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Alfa Insurance - Holiday Spot
Sunset Transportation is a leading third party logistics (3PL) company based in St. Louis, MO that develops custom shipping solutions for businesses across numerous industries. Their company culture is full of energy and very team driven. Sunset places strong focus on real human interactions, which creates a positive and refreshing customer experience, especially in an industry that can be rather stiff and impersonal.
CHALLENGE
Develop Sunset's first company video to help increase visibility and communicate their brand philosophy. Maintain alignment with current marketing strategies: witty, professional, out of the box. Highlight the brand personality without getting bogged down with the details of each individual service offering.
SOLUTION
A 2 minute animated explainer video for their website: an introduction to Sunset and their "5 Promises. The goal was to make logistics less intimidating. An added touch of humor helped imbue the video with a casual, approachable feeling. In the end, we created a simplified message with a contemporary flair.
Plan of attack
Before moving into production we kicked things off with a deep dive into the logistics business. Over a one-day facilitated discovery session, I worked with the great people at Sunset to surface challenges the organization faced. In the process, we prioritized the needs and goals of the business and their customers.This became the foundation that would inform every decision throughout the video's creation.
Understanding
the Customers
Sunset serves a wide range of clients. Together we developed unique user profiles to help us craft a targeted message and determine who this video is for. The goal of this stage is to really understand the needs and wants of the customer so we can build true empathy, depth, and value into the video.
Sunset User Traits
Overwhelmed
High-expectations
Industrious
Price Driven
Appreciative
Lean
Defining the Brand
After covering what they do and how they do it; we then asked the big question of WHY. Through a series of exercises we defined and prioritized the core values that make up the brand's personality. This helped us paint a clear picture of how it should look, sound, and feel.
Brand Attributes
Fun
Dedicated
Team Driven
Knowledgable
Resourceful
Progressive
The Logo
One of the specific objectives during this phase was to create a reusable Sunset Transportation logo animation. An animated logo helps build brand recognition, and creates consistency throughout company videos. The finished sunset animation was delivered as a simple video layer that could easily be attached to any future content.
Client Feedback
"Sunset was introduced to David Probst through a trusted referral, and we couldn’t be happier with our entire video experience. From start to finish, David guided us through brand and message goal-setting, content creation, and design implementation. His open style of communication and creativity were a great fit with our production team, and the result was a highly-customized explainer video that truly captured the essence of Sunset’s business practices, and our sometimes silly personality. We can’t wait to work with David again, and to share more great work with the masses! "
Kacey Schaeffer,
Director of Marketing
When the holiday season rolls around, what better way to spread cheer than with a heartwarming tale of a boy and his faithful companion? That's exactly what I helped bring to life in this charming30-second spot for Alfa Insurance, collaborating once again with my friends over at ThreeSixtyEight.
This festive project centers around Alfa, the lovable canine mascot of Alfa Insurance, and his young human friend. Through a series of endearing vignettes, we see Alfa "saving the day" in various scenarios, showcasing the insurance company's commitment to being there for their customers, just like Alfa is always there for his family.
Building upon the key scenes ThreeSixtyEight developed during the initial storyboard phase, I expanded the narrative by adding additional shots, creating the animatic, and fine-tuning the pacing of the project. With the groundwork laid, I then built out the character rigs and brought the entire video to life through animation.
The result was a spot that captured the warmth and spirit of the holiday season, proving once again that sometimes the best way to connect with your audience is through a simple, touching story - and maybe a wagging tail or two.
The wonderful team over at ThreeSixtyEight contacted me to help them create a series of animated videos as part of an online interactive learning platform they were developing for the Louisiana Department of Health. The platform was a website designed to educate early childcare centers on how to prepare and respond to natural disasters. In total, we created four videos, one for every module of the site. When users start a module, the animated video provides a engaging and playful summary of the lesson before the user continues to scroll down the page.
My main role in the project was animation, and I also provided creative direction, compositing, and bits of illustration along the way. The lead illustrator for this project was Adam Graves and it was an absolute pleasure getting to collaborate and bring his artwork to life.
