This is a superb piece of animated infographics. Here’s why:
1. Data. There’s really only one important piece of data: the amount of land needed to power the USA using solar energy generation. This single piece of data is illustrated in a variety of ways: as blocks on a map, as proportions, as acres. So even if, by the end of the piece I can’t remember the specifics of this one item, I will remember the core message: “we don’t need too much land for solar power”. And it really helps that this single data item is surprising; the animation plays on our expectations that we’d need a vast area of solar panels to keep us going, then confounds this.
2. Duration. It gets its message over in about one minute. There are far too many over-long animations. This usually happens for two reasons: i) the designer gets too enthusiastic and has dragged out the piece with irrelevant content to “make the message fun” ii) the client has insisted on too much detail and the designer has failed to manage this.
3. Aesthetic. The colour palette, typography, frequent flickers, fine lines, the subtle lighting effect top left…it all say “power and efficiency”.
It’s a great piece!