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An animated ad film is a commercial in which the product, brand or message is brought to life through drawing, graphics or 3D modelling. There are four main types: 2D animation, motion graphics, 3D animation and CGI blended with live action. The right one depends on what you need to show, where the film will run and the tone of your brand.
Below, we compare the four types in one table, explain when each one works and draw our examples from our own 3D projects. If your goal is to show a product in full detail, take a look at our 3D product animation service.
What are the main types of animated ad film?
These are the four animation types used most in advertising:
- 2D animation: Flat, drawn or vector-based images animated frame by frame. It shines in character-led, warm and story-driven work.
- Motion graphics: Animated typography, icons, logos and graphic shapes. It is used to explain a message, a process or data quickly and clearly.
- 3D animation: Objects, spaces and characters are modelled in three dimensions and animated with a virtual camera. It gives full control over light, materials and camera movement.
- CGI: The umbrella term for computer-generated imagery. In advertising it is usually combined with a real shoot: the product or an impossible scene is created digitally and placed into the footage.
The types overlap. Technically, 3D animation is a form of CGI; the practical difference is that a 3D animation is built in a 3D environment from start to finish, while CGI in advertising is usually blended with real footage. Motion graphics can be 2D or 3D, too. Our guide What is CGI advertising? covers CGI in more depth.
2D vs 3D vs motion graphics vs CGI: what's the difference?
In short, 2D and motion graphics build a graphic world, 3D animation adds volume and realism, and CGI places digital elements into the real world. Here is how they compare on look, purpose and channel:
| Type | What it looks like | When to choose it | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D animation | Flat, line-based or vector; stylised characters and bold colour fields | When you want a character-led story or a warm, playful tone | Explainer videos, social media, children's products |
| Motion graphics | Moving type, icons, logos and shapes; clean and graphic | When a message, process or piece of information must land fast | Social media, digital screens, app and service launches, logo stings |
| 3D animation | Volume, light and texture; realistic or stylised | When a product, texture or mechanism must be shown in detail | Product and launch films, e-commerce, TV, DOOH |
| CGI (with live action) | Photoreal digital elements inside a real location | When the product should appear in the real world, in an extraordinary scene | TV and online commercials, FOOH, social media |
The lines are not rigid. A product film can open in 3D animation and close on an end card built with motion graphics; a FOOH film can combine live action, CGI and graphic elements in one edit.
Which type of animation is right for your brand?
The quickest way to choose is to start with what the film has to show:
- The product is the hero: 3D animation. Because texture, light and materials are fully controllable, packaging, surfaces and form look flawless, and the camera can reach angles a real lens can't.
- A technical subject needs explaining: 3D animation or motion graphics. 3D works best for showing the inside of a mechanism; graphics work best for steps and figures.
- You need a character and a story: 2D or 3D character animation. Your brand's visual language decides: 2D feels more illustrative, 3D more tangible.
- The product should live an impossible moment in the real world: CGI blended with live action, which we cover on our CGI ad film page.
- You have a social message to deliver: a restrained 3D approach can carry the subject without exaggeration. Our 3D animation film for Climate Day on May 15 raises awareness of the climate crisis through cinematic visuals and clear storytelling.
Alongside the type, settle three questions early: which channels and aspect ratios the film will run in, whether you have a 3D model or CAD file of the product, and how many versions you will need. Our 3D product animation brief guide shows how to gather these answers into one document for the studio.
What makes a 3D animated ad look high-end?
Software matters less than five craft decisions:
- Model accuracy: The product's proportions, edge softness and label placement must match the real thing exactly.
- Materials: Glass, metal, liquid or chocolate; how each surface reflects and refracts light is built separately.
- Lighting: A lighting setup that reveals the product's form and suits the brand's tone; the virtual equivalent of studio lighting.
- Camera language: Macro push-ins, orbiting moves and rhythmic cuts carry the viewer from one detail to the next.
- Motion and simulation: Flowing liquid, falling powder or an opening lid has to obey believable physics.
Signing these off at storyboard and style-frame stage shortens rendering and revisions. 3D is also flexible: the same scene can be adapted separately for a vertical social cut, a horizontal TV version or an in-store screen.
Examples from Clytech
Clytech is a CGI, FOOH and AI advertising studio based in Istanbul and London. The examples below come from our 3D animation work, and each shows a different strength of the format.
Texture and flow: In the Karmen chocolate 3D animation for Şok Marketler, the chocolate was rebuilt entirely in 3D. Its texture, flow and appetising details were recreated in CGI, and careful lighting and material work achieved a realism that would be hard to capture in front of a camera. The film was made in vertical 9:16.
PROJECT VIDEO
Light, materials and camera: The Scentlinq 3D product animation stages the product with cinematic detail. Lighting, materials and camera moves were all built around the product's form, resulting in a horizontal product film the brand can use across its digital channels.
PROJECT VIDEO
Making a technical subject clear: The Larplast 3D animation film communicates the brand's approach to design and precision through high-quality CGI. Cinematic rendering and realistic motion turn a technical subject into a story that's easy to watch and understand.
A clear brand story: The Gold Harvest 3D animation film brings the brand's innovative side to the screen through cinematic CGI. Detailed product visuals and fluid camera work tell a clear brand story in a short vertical film.
Frequently asked questions
What is an animated ad film?
It is a commercial in which the product, brand or message is brought to life through drawing, graphics or 3D modelling. The most common types are 2D animation, motion graphics, 3D animation and CGI blended with live action.
What is the difference between 2D and 3D animation?
2D animation works in a flat, drawn world; in 3D animation, objects are modelled with volume, light and texture. 3D feels more natural for showing a product, 2D for an illustrative story.
Are motion graphics and animation the same thing?
Motion graphics is a type of animation, but it relies on moving typography, icons and graphic elements rather than characters or story. It is mostly used to deliver information and messages.
Do we need a 3D model of our product?
No. A CAD file or 3D model speeds things up if you have one; if not, the product is modelled from photos and measurements. Either way, the label, logo and colours are checked against the real product before delivery.
Where can an animated ad film run?
On TV, in online advertising, on social media, on e-commerce pages, on DOOH and on in-store screens. Because a 3D scene can be adapted to different aspect ratios, it suits multi-channel campaigns well.
Let's work out which type of animation fits your product or message. Send us a short brief and we'll reply within 24 hours with an approach. You'll find everything we do on our services page.