Udacity

During a six month contract, I led the overhaul of the production pipeline and video branding at this leading online education company—while also directing a number of concept videos.

Role

Creative Direction
Video Production
Strategy

Timeline

6 months

Motion Branding

Working with two dozen different stakeholders, I shepherded a new mograph system that would cut post production time in half, save over $100k annually and fundamentally change the viewing experience for students.

Problem

All the motion graphics being used in Udacity’s classes were individually created by a rotating team of animators who were advised by a dozen different video producers. It’s a time-consuming process that results in a muddled, inconsistent visuals. Fonts, sizing, colors, positioning, backgrounds were different across all of Udacity’s classes.

Exploration

After a lengthy sourcing process, I hired design and animation duo, Daniel Luna and Yaniv Fridman. We worked on defining a new look for Udacity’s videos that were aligned with the rest of Udacity’s brand while also remaining flexible enough that each school and class would be slightly different from one another. Consistent yet individual? It’s a challenging problem to solve.

Execution

We settled on a brand system that gave each school a unique animated background inspired by the subject being taught. Then each curriculum within that school would be given its own individual color. It was defined and still infinitely expandable.

Final Animations

Over two dozen elements were then animated by Yaniv and Daniel. Almost every element a producer could need was included. These new animations were more visually complex and engaging without being distracting.

Templatized

Using Adobe's Essential Graphics feature, complex animations could be changed dynamically right in video editing software using simple text boxes and sliders. Video producers could create their own animated elements on the fly without having to work with an external team of animators. No added turnaround. No more miscommunication or complexity.

Documentation

The last step of the project was to create a guide that could be utilized by all the current video producers and be given to future employees so everyone was informed and confident in this new tool. A year later every curriculum at Udacity was using this new motion graphics system.

Studio ReMODEL

Almost all of Udacity's classes were filmed on a small set that had gone virtually unchanged for 2.5+ years. Its art direction and overall aesthetic were glossed over since its inception. I developed and sourced a new, flexible set design as part of the video rebranding.

Old Studio

The old studio was slightly altered over the years by a dozen different producers leading to a chaotic, inconsistent set design.

Set Development

Inspired by industrial lofts and airy work spaces, the new set would allow a number of different layouts from table lecture to side by side interview. The construction of the new set was put on hold while Udacity relocated to a larger location. I was told the design was partially adopted after the move.

Video Direction

Promos and introductory videos for Udacity courses were comprised mostly of stock footage and boiler plate narration. I was asked to direct a series of low-budget promos that were high-energy, fun and engaging. The hope was this content would inspire in-house producers to expand their own approach.

The produced videos are behind Udacity's paywall so unfortunately I can only give a small glimpse of the process here.

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zach@zachboth.com