Project Summary
Client: Zoom
Team: Brand Design
Role: Motion
Zoom hired me to adapt and expand a core asset, known as the "Slinky," by extending it from 5 product icons to 7 and creating multiple variations, including Lottie assets for in-app use.
Gap
The Slinky was designed to showcase that Zoom provides more than just meetings. Expanding it to 7 product icons would further emphasize this message.
Excessive variations led to inconsistencies.
Creating new versions was too time-consuming.
The design didn’t translate well to social media due to its width.
To give you an idea of the scope, there were 3 main Slinky variations, each with multiple end states, colors, and icon variations. Over the course of a year, I created between 50 to 100 different versions. Below are a few examples.
Action 1
I created a MOGRT (Motion Graphics Template) to improve efficiency and reduce inconsistencies. This allowed me to easily customize the product icon order, select which product to highlight, change color and make a variety of other adjustments through intuitive menus. The versions above were created entirely through this menu system.
Action 2
To avoid creating separate versions for social media, I used a conditional statement linked to a menu to trigger separate keyframe scale animations depending on the output. This was made possible by utilizing an external Javascript Library created by the folks at Motion Developer.
Additional Action
After developing the Slinky template, I realized that creating a similar version in 3D could also be valuable for Zoom. I built this icon rig in Cinema 4D, enabling easy selection and swapping of product icons through menus, much like the After Effects slinky.
Result
The MOGRT I created enhanced efficiency by tenfold. By sharing it with Zoom's video editor for use in Premiere, they were able to quickly produce variations without needing my help for minor tweaks. This streamlined workflow allowed me to concentrate on other projects while still contributing to the team's success.
The Slinky assets were featured in social ads, out-of-home (OOH) campaigns, streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime and Hulu, and more. The Lottie animations were also integrated into Zoom's login and sign-up pages.
