Back then, they did not have a team of producers and directors. They just had a few educators and a few animators involved. I remember the first one we did, they mailed me a box—like a temporary sound-proof box basically—and they mailed me an iPad and a little tiny microphone. So back then, I did everything. So I scripted the video—which I still do—and I also did the voiceover too. They’ve obviously gotten more funding over the years and now have editors, producers, animation directors and voice-over actors, so it’s a totally different ballgame. And our last three videos have all reached a million YouTube videos in the first week.

IdeaRocket: Wow, that’s incredible! You’ve now done four Ted-Ed Originals, can you talk about how you go about selecting your topics?

Dr. Claudia: Because there are so many videos out there, I always ask myself: how can I write a story that’s going to reach a mass audience because it’s engaging and interesting enough? Not just explaining something for explaining sake, but finding a question or topic that’s on the tip of people’s tongues and no one has really tapped into it yet. For example, the first one I did in this kind of vein: Why is Yawning Contagious?

Dr. Claudia: I feel like everyone, at some point, has wondered that. Why is yawning contagious? But is there an actual answer? So I looked into it from my perspective, which is neuroscience. And while looking at different possible explanations, there was one theory—that it’s basically bringing us closer because of empathy—that I found very fascinating. And so I really spent some more time on that.

IdeaRocket: In a video like that where, as you mentioned, there are alternative theories out there. How do you navigate around that?

Dr. Claudia: On that one, I remember, we went back and forth about the script and how it should be presented. In the end, we decided not to present one theory as necessarily more correct than the other, but just to put all the information and science out there and let the public decide. So I’ve done some topics that are inconclusive because science just is inconclusive.

IdeaRocket: One of your other Ted-Ed Originals is What Makes Tattoos Permanent? Can you tell me how that idea came about?

Dr. Claudia: I’m a mind/body expert, and I work in the skin care industry as well, so that happened because I was just looking at the dermis and became curious. I couldn’t find why tattoos were permanent from a very scientific point of view. There just weren’t any scientific articles out there. I found just one very obscure article out there and then I wrote an article about it for our blog. I thought this is a good idea and I emailed Ted-ED and they loved the idea. It was a really fun one to do.

IdeaRocket: Since we’re in the business of making animated explainer videos here, I am curious to hear what it’s like for you to work with animators on these projects. How does that relationship typically work?

Dr. Claudia: It’s a really fun process for me because I’m not an animator. They usually do a full draft on their own and then I look at the animatic. Or I look at just sketches. And in the meantime, we tend to go back and forth. I leave it up to them to sort of bring these ideas to live however they imagine. So I always find that part really fun, just waiting to see what they do. Oh my god, how are they going to draw this? Because it can be really heady concepts.

IdeaRocket: To your point, these are often heady concepts that you’re dealing with. Since you’ve done a few of these and you are playing such a vital role in shaping the concept as well as scripting the story, what have you learned?

Dr. Claudia: Keep everything really simplified and very concise. We only have a few minutes to get a point across. For all of the scripts that I’ve written, it’s also been important to me that the beginning is very engaging. So for the sleep deprivation lesson, I thought having a human story element to it would be interesting. And a lot of the audience is younger, so I write about teens and students quite a bit.

IdeaRocket: That was one of the things we wrote about, how that video does a great job of leading with examples.

Dr. Claudia: I like to open up these videos with either a story or some sort of historical element. Like with the tattoo lesson: I thought it was interesting to explore the idea of how long tattoos have been around. It’s not like a new fad, you know? It actually goes back to mummies. It took a while to find a reliable source to show me the first evidence of tattoos.

IdeaRocket: In addition to starting strong and utilizing stories and historical information, what have you learned—in terms of scripting–with regards to the animated component?

Dr. Claudia: I always keep the animation in mind and it teaches me to keep it very simple. Very to-the-point, and very figurative. I want to use ideas and concepts that are going to be actually fun to watch. So instead of talking necessarily about scientific  terms, I’ll describe the cells I’m talking about as “the guys who gobble up the ink.” That way the animators have a sense of how to think of these as like little monsters.

IdeaRocket: [laughing]

Dr. Claudia: It’s about making sure that the language is not dry at all. That it’s very figurative, it just makes it so much easier to animate when it’s already very visual language.

IdeaRocket: Since millions and millions of people have now seen your videos, I’d love to hear about some of your favorite reactions.

Dr. Claudia: Why is Yawning Contagious? was probably my favorite for reactions. Because if you look up the comments on YouTube, it’s people saying “Oh my god, I yawned like 17 times while watching this video.” I love the fact that I could evoke a very visceral response with a video because it’s not easy to do. But yawning just sort of lent itself to creating a very emotional reaction. Like people couldn’t help it. It’s not like they wanted to yawn, they just couldn’t help it. And I actually yawned so much when I was writing the script, which was really weird. I couldn’t stop yawning. This is crazy!

IdeaRocket: The last question I have for you goes back to something you talked about earlier: the disconnect between the scientific community and the mainstream audience. You—and I thank you for this—have been working to bridge that gap in a variety of ways, but I’m curious why you believe that gulf exists in the first place.

Dr. Claudia: I think it’s just the nature of how science and science communication works. Most scientists, myself included, are published in journals that are read only by scientists. There’s not a lot of open public access to scientific journals. And even if the were, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that people who are not scientists read the articles because they might draw the wrong conclusion because they don’t realize what went into that study. And that can actually be quite dangerous. So there aren’t enough true scientists out there who are communicating the science. As a result, most of it comes down to journalists; and while some of them are great writers, they aren’t often scientists themselves and the message can easily be lost along the way. Then you get to see those ridiculous headlines: “A study showed that ________.”

