Birdsong: an animated exploration of bird call notation

The 20-second animation, "Birdsong", shows how bird conservationists use symbols to remember and record bird calls and songs. The animation was designed and created by Robin Griffiths with input from Wildlife conservationist Kiera Bishop and was posted to Instagram and TikTok in July 2023.

"Birdsong" is the first in a series of animations created for modern social media audiences such as Instagram and TikTok. The series explores the development of a framework that aims to help other creators blend educational design principles with appealing content strategies in their own short-form informative animations.

The animation utilises characters inspired by the two birds "Great Tit" and "Robin", drawing on their visual design and bird calls to influence the personalities showcased through motion. "Birdsong" combines contrasting character designs and performances, layout inspired by early natural history illustrations, and modern animation techniques to bridge educational content and entertainment.

"Birdsong" reflects the evolving needs of digital audiences, combining educational concepts with entertainment to better engage viewers. The success of the animation, with over 8.9 million views, 1.3 million likes, and 173 thousand bookmarks, demonstrates its impact. Insights from the project have informed improvements in visual design, storytelling, and the collaboration process in subsequent projects.