From March to February 2024, I interned at the Springboard Community Learning HUB, which is an innovative digital learning platform that supports marginalized populations in learning new skills such as leadership, resilience, and health/well-being.
As part of my internship, I created an animation in order to contextualize and provide visual aid for a learning module. I created storyboards, concepts, and an animatic as part of my process. I was asked to create an efficient workflow that could be applied to future animations, which had me plan and animate the project in 4-weeks. Final illustrations and animation time took 2 of the 4 weeks.
This task provided an oppurtunity for me to familiarize myself with the Adobe Suite in order to learn new tools such as After Effects integration, audio editing, and vector work.
It was important to consider the target audience, which would primarily be youths 16-19 and women. This would drive the art style and character designs to allow viewers to better relate to the scenario.
The animation brief stated a need to explore style, concepts, colour schemes, and assets, so I began by creating a storyboard to visualize what the final animation would look like.
Storyboard.
Feedback included using colours from the existing HUB colour palette for more brand consistency, and to draw from previous module animations. I also could find different ways to make the process more efficient such as with simplifying animations, using stock illustrations, and reusing assets as needed.
Previous animations used a six panel format, so in order to further optimize the process, I reduced the final piece into 4 panels instead,which greatly reduced the workload needed to produce the animation. Combining frames allowed for better focus onto animation required me to carefully consider the balance between a faster workflow without sacrificing intention and clarity.
Animatic.
Colours were also used to help convey emotion and contribute to story, while audio was used to enhance the experience and make the video more engaging.
Assets/sprites.