I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the human attention span is worse than a goldfish! We all have an insatiable desire for instant gratification.Since the first ever banner launched in 1994 on hotwired.com, we’ve had to improve and expand tactics to keep the attention of the consumer. Which brings me to now, Animated Web Banners. A banner with pretty colors is not enough these days, now we need to see some sort of movement that will entice us to explore what exactly that banner is advertising.

What’s the use of Animated Web Banners?

If you take a look at this blog post right now you are bound to find at least one banner. Chances are you probably already found it. I’m not hurt, that’s what banners are supposed to do. The contrast that comes from blocks of words on screen and the flashing banner ad make it you want to look. Studies show that people who engaged with animated banners were more likely to recognize the brand on other occasions. So, that’s one use for Animated Web Banners, advertisement.

Another use is that these banners allow me to have access to this website for free, isn’t that great? Give and take. People in advertising pay the website owners to display their advertisements, and the extra money goes into keeping things free. I’m pretty much broke, so it’s great news for me. 

Down below are a few links with animated banners that I am going to critique.

Banner one – The colors in the banner are quite subtle, but the continuous flow of animation makes it stand out. This is a good banner, even after looking away and thinking about something else I can still recall the elements inside. 

Banner two – This one is interesting, it has a bolder color scheme than the first so it really stands out. The objects in the banner continually grow bigger and then smaller as they pass through the screen. If this was a banner that I saw using my peripheral vision, I would probably want to take a closer look.

Banner three -I love this Banner. It has a small bounce and the waving of the flag is very smooth. I give this banner and A+

Banner four -This banner works, but the random stock image of the hand is freaking me out, so I am going to move on.

Banner five -I get what they were trying to do with the negative space, but the glittering background blends in too much with the icon. And if you were to stare at it too long you’d probably get a headache.

Of course, I judged these by my own aesthetics. I am by no means a professional. The real professionals are the Web Animators that make the banners. They truly understand the peak aesthetics that can be achieved using Adobe. Especially now, with everything going on Web Designers are in high demand. Quarantine has forced us to stay home and look towards online shopping to solve all of our answers. Designers wallets are thicker than ever!

Knowing this information makes me rethink my life decisions… See you next time!