PROJECT 03
parts of the cell - Introduction
Client
ASL Aspire
Timeline
8 weeks
Role
Motion Graphics Designer, Illustrator
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OVERVIEW / 01
ASL Aspire is an online educational platform that teaches STEM education for deaf and hard of hearing students and their teachers. They aim to provide a seamlessly integratabtle curriculum that aligns with national core standards and is created in collaboration with deaf professionals who are actively developing new signs.
prompt / 02
I was tasked with creating motion graphics to accompany an introductory lesson as a part of ASL Aspire's "Parts of the Cell" video module. The target audience for this lesson was kids in grades 5-6, so the animations had to be fairly simple and easy for children to understand. I broke down this task into 3 main steps.
Storyboard
I constructed a storyboard to lay out a foundation and communicate my ideas with the rest of the video and animation team.
Illustrate
Once my ideas were approved by leadership, I began illustrating all the assets I would need for the final video.
Animate
Putting this project together was unique challenge. I don't know much ASL and had to rely on my deaf teammates for help on timing.
storyboard
After receiving the lesson script from the scientists on my team, I began to break it down into small sections and think about what visuals would best accompany the educational material. I highlighted key words to guide my illustrations.
Illustrations
Using my storyboard, I created a list of all the illustrated assets I would need in the final animation. One challenge I encountered during this part of the process was having to replicate the style of another animator. ASL Aspire had already released a few videos with a certain style, so I had to think about consistency.
Final video
After sharing my illustrations with the team, I got to work putting it all together. As a designer who mainly focuses on product design and branding, this was a great exercise to work on my animation skills and become stronger in that area.
TAKEAWAY
Working on this project really solidified my desire to continue to work on projects that will have a tangible positive impact in peoples' lives. We have a long way to go with accessibility, but I was honored to be a part of a team who is working to solve this issue.
