ZarinPlus: Introducing a Cashback App with 2D Animation
The ZarinPlus explainer, made in 2021: a 37-second 2D animation that starts with a simple question and walks through installing the app, signing up and finding nearby stores on the map.
ZarinPlus is a cashback system: it shows the stores near you on a map and tells you where to shop so that part of what you spend comes back to your own account. In 2021 we made a short 2D animation to introduce it, one that shows the path of using the app instead of explaining it: from the moment the question forms in the viewer's mind to finding the first store.
One question, one path
The video opens on someone sitting at a table with a coffee; then a question appears in their browser: "Would you like a part of every purchase to come back to you?" From there the story of the app unfolds: installing ZarinPlus on the phone, entering a mobile number and the SMS code, adding a name and card number, and finally a map showing the partner stores around the user, which is where the cashback happens. The video ends with the ZarinPlus logo assembling from its two yellow and purple pieces.
Visual style
The whole piece is drawn in simple line art on a white background, with only the two brand colours, yellow and purple, added on top. A cartoon hand guides the viewer throughout, tapping each step exactly as a real user would. The app screens are recreated faithfully, so that after installing, the viewer meets the same thing they saw in the video.
Why animation for an app launch?
For a product that lives on a phone, showing a few simple app screens inside a short story lands better than any written explanation. 2D animation let us state the value proposition (cashback from nearby stores) and show the sign-up steps in under forty seconds, with no complexity.
Watch the full video below.