Design Process

Every animated video project I create starts with understanding the business needs and audience. I begin by facilitating a workshop to gather key information—what the video needs to communicate, what tone it should strike, and any specific visual ideas the team already has. In this case, the business requested a rising sun theme to symbolize a fresh start. Because AbbVie CRM is a sub-brand of the MAPP application, I ensured the visuals in this new video flowed seamlessly with the original MAPP launch communication video I created years prior. Both videos share the same hand-drawn illustration style, feature a plane taking off as a symbolic moment, and even include recurring characters—now dressed differently to reflect the evolving storyline—helping to create a consistent and recognizable visual narrative for viewers.

Once the visual direction and script are approved, I sketch a quick storyboard by hand to map out each scene. I then create clean vector illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, building each scene in layers for animation. These assets are imported into After Effects, where I pair them with a rough voiceover to time the pacing and transitions. I add light motion to every scene for visual interest, occasionally inserting a fun or humorous moment to keep the audience engaged—in this video, that moment comes when two characters argue over an app being “dead,” even though it just isn't being used yet.

After sharing Draft 1 with stakeholders, we meet to review feedback and identify edits. I then finalize animations, sync them with the polished voiceover (either recorded in-house or outsourced), and adjust scenes as needed. In this case, one revision included changing popping speech bubbles with a plane-boarding scene. Once the final version is approved, I export the completed video and provide the necessary file for publishing on Brightcove.