The Process

The Challenge

From concept to production, this has been a challenging project with limited time and budget. From pitching the idea to animating the video, I was given a total of 3 weeks while juggling other design responsibilities within the department. Hence why I have decided to tackle this project with a simple design that requires very minimal animation.

Since the video needs to highlight the appreciation factor of all transit operators and workers, character design is a must (and a major hurdle) for this animation project. Diversity is another major focus of this video, not only from a character perspective but also from a transit standpoint (ie. the importance of including boats, buses, streetcars, subways, etc.).

As a solution, I have pitched the idea of utilizing pre-designed characters and some design elements from Shutterstock. This way, I can ensure that my main focus is on the overall art direction and animation during this limited timeframe.

Mind Mapping

How can we showcase diversity in operators, workers, riders and various forms of transit? How should these elements connect with each other throughout the video? What should the transitions look or feel like?

These are all questions I highlighted at the early stages of this production.

Many recent transit animations used connecting lines and dots to pay homage to their system maps. However, with this video, the purpose is to focus on the people rather than the technology.

This is when the “window” concept popped up. When we look through the various windows on various forms of public transportation, we are presented with the diverse groups of people that supported or got supported by transit.