Scroll down for a look behind the scenes.
The Art Style
The look and feel of the project was intended to resemble something straight out of a children’s book, which helps communicate the message in a way that is both educational and approachable to those in childcare. After refining the storyboards, Adam and I worked together to determine the creative and technical details of each scene. He delivered some fantastic illustrations and then I set the tone for each scene by adjusting things like color, lighting, and composition.
Animation
A lot of my time was spent animating all of the monsters in each video. Working with highly detailed hand drawn characters presented a fun challenge when it came to making them move. I had enough time to create a single puppet rig for each character that was then recycled throughout each scene, making partial modifications when needed.
Compositing
With the base illustration and animation in place I then added texture, shading, and environmental effects. These are all the little details that tie together the various elements, and makes them feel anchored in the same space. This part of the process really helps set the mood and adds a nice sense of realism to the scene.
The Result
With all 4 videos finished the ThreeSixtyEight team added them to the site! Having a video at the top of each module is a powerful asset when combined with the complete user experience; it boosts engagement, captures the imagination, and sets the stage for the information that follows. The rest of the website is packed with all kinds of fun design elements, interactions, quizzes, and more. Big shout shout out to the ThreeSixtyEight for their amazing work, and it was a pleasure collaborating with such a talented team!
Client Feedback
"David was able to give this project the level of care it deserved. His attention to detail is amazing. He doesn’t settle for mediocracy and he constantly pushed us to be better. Every time he sent over a draft it felt like Christmas morning. He poured his heart into this project and we couldn’t be happier with the result. I can’t wait to work with him again!"
Phil Roberts,
Producer at ThreeSixtyEight
Ever wonder how to make colonoscopy prep engaging? That's the challenge the Houston VA and Baylor College of Medicine brought to my doorstep. With many veterans skipping potentially life-saving appointments, we needed to spice up the VA's approach to patient education. My mission? Create a video that turns this typically awkward topic into something veterans would actually be willing to watch. The result? A character-driven animated explainer that guides vets through the process, boosting confidence and attendance along the way.
Let's dive into how we made it happen.
The Problem
The Houston VA was grappling with a significant issue: nearly half of their veterans weren't showing up for potentially life-saving colonoscopies. With a 6-month waiting list and high-risk patients in need, improving attendance rates became crucial. Through surveys, they discovered that veterans needed clear, step-by-step guidance on how to prepare for a colonoscopy. This insight revealed a key opportunity: creating a video that could bridge the gap between complex medical instructions and patient understanding.
The Approach
We chose to steer clear of traditional, clinical approaches, opting instead for a charming, illustrated style that felt more like advice from a trusted friend than a medical lecture. By choosing to create a character-based video, we aimed to forge a stronger, more empathetic connection with our audience. This approach allowed veterans to see themselves in the journey, transforming the prep process from a clinical procedure into a relatable experience.
The Solution
Working closely with the VA team, we created an animated guide that walks veterans through the entire colonoscopy prep process. Our friendly animated character serves as a knowledgeable companion, breaking down complex instructions into clear, actionable steps. We mapped out each stage of preparation, identifying common stumbling blocks for patients. This allowed us to provide extra support at crucial points, using both clear wording and supportive visuals. By translating medical jargon into everyday language, we created a conversational, easy-going experience that ensures information is not just understood, but easily remembered and applied.
The Result
The finished video was implemented into multiple touch points throughout the patient journey, including email updates, theHouston VA website, and the national VA website, expanding its potential impact to veterans across the country.
Client Feedback
"My group needed help making a fun and educational video about a sensitive topic, preparing for a colonoscopy. David was more than up for the challenge! He approached the video with enthusiasm and creativity. He brought our ideas to life and made them more exciting. He was incredibly collaborative, organized, and overall easy to work with. He guided us through the process with a practiced hand, and we had such a great time watching the video come together. The finished product is leagues better than we could have hoped! It has already been seen by so many people and helped them understand this topic. David far exceeded our expectations, and we would recommend that you hire him for all your animation needs!"
Kaitlyn Carlson,
Baylor College of Medicine
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