Welcome to part 2 of “How We Work!” This time, we’ll be diving into the wonderful world of illustration. Ever wonder how the visual building blocks of our whiteboard animations come to be? You’ve come to the right place.
It’s our job to make your message come to life, so we’re thinking visually from the very first time we talk with you. As you tell us about your idea, we are imagining all the ways we can use images to communicate it (we can’t help it — it’s what we do!). So right after the kick-off call, we get to work putting our ideas down on paper to share with you. We call this phase scripting.
Illustration starts with scripting.
Each draft of your script has two columns: one for the script itself, and the other for our “visual descriptions” of what will be on the screen during that part of the script. When you provide feedback for the script, we invite you to look at these descriptions and provide any thoughts. Right off the bat, we are collaborating on how to best illustrate your video, using your extensive knowledge of the topic and our expertise of the medium.
Design Call
Once the script is finalized, we touch base with a design call. Everyone is different, and we want to make sure we develop a visual look that fits your brand and message. We’ll talk about your visual preferences, and ask questions about:
- Your Organizational Brand Standards
- Color Options (Black and White? Full Color?)
- Demographics of characters
- Animation style
Using the information we gather from this call, we move full-steam ahead into productions.
Productions (& Review!)
Our illustrator gets to work bringing our ideas to life, creating images that align with your style preferences and the feel of the script. The first you see your illustrations will be in the initial draft of the animation itself! Don’t worry — this doesn’t mean you’re locked into any image. We have three iterative rounds of review where you may request changes. Using our video edit request forms, you can note any change you’d like (“can the customer at :30 seconds have blue hair instead of orange?” or “can the elephant be riding a unicycle instead of a dirt bike at 1:45?”). We want you to love the look and feel of your video, and will work with you to get you there.
Good illustrations are the building blocks of a persuasive, engaging, and charming animation. We know that if the video looks good, you look good, so we put ample care into making sure that’s the case. Whether you are looking for something sleek and professional, fun and playful, or somewhere in between, our illustration process will help you achieve the look and feel you’re going for.
The “How We Work!” Series
Scripting
