Summary
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Employer: AUPE
Roles
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Multimedia Technician
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Graphic Designer
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Motion Designer
Mission
The mission for this project was to develop engaging animated content that would educate AUPE members about effective workplace advocacy.
We focused on sharing practical tools and strategies to help them successfully negotiate for positive changes in their work environment, ensuring they could achieve the improvements they rightfully deserve.
Impact
This comprehensive video series brings together real-world case studies, key concepts, and actionable information that AUPE members can easily access and reference.
It serves as a practical guide, helping them understand and implement effective direct actions to advocate for better working conditions.
Outcome
A motion graphics video series that breaks down complex strategies into clear, step-by-step approaches that empower our members to create positive change in their workplaces.
Case Study
Direct Action
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The Challenge
In any multimedia content project, managing resources effectively is one of the biggest challenges. Whether you're working with an external client or as part of an in-house team, delivering the highest quality possible within given constraints requires careful planning and smart decision-making.
As a full-time employee on this project, the equation was a bit different from typical client work. Rather than managing a monetary budget, time became the most precious resource. Each video came with specific deadlines and milestones, putting the responsibility on me to make strategic decisions about time allocation throughout the production process.
This meant being realistic and practical about the creative approach. I focused on finding that sweet spot where visual appeal and production practicality could meet, allowing us to maintain both quality and momentum throughout the series.
The Style
The art direction decisions were carefully crafted to resonate with our audience and reflect the organization values.
Looking beyond just brand consistency, we aimed to create a visual language that would both engage and empower AUPE members.
We developed a style that would not only communicate our message effectively but also create an emotional connection with our viewers.
Direct and Bold
Typography played a crucial role in this project, leveraging various font weights to effectively communicate key messages from each script.
I carefully selected and animated the type treatments to create dynamic, engaging sequences that would capture and hold viewer attention.
Through a thoughtful combination of clear, minimalistic layouts and purposeful motion design, we were able to convey the strength and impact of each message in a way that felt both powerful and accessible.
The typography became more than just words on screen - it became an integral part of the storytelling process, helping us emphasize important concepts while maintaining visual interest throughout each video.
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Clean environment
We deliberately chose to work with clean, minimal backgrounds and carefully selected props throughout the series. This wasn't just an aesthetic choice - it was a strategic decision to keep the viewer's attention focused on what truly matters: the people and their stories.
By stripping away unnecessary visual clutter, we created a space where our characters' actions, emotions, and experiences could take center stage, making the content more relatable and impactful for our audience.
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Emotions Matter
We discovered that highly detailed illustrations weren't necessary to forge emotional connections with our audience. Instead, we found that carefully crafted body language and simple character movements were incredibly effective at conveying complex emotions.
This approach allowed us to create scenes that resonated deeply with our members, who might experience a range of feelings - from frustration to determination to triumph - throughout their journey of workplace advocacy.
By focusing on these fundamental aspects of human expression, we were able to tell more authentic and relatable stories that our audience could see themselves in.
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Geometric Impact
I've always been passionate about abstract animation, and this project perfectly demonstrates why. When you strip away the complexity and focus on fundamental shapes - simple lines, circles, and geometric forms - you can communicate powerful messages with remarkable clarity.
Abstract visual elements, when thoughtfully designed and animated, could convey complex concepts just as effectively as more literal representations.
This approach not only helped us maintain visual consistency but also created a unique aesthetic keeping production efficient.
Blocks of Solidarity
The animation style we developed for these pieces flows naturally with the narrative, guided by the voice over in a way that feels both engaging and easy to follow.
This technique not only helps break down complex ideas into digestible concepts but also creates a satisfying progression as viewers see the complete picture emerge from individual elements.
Like building blocks coming together, each frame builds upon the previous one, creating a visual journey that unfolds naturally before the viewer's eyes.
The result is content that feels both professionally polished and genuinely accessible, making it easier for our audience to connect with and retain the information being shared.
We found this approach particularly effective because it mirrors how people naturally process new information - one piece at a time.
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Relatable Vectors
To create videos that truly resonated with our audience, we took a thoughtful approach to the illustration style. We struck a careful balance between simplicity and detail.
By retracing and adapting carefully selected stock assets and AI-generated images, we were able to maintain a cohesive look across all videos while meeting our production timelines efficiently.
This strategic blend of resources and techniques allowed us to create engaging visuals that connected with our viewers while keeping up with our delivery schedule.
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The process and the tools
Through my experience collaborating with diverse agencies and studios worldwide, I've developed a deep understanding of the motion graphics production pipeline. When I joined this organization, I was excited to bring this knowledge to the team.
Our process begins with a comprehensive brief document that serves as our foundation.
From there, we follow a clear path of transformation: ideas become words, words evolve into images, and images come to life through motion.
We established well-defined milestones for review including script development, storyboard creation, voice-over recording, animatic, animation, and thorough proofreading. This systematic approach has helped us maintain both quality and efficiency.
I crafted an efficient workflow using tools already at our disposal - primarily the Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, and Audition) along with Blender. This intentional approach allowed us to channel our time and energy into creative development and storytelling rather than navigating learning curves for new software that wasn't necessary for our objectives.
While I'm passionate about learning new tools and technologies, I've discovered that achieving results matters more than the specific software used. This insight has shifted my approach from tool obsession to outcome focus. For this project, rather than investing time in mastering new specialized programs or requesting expensive licenses, I strategically leveraged our existing resources.
Thanks to the trust and support of my manager, team lead, and colleagues, we were able to implement a structured workflow that everyone could feel comfortable with.
The results
I'm proud to share that we successfully created a comprehensive video series consisting of engaging pieces. What makes this project particularly rewarding is seeing how effectively it's resonating with our audience.
The organization is thrilled with the results - not just because we delivered high-quality multimedia content, but because we managed to break down complex concepts into clear, accessible messages that truly connect with our members.
The positive feedback we've received confirms that we struck the right balance between professional production value and authentic, relatable communication.
What have I learned?
One of the most valuable lessons from this project was about resource optimization.
Working with available tools and in-house talent for voice-overs added an authentic, relatable quality to our videos.
Even in this era of AI-driven content creation, the human element remains irreplaceable. It creates genuine connections that resonate with our audience in ways that artificial content simply cannot.
The journey of creating this video series taught me another important insight about production efficiency. While the initial videos required more time and effort as we established our workflow and made key creative decisions, I noticed a natural acceleration in our process over time.
As patterns emerged and I found my rhythm, each subsequent video became more streamlined to produce. This experience reinforced the importance of two key principles: thorough templating and constant optimization.
By refining the processes after every video, I was able to maintain consistent quality while significantly reducing production time for each new video in the series, which reflected in having more time to invest in more elaborate assets and detailed animations where possible.
Credits
Nick Driedger - Manager of Communications
Alexander Delorme - Team Lead
Alexander Delorme - Scripts / Voice Over
Tamara Aschenbrenner - Scripts / Voice Over
Jon Olsen - Scripts
Maureen Mariampillai - Scripts / Voice Over
Karen Hanan - Voice Over
Kavi Chahal - Scripts
Zoey Jones - Voice Over
Watch Complete
Do you want to watch the complete videos?
Visit Alberta Union of Provicial Employees (AUPE) YouTube Channel