Simple Storyboard Examples and 7 Easy Ways to Create It

In this highly creative digital era, visualization is key to capturing attention and conveying messages effectively. For designers, understanding examples of storyboards is a powerful tool for transforming creative ideas into compelling visual strategies.

A storyboard is a series of images and notes created to visualize the storyline of a video, whether animated or non-animated. This storyboard serves as a visual guide for the production team to understand and carry out the video creation process more clearly and directly.

Therefore, it is crucial to understand how to create them and be familiar with simple storyboard examples to better apply them.

In this article, you will learn how to make them and see simple storyboard examples to enhance your understanding. Let's take a look at the simple storyboard examples in the following explanation!

Simple Storyboard Examples

To give you a clearer picture of the storyboard, here are two simple storyboard examples from Nivea Men and WHSPR. Both brands collaborated with us, VISUWISU, a design service provider, to run their product campaigns.

1. Nivea Men

Figure 1: Simple storyboard example for the Nivea Men project.

In this project, VISUWISU helped create a video advertisement for Nivea Men deodorant. Nivea Men Deodorant is a range of deodorants specifically designed for men, providing maximum protection against body odor and sweat for 48 hours.

In this simple storyboard example, VISUWISU created a template containing the project title, panels, and notes. The panels are divided into several sections, including scene, shot, time, and visual panel.

It's important to note that when creating a storyboard, you don't need to sketch manually to provide visualization. You can simply provide photos that align with your idea.

Additionally, when creating a storyboard, you are free to add any necessary information, such as lighting, set details, and blocking. Remember, the most important aspect of creating a storyboard is to provide as much detail as possible to make it easier for the production team to execute the scenes being produced.

2. WHSPR

Figure 2: Simple storyboard example for WHSPR.

WHSPR is a local Indonesian perfume brand founded in 2020. This brand offers a variety of unisex perfumes with unique and modern scents.

In this project, VISUWISU assisted WHSPR in creating a video advertisement for their perfumes. Naturally, we created a storyboard to facilitate the production process. Just like the previous simple storyboard example, this one also includes the project title, panels, and notes.

In the notes section of this simple storyboard example, we added descriptions for the voice-over in scene 1, shot 6, and a description of the slow dolly-out camera movement in scene 1, shot 5.

How to Make A Simple Storyboard?

After looking at some examples in the previous explanation, you should also learn how to create a storyboard to understand the process. Here are 7 effective steps to create a storyboard that you can apply:

1. Choosing the Right Tool

Creating a storyboard can be done using various tools, from commonly used software to specialized storyboard applications. When choosing a tool, pay attention to the available features to match your needs. Some applications you can use include Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and more.

2. Creating a Storyboard Template

A video storyboard template is a tool that helps you visualize and plan your video. As shown in the previous examples, this template generally consists of three main columns:

• Title: This column is used to name or number each scene. This helps you track the order and reference each part of the video easily.

• Visual Panel: In this column, you can draw rough sketches of each scene. These sketches don't need to be perfect; what's important is to provide a visual representation of what happens in each scene.

• Description: This column is used to explain important details of each scene. These details can include dialogue, camera movements, sound effects, and other technical elements.

3. Writing the Script

The script is a crucial element in video production, whether for professional or simple videos. A good script should include all the words spoken in the video, whether in the form of dialogue between characters or narration by voiceover.

Character dialogue serves to build interaction and convey information in the video. Dialogue should be written naturally and according to the characters portrayed. Meanwhile, the narration by the voiceover can be used to explain additional information, provide context, or build the atmosphere in the video.

4. Creating a Timeline

After completing the video script, the next step is to create a timeline. The timeline is a time sequence that shows the duration of each scene in the video.

Creating a timeline helps you control the video's duration so it doesn't become too long and boring. The timeline also helps ensure that all story elements are conveyed well within the available time.

5. Identifying Key Points

At this stage, you need to determine the key points in the video. For instance, what do you want to convey to the audience? Then, ensure your video focuses on these key points. 

Additionally, you should include a call to action (CTA) at the end of the video. CTA is an invitation to act, such as visiting a website, subscribing to a newsletter, or purchasing your product.

6. Adding Details to Each Scene

Before starting to create the storyboard, it's important to determine the approach you want to use in each scene. This approach can be:

• Simple actions: Showing characters performing certain activities.

• Focus on animation: Using animation to explain complex concepts or ideas.

Moreover, you can apply other concepts using your creativity to find the right approach for the video.

7. Providing Technical Notes

As shown in the previous simple storyboard examples, you need to add detailed technical notes for each scene. These notes will provide the production team with a clearer understanding of your vision for the video.

Here are some important elements you can include in the technical notes:

• Camera movements: Explain the type of camera movements you want to use in each scene, such as zoom, panning, or tilt.

• Viewpoints: Indicate the camera angles you want to use, such as close-up, medium shot, or wide shot.

• Transitions: Explain the type of transitions you want to use to connect scenes, such as fade in, fade out, or cut.

• Lighting: Describe the type of lighting you want to use to create the desired atmosphere in each scene.

• Dialogue: Write the complete dialogue between characters, including intonation and emotions to be conveyed.

• Sound effects: Explain the type of sound effects you want to use, such as natural sounds, machine sounds, or music sounds.

• Background music: Indicate the type of background music you want to use, such as cheerful, tense, or sad music.

This explanation covers the ins and outs of simple storyboard examples. By following these steps, you can create an effective storyboard that will help you produce engaging videos.

If you want to create more interesting and professional videos without incurring high production costs to hire experts, you can collaborate with a trusted design partner like VISUWISU.

VISUWISU is a digital asset service provider that offers various solutions for your business marketing needs, such as creative videos, logo design, motion graphics, ad banners, and much more.

Contact VISUWISU now and enhance your marketing results through engaging content production!