While they are a simple shape, it can be surprisingly hard coming up with an original stick figure. These are a few from a set of basic person-shaped analogues used in early drafts of the APEX Level 1 series. They were scrapped in favor of more diverse and distinctive figures based on an unoriginal set, though these originals still pop up in a few places in the final series. Their simple design makes them well-suited (pun intended) to a variety of different costumes, like adding a tie to denote a workplace role.
Similarly, a unique set of fairly simplistic document icons can be created from a blank template to fill a number of roles, from technical proposals, to contracts, to questionnaires, to simple essays. We can also animate elements on a page to move around and change on the fly.
The aesthetic doesn't always call for stark white graphics, of course. Often, more complex and highly contextual designs are needed. I often need images like these only once, but they're valuable to keep around just in case I need them again.
Still other images are much more bare-bones, often just assemblages of basic shapes, that are animated on-the-fly. The end result is snappy and energetic, and the timing can be adjusted to match the cadence of the voiceover.