Oyster, a unified platform for global payroll, HR compliance, and employer of record solutions, enables seamless international team expansion. For Oyster, via a vendor, I was commissioned to develop two 30-second videos based on pre-approved scripts. My creative contribution involved conceiving the video concept, establishing the visual style, and implementing the motion design.

Ideation / Storyboards

My initial approach involved researching 2D animation styles that effectively integrate stylized UI elements with dynamic and expressive text. I strategically identified key action words within the script to emphasize visually on-screen and sought out unique moments to create engaging transitions between scenes. The development of the storyboards involved a number of iterative revisions and refinements.

Styleframes

Following storyboard approval, my next step was to establish the visual aesthetic for each scene. This involved incorporating Oyster's brand identity through their color scheme, typography, and illustrative elements. My intention was to reflect the playful and vibrant nature of the Oyster brand, as detailed in their brand guidelines. I leveraged their wide-ranging color palette and numerous illustration accents to effectively convey this vibrancy.

Early animations

To achieve an expressive and playful animation style, I employed bright colors, animated text with a bounce, and looping animations of the accent illustrations within the backgrounds. Additionally,
I layered subtle animated textures onto the visuals and deliberately reduced the frame rate to create a more tactile, human-crafted feel, similar to stop-motion.

Feedback

Although the client was pleased with the overall feel and motion of the initial animations, they requested revisions and provided updated scripts. This included significant changes to some scenes, as well as specific stylistic adjustments: a more limited use of their brand color palette, the omission of accent shapes and texture gradients, and the implementation of more rounded corners to match their established brand aesthetic.

Final Delivery

After a series of feedback cycles and animation proofs, the final videos were successfully delivered. The client expressed significant satisfaction with the resulting two video variations, affirming that they now better aligned with their brand identity and comprehensively communicated their services. Furthermore, the client requested vertical resizing of the compositions for optimal social media presentation.