The Brief

Generation Rent is a passionate organisation dedicated to empowering private renters across the UK and championing renters’ rights. In 2023, their research uncovered that 1 million renters in England were not registered to vote, with renters making up 45% of all unregistered voters. To address this, they launched an ambitious empowerment campaign to mobilise renters, particularly those aged 18-35, and encourage them to recognise their democratic power. With an unexpected general election announced, the timeline to execute the campaign was tightened to just three weeks. The project required three videos, each addressing different frames of engagement, to energise a demographic often disengaged from politics.

Our Response

Generation Rent approached us with a clear vision: to create youthful, visually engaging empowerment animation that resonated with their target audience of 18-35-year-olds. They wanted the style to feel fresh and approachable while remaining aligned with their brand identity. Using their brand colour palette, we aimed to capture the energy and urgency of the campaign while ensuring the visuals represented a diverse range of people, reflecting the UK’s private renting community.
The empowerment animation campaign posed a significant challenge due to its tight three-week deadline. To meet this timeline, we adopted a strategic approach to streamline the production process. By curating and adapting pre-made assets, we were able to save time without compromising on the overall aesthetic. These assets were carefully customised to match Generation Rent’s branding, creating a cohesive look across all three empowerment animation videos. This method allowed us to begin animating much sooner than traditional production workflows would have permitted.

Throughout the process, we remained mindful of this empowerment campaign’s non-partisan stance. The animations were designed to inspire and inform without influencing how viewers might vote. This required careful attention to the tone and framing of each video, even down to the colours and clothing that the characters in the videos were wearing.

Working on this project was particularly meaningful for our team. Many of us are part of the same demographic facing similar challenges in the rental market. We felt proud to contribute to a campaign that empowers young people to recognise their potential for change and take action. For our team, it was an opportunity to combine creativity with purpose, resulting in a empowerment animation that left a lasting impression on everyone involved. And as an unexpected bonus, one of our team members was inspired to register to vote themselves!

Style Development

Client Animatics

Once the visual style was approved, we moved swiftly into the animation phase. Generation Rent provided initial storyboard sketches, which served as a strong foundation for our work. Skipping the usual storyboard development stage, we translated their ideas directly into awareness animations. This approach not only saved time but also ensured that the final videos closely aligned with the client’s expectations. Each video focused on a distinct message: the power renters have in relation to their landlords, the strength in collective action, and a slightly longer piece to explain how voting in the UK can have a surprisingly direct impact on their rights as a renter.

final Animation

What our client Said

“Producing our first ever animated video was a scary proposition and uncharted territory for us as an agency. Working with The Animation Guys they put us at ease, listened to our ideas and made the process come to life. They’re genuinely decent, honest and hard-working people that ultimately produce first-class animation videos. We couldn’t be happier with our final product and no doubt will return to them for a follow up video at some point! Fully recommend.”

Beth Hellowell

Managing Partner @ Signify Digital

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