It requires taking a step back and making choices about what’s important to you and to the audience you’re trying to engage. Often you have seconds to grab people’s attention and there’s so much you want them to know.

At Delve, our Visual Communication and Information Design (VizCom) department helps clients tell their stories effectively and in compelling ways through infographics, experience maps, and traditional graphic design. One of the most powerful tools we use to help clients tell stories is video.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, by 2019 video traffic will account for 80 percent of all consumer internet traffic. Video content speeds up comprehension, encourages social media sharing, improves email click-throughs, aids consumer and professional decision-making, and enhances retention of information when compared to static imagery and text.

People love video.

When our VizCom Department took on the task of producing our company’s overview video, we approached the project the same way we would with any client. In this article, I share our process to give you an idea of what it’s like to work with us.

Background

We don’t just dive into production without a thoughtful conversation. We ask a lot of questions to find out what you hope your video will accomplish, who the intended audience is, and what would you like them to know, do, or feel. We clarify expectations and talk about details such as main message, auxiliary messages, format, length, and any relevant recommendations or concerns that come up.

During this conversation, we help you focus your objective and collect the information we need to develop a creative brief.

For example, at the kick-off meeting for our company video we didn’t make any assumptions. We talked to our marketing director and head of sales to learn more about how the video would be used. While the first use of the video was at a medical device conference, we agreed to invest our time creating a video with broader use and a longer shelf-life.

After our initial meeting, we thought about what we learned, considered various approaches, and then summarized our vision.

Creative Brief

That summary, or creative brief, outlines our concept for the video. As a storytelling tool, video has the advantage of combining audio, text, graphics, live action, animation, and music. The creative brief presents a game plan for how these elements will come together to accomplish our goals.

In the creative brief for our company video, we suggested a grid theme used in some of our recent marketing. With quick edits and inspirational music, the grid would provide frames for highlighting text, product imagery, video, client logos, and graphics in a cohesive way. Animated color blocks with varied translucency add energy to our grid and give the impression of peeking inside the world of Delve.

Script and Production

Once you’re happy with the creative brief, we draft a script, which can range from a basic outline of main messages with visual and aural cues to detailed voice-over language, storyboard, and shot list.

With the creative brief and script approved, we begin production. This stage varies greatly depending on the project needs. One video might work best as motion graphics, text, and music, whereas another would benefit from unscripted interviews and B-roll.

It’s our job to find a production style that elevates your story.

Rough Cut

At our next meeting, we share a rough cut of the video. As the client, you provide feedback on flow, visual style, and music selections. Together we assess if information is organized correctly and if the storytelling feels right. Video is a powerful medium, but production can be resource-intensive. The rough cut ensures we’re on track before investing time creating detailed edits, animation, and a polished final piece.

Round Two

After incorporating feedback and refining the video, we reconvene to share our progress. Here you have another opportunity to provide feedback on content, flow, and aesthetics.

If we knock it out of the park, this could be the final deliverable. More often than not, at this stage there will be a few more details to iron out before your video is ready for world premiere.

Final Review/Hand-off

With an approved creative brief, two rounds of feedback, and the necessary production/post-production, your video is now complete and ready to share with the world!

Telling your story can be a challenge. Asking the right questions and developing a solid brief can go a long way in guiding the process. We care about our clients’ stories and would love to hear from you about your communication needs.

Thanks for learning more about our process. Please check out our company video to see how it can all come together.