IdeaRocket: Right, we’ve seen plenty of those kind of headlines.

Dr. Claudia: I mean, these Ted-Ed lessons aren’t based on one single study, they’re based on decades or more of studies. That’s the difference when I write something too. I’m not putting something out there that’s flimsy in a way where a lot of the articles out there are just based on one-offs. I don’t feel like that helps any one. So with these lessons I like to pick interesting questions and then find all the studies that cover the topic over a long period of time; whether it’s ten, twenty or even fifty years. And I think that the reason why this isn’t always the case is because, like I said, there’s just not a lot of scientists that are doing the actual writing. 

To learn more about Dr. Claudia and her recent work, visit www.doctorclaudia.com

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Learn how to manage an animated video project for your organization:

• How to decide how much to spend
• Gaining buy-in from your organization
• Choosing a provider and style for your video
• Working with your stakeholders
• Working with the creative team
• How to calculate ROI on your video project
• How to promote your video
• Keeping metrics so you can learn

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The post Q&A: From Ted-Ed To Explainer Video With Dr. Claudia Aguirre appeared first on IdeaRocket.

Let’s kick off the week by taking a closer look at Moz…

According to Moz, 85% of the users who sign up to try their software come through organic search, social media and referrals. We mention this primarily to demonstrate that Moz practices what they preach; utilizing SEO  to power their inbound marketing strategy. We’ll get more into how they’re able to accomplish this shortly, but first a little background on the company:

Moz (originally called SEOmoz) was founded in 2004 by Rand Fishkin and his mother Gillian Muessig as a forward-thinking SEO consulting company. During these early days of the Internet–where businesses famously tried to improve their search rankings by doing things like hiding keywords throughout their website–Moz distinguished itself in a couple of important ways:

• Analytics: Diverging from that trojan-horse mentality so commonly used with keywords back then, Moz made a concerted effort to understand the science behind search engine rankings (and the art behind using these metrics successfully). To this point, Moz first gained national attention in October 2005 after releasing their “Top 10 Ranking Factors“
• Values: In addition to providing a more sophisticated SEO approach, Moz also attracted a devoted following by promoting (and adhering to) what they call their “TAGFEE code.” This is a series of six tenets that directly reflect Moz’s mission: “to be as Transparent, Authentic, Generous, Fun, Empathetic, and Exceptional as possible.”

The details above are more than just backstory, but rather foreshadows the suite of features that Moz currently offers today. Since 2007, when the company launched a consumer product called “SEOmoz Pro,”–effectively transforming from consultancy to software as service (SaaS) provider–Moz has sought to equip users with the best SEO tools on the market.

So let’s take a look at some of our favorite amenities that Moz Pro, the company’s flagship product, has to offer:

[Note: Some of the features below are also offered by competing SEO service providers. That said, these featured are included here because we found them to be particularly noteworthy]

Welcome To Campaign Season

Although the phrase “SEO campaign” is by no means unique to Moz, the interface of their software, from dashboard to workflow, really hammers home the point: your business is constantly embroiled in a campaign for attention and recognition with the hopes that, ultimately, customers will cast their votes on your business.

To work towards that end goal, Moz Pro places a particular emphasis on the following areas:

• Visibility: On a global level, Moz Pro enables you to track keywords weekly for Google, Bing, and Yahoo in 200+ countries. In addition to this macro level look at your web presence, Moz also tracks geo-targeted keywords to generate local rankings, as well as places an emphasis on the oft-underrated value of mobile rankings.
• Authoritative Metrics: Moz prides itself on providing industry-leading metrics, particularly with regards to hierarchical information such as Page Authority and Domain Authority. Viewing the web through this lens helps provide users with what feels almost like a map for the navigational journey ahead.
• Links: In addition to measuring your backlinks, most valuable pages and anchor text, Moz Pro also proactively looks for unlinked mentions and competitive link opportunities.
• Keyword Analysis: With Smart SERP Analysis, Moz Pro provides comprehensive keyword-based data (i.e. which words are ranking, who’s searching, where the traffic is generating, etc.)

Helps Get Your House in Order

One of the most immediate benefits to Moz Pro is that their initial crawl will point out issues on your website in need of repair. Things such as broken links, duplicate content, missing page elements, etc. They also offer something called “Crawl Alerts” that will notify you of new problems as they arise.

While the site crawl helps detects ongoing issues, Moz Pro’s Page Optimization reports will help you get the most out of what you already have (with regards to searchability.

These are just two of the features that can help you maximize your SEO potential, but there are certainly many more useful tools. Nevertheless it should be noted that these are tools that help you make the most of what you have but that, very importantly, you still have to have those things in the first place (meaning the commitment to create content and run/grow your campaign). They, of course, don’t replace doing the work but are there to help you maximize the power and value of that work.

Whiteboard Fridays

No, it’s not quite whiteboard animation, but Moz’s “Whiteboard Fridays” are similarly educational and entertaining. That’s because, at the end of every week, Moz releases a short video (usually about 10-15 minutes, and usually featuring founder Rand Fishkin) that discusses SEO news, observations and strategies.

What’s nice about these sessions is not only that Fishkin is accessible and charismatic (although he is definitely both) but also that these videos provide fresh, in-the-moment updates for what is obviously an ever-evolving landscape.

Whether you subscribe to Moz or not, these videos are freely available on YouTube. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Creating Demand for Things that Have Little to No Existing Search Volume – Whiteboard Friday
• Hacking Keyword Targeting by Serving Interest-Based Searches – Whiteboard Friday

If you are interested in learning more about Moz, they offer a 30-day free trial. 

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