SKILLS
storyboarding, illustration, video editing, motion graphics
ASK
a brief video that introduces backstitch as a company
backstitch is an employee communications platform, built for HR teams to more easily reach out to employees and measure outcomes. When I entered the picture, backstitch had a defined brand and established connections, but they wanted this intro video to better explain to potential clients who they were in an eye-catching manner.
The process began with making a storyboard. I compiled the copy and rough ideas for illustrations and worked with the team to refine the content before delving into the process of making the video. This was the first motion graphics project I did, so part of the process was learning how to create illustrations in Adobe Illustrator to bring into After Effects and animate. While there was a learning curve to figuring out things like how to layer the illustrations and how to name files, I quickly settled into a rhythm. Though the final video is only about two minutes, there were over 40 illustrations that each had to be created, animated, and integrated with the rest of the video.
Another aspect of creating this video was the development of a style for the illustrations. I wanted a style that would be easy to animate but at the same time not appear too simplistic or unfinished. After some experimentation, we ended up with a flat color style that mixes outlined elements with elements with no outline. The colors are taken from the brand palette, expanded with additional shades to add flexibility and allow better contrast. Part of what backstitch stands for is inclusion and diversity, which meant that even with a more minimal style, I wanted to make sure that I portrayed a range of people. I also needed to make sure that the illustrations remained consistent for everything from close-ups of employees to icons.
Producing all the illustrations for the video also meant there were illustrations that could be reused in the website and other places.
