In this digital world, almost every website has some eye-catching imagery plastered on it. Going online is becoming more and more of a visual experience. Videos are everywhere too – according to Forbes, the top 10 channels on YouTube earned $127 million last year.

This was an increase of 80% from the previous year. These two mediums are by far the most dominant forms of media around – and for good reason. This poses the question: What alternatives do I have? Well, if you want to stand out in a busy space, one option could be to use cinemagraphs.

What are cinemagraphs?

These nifty things are, essentially, a moving image. They are a mesmerising combination of photo and video – they usually contain some small, delicate motion that loops flawlessly into itself, while the rest of the image remains entirely stationary.

According to a study by the Social Science Research Network, 65% of us are visual learners. This means that more than half of your audience would prefer consuming information visually. Videos are key for this, but they don’t possess the snappy, instant factor that cinemagraphs have.

Having only existed in the last decade or so, cinemagraphs have a fascinating way of drawing an audience in. They can help you find your niche in a crowded market, which is why they have now become extremely popular for product advertising.

Where can you use cinemagraphs?

Cinemagraphs are incredibly versatile – essentially, digital artists can use anything that moves to create one. Through a quick Google search, we can see that waves crashing onto a motionless beach is one of the more popular ideas. The fashion industry has seen many cinemagraphs – for example,  capturing a models shining smile on a still background, or some clothing blowing in the wind.

As a sophisticated, subtle, yet eye-catching piece of artwork, cinemagraphs are used primarily to improve a customers user journey. They would be featured on website homepages, social media posts, email marketing campaigns… if your intention is to engage your audience and to extend your user’s dwell-time, cinemagraphs could be a solid solution.

How do we make our cinemagraphs?

Whether you have ideas for them already or not, our creative designers will help you find the ultimate concept for your cinemagraph. Once ready, our photographers will capture the still part, while our studio will develop the moving animation. This will be created either through traditional videography, or through our CGI software, which allows for more elaborate designs. After that, we would splice the two together, loop it and convert it into a simple GIF.

Here's an infographic we created to explain the benefits of using cinemagraphs for your e-commerce:

By focusing on subtle movements, cinemagraphs will draw attention to elements in a still photograph that may otherwise go unnoticed. This has allowed digital artists to experiment endlessly with new ideas, through a new medium.

Cinemagraphs allow for the subtleties of photography to be enhanced by the movement and life of a video. So, help your company stand out - soon enough, your audience will see your business as smooth and sophisticated as your website.

Got an idea? Let us bring it to life! ~ hello@wk360.com

Written by John Davis