Animated Explainer Video

The Slow Journalism Company publishes Delayed Gratification, a quarterly magazine that revisits global news with perspective, context, and strong visual storytelling. One recurring feature — the Butterfly Effect infographic — traces major events back to unexpected and often humorous origins. Blend was asked to transform one of these infographics into a short animated piece for social media.

The original infographic already followed a strong narrative timeline. The challenge was adapting it for motion without overwhelming the audience — maintaining clarity, pacing, and context at every step. Tone was equally important. While fact-driven, the Butterfly Effect is playful and witty, so the animation needed to preserve that humour through movement, timing, and voice.

Blend redesigned the layout for animation, using a clear icon-based timeline to anchor viewers in time and progress. The visual approach drew inspiration from tactile, mechanical viewfinder toys, adding a sense of playful nostalgia. Each character was fully rigged to allow expressive movement, supported by: • High-contrast, bouncy animation • Exaggerated character poses • A banjo-led soundtrack and vintage radio-style voiceover The goal was not just to inform, but to create a piece that was memorable, shareable, and entertaining.

The finished animation performed strongly and attracted the attention of a major U.S. television network, which optioned the concept for potential development.