What We Were Solving For

We Are Cognitive, the studio behind RSA Animates, challenged emerging visual storytellers to craft a one-minute explainer video in line with its strict project specifications. Here was the animation brief:

For me, the challenge was twofold:