Make Designs Come to Life with Animated Illustrations

TLDR: Animated illustrations make brands stand out by explaining complex topics better than static images. Use tools like Canva to create your own or download them from marketplaces. For a unique, brand-aligned touch, try a custom design service like Penji.

Illustrations have become a branding must-have for any business. After all, well-known brands started the trend. And many businesses are following suit because of the benefits of using illustrations, such as bringing more value to the brand and conveying abstract concepts through images. Most of the time, illustrations are static, but to take it up a notch, many are using animated illustrations now. To elevate your brand, explore how to create moving illustrations or discover where to download them, especially when paired with custom illustration design tailored to your unique needs!

5 Best Tools to Create Animated Illustrations

Professional designers and animators will use Adobe Animate or After Effects to animate their work. Another animation software professionals use is Blender, which is an open-source software to animate illustrations and graphics. But if you want to try your hand at animating illustrations by yourself, you have some beginner-friendly options. Pairing these tools with custom illustration design can help you create truly unique and captivating animations. Here are five of the best beginner-friendly animation tools to get you started!

1. Canva

Canva is your spark of creativity. Whether you’re a novice or a pro, everything from your mind can become a reality with ease. You can even animate your drawings or browse an ocean of already designed elements. You can even keep it simple with “Rise” or “Fade” when it comes to the animation style. Once you’re finished, export your design as a GIF or video and bring your dreams to life!

2. Storyset

With Storyset, you don’t need to sign up to try it first. You can select one of the illustrations on the home page and see how you can animate their designs. They have a simple animation maker where you can choose an element’s entrance or loop an element. Some animations include fade-in, slide-up, zoom-in, shake, floating, and heartbeat.

You can export the animation for free, and they’ll give you a code you can paste to your website, making your life easier.

So far, Storyset is the only one on our list where you can modify an illustration’s elements. However, the other gifs or video makers below can animate illustrations as a whole, not per element. Still, they’re worth trying.

3. Vista Create

Designers and non-designers swear by Vista Create when creating animated illustrations. With Vista Create, you can upload your illustrations and animate them or use any of their illustrated objects to give them life. 

Their user interface is similar to most graphic design software, so if you’re familiar with using any of those, you won’t get lost using this. As for the animation, they have the basics, like move, fade, zoom, and shake. You can customize the animation by direction and time. Plus, you can download the animation for free, but you won’t have a free code like Storyset.

4. Visme

Visme is a well-known infographic maker, but it’s expanded into an online graphic design software and eventually a place where you can create animations. You don’t need to upload illustrations since Visme has designs you can use. They have around 400 assets you can use for your business, such as social media, holiday, business, and tech illustrations.

It can be difficult to use Visme for those who don’t play around with the maker. However, you can click Actions > Animate. From there, you can choose among the animations, such as fade, fly, swing, and zoom. Once you’ve modified the animation to your liking, you can download it as a gif or video.

5. Adobe Express

Even if Adobe is associated with professional design work, Adobe has a graphic design maker: Adobe Express, where beginners can create designs and animations. With Adobe Express, you can animate images by adding a zoom, blur, or fade. Here, you can use your custom illustrations or use their Adobe Stock library. Some illustrations require a Premium subscription.

Currently, you can only save a moving illustration as a video (.mp4). However, Adobe Express has a video to gif converter, so you can use the gif on your social media or blog posts. Aside from that, you can download the animated illustration for free.

Where To Download Free Animated Illustrations

If you don’t have the time to animate your illustrations and would like high-quality ones for your websites, blogs, social media posts, emails, and other branding or marketing materials, here’s where you can download animated illustrations.

1. Icons8

One of the best places to download illustrations is from Icons8. They offer static and animated illustrations that anyone can download for websites, social media posts, and more. You can download illustrations with humans, mascots, and abstract drawings.

You can download it for free, but it’s low resolution, and you have to add attribution. Instead of that option, you can have to pay for a subscription or pay-per-illustration.

2. Pixeltrue

If you want to download a pack of illustrations for your designs, Pixeltrue is your best option for downloading moving illustrations. Their illustration packs may be limited. However, you can find high-quality designs and various illustrations for any purpose.

You will have to pay to download a pack, starting at $29.

3. IconScout

IconScout is another place you can depend on for animated illustrations. Actually, their site is filled with illustrations that you can download for whatever you need them for. They offer over 69,000 animated illustrations, which you can download as packs. 

However, you can’t download their amazing moving illustrations for free. You’ll have to pay a monthly subscription to download them. They have two plans:

• Individual – $14.99/mo
• Team – $24.99/mo

4. Lordicon

If you need animated icons, Lordicon is the best choice. They have over 10,000 icons that you can customize easily. You can change the colors, line thickness, and animation style to fit your brand. Some icons are free, but a premium plan gives you access to all icons and more features.

5. Creattie

Creattie houses some of the best moving illustrations out there. You can find any illustration for your business, such as real estate, AI, exercise, education, and finances. Unfortunately though, you need to subscribe to download moving illustrations. Plans start at $19.99/mo, where you can download up to 5 animated illustrations in a month.

How Can Penji Help With Your Animated Illustrations

When it comes to branding, you want to be unique in every sense of the word. If you want to be unique with your designs, you want to tailor them to your brand.With Penji, you can access custom graphic design services that include tailored illustrations and even the option to animate them for your assets! It all starts with subscribing to Penji on the Pro Plan.

But if you want to know what Penji can do for you, here’s a demo to give you an idea of how to request your first-ever design or animated graphic on Penji!

FAQ’S

What are the benefits of using animated illustrations?

Animated illustrations grab attention like a magnet, pulling your audience into the story instantly. They turn complicated ideas into simple visual journeys, breathing life into your brand and making it unforgettable.

Can I create animated illustrations without design skills?

Yes! Tools like Canva and Storyset are designed for beginners and offer simple interfaces and pre-made templates that allow anyone to create basic animations without prior experience.

How much do graphic design services for animated illustrations cost?

Costs vary. DIY tools often have free tiers, while marketplaces charge $15–$40/month. For custom illustration design, services like Penji offer unlimited requests for a flat monthly fee, making it a cost-effective alternative to hiring a full-time animator.