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Whiteboard Drawing: Include the Hand or Not?

whiteboard drawing

Whiteboard drawing: Include the hand or not? It might seem like a silly question, but we know based on years of experience that clients struggle with this issue frequently, so let’s unpack things a bit and analyze the why, when and how of the matter.

In 1950 the Belgian filmmaker Paul Haesaerts created a remarkable film consisting of the brilliant Spanish artist Pablo Picasso painting on glass. Visite à Picasso (A Visit with Picasso) can be watched online for free, and it’s only twenty minutes long. If you haven’t seen it before, treat yourself—It’s delightful. It’s also all the evidence you’ll need to understand and acknowledge that there is something truly mesmerizing about witnessing the act of creation.

Showing the hand making a whiteboard drawing plays to this strength. Even if you can’t see the artist’s face, it lends the video a human touch; a subliminal reminder to the audience that this was created by a human being. With that in mind, including a hand might be the best option for whiteboard video content that is intended to be of a warm, fuzzy nature: personal stories, appeals to charity, social justice issues. Including the hand in a whiteboard video is a distinct way of making it a person-to-person exchange.

At this point you might be tempted to jump to the conclusion that a whiteboard drawing video without a hand is somehow more cold and distant, but that’s not quite right. Actually, the result of removing the hand is more like inserting a magnifying glass, focusing the content on the message alone without any competing distractions. Whiteboard video without the hand is especially appropriate for complicated business content: explainer or “how-to” videos that need to deliver a lot of data quickly. Mind you, focused doesn’t necessarily mean sterile—even without a hand, a whiteboard video can still be funny, engaging and even moving.

And, don’t forget that there’s always a happy medium. Many whiteboard drawing videos, for instance, will start by featuring a hand, but then switch over to a handless style as they go along. Plus, even if you do decide to go handless, there are still dozens of ways to add that human, warm and fuzzy element to your whiteboard video. For example, at key points the animation can always draw a person whose facial expression can show how upsetting the business problem is, or how relieved they are to finally discover a solution! The long and short of it is, there’s no wrong answer here.

So, while the hand/handless issue is definitely something to consider, it’s nothing to become obsessed over. Either way, your whiteboard video will be effective. As long as you work with the right people they’ll be ready to lend a hand!

Whether you want to sell, explain, or inspire, no matter how difficult, our whiteboard drawing company can help. Contact us today at 917-477-3282 to get started. We’re ready and eager to help!

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