About

Small films, big signal.

Sketch Signal is a 2D animation and motion graphics agency. We write, voice, design and animate short films for brands, and we publish our own on YouTube and Instagram.

The studio

Every film starts as a sketch

We're a commercial animation studio. We help brands explain the things people would otherwise scroll past: a product, an app, a startup, a game or an idea.

Each project starts with one question: what is the one idea this video has to land? We write the script around that idea, record the voice, then design characters and scenes from scratch for that film alone. No stock footage, no template packs and no recycled characters.

We also make films for our own channel: strange, true stories from history, science and everyday life. Making them keeps us close to what makes people stop scrolling, watch to the end and send it to a friend. Every client film gets the same care.

We work in two signature looks, Paper Sticker and Ink & Wash, or in your brand's own colours and style.

How we work

The rules every film follows

They come straight from our studio style guide, and they're why our films feel made, not assembled.

  • one idea

    One idea per film

    We find the single thing your video has to land, and cut everything that doesn't help it land.

  • first 2 seconds

    A hook up front

    Every film opens with a strange, visual moment in the first two seconds, then keeps paying it off.

  • on the beat

    The voice is the clock

    Every move is timed to the spoken words, not by eye, so the picture lands exactly when the line does.

  • 12 poses a second

    Paper moves on twos

    Characters move at 12 poses a second, the way cut paper would on a table, with seamless joints and no visible breaks.

  • new cast

    New characters every time

    Each project gets its own cast and scenes, built for that film. Your characters stay yours.

  • checked

    Facts get checked

    When a film states a fact or a figure, we check it against a primary source. Every spoken line can appear as a caption for sound-off viewers.

On the channel

We make our own films too

New Sketch Signal films go up on YouTube and Instagram: history that sounds made up, science that sounds wrong and stories people want to share.

Watch on YouTube Follow on Instagram
Cleopatra Lived Closer to the iPhone Why You're Always Hungry When You're Tired The Tiny Accountant in Your Stomach That Amazing Smell After Rain

Your turn

Got an idea? Let's make it move.

Tell us what you're making and who it's for. Rough notes are fine.

Start a project See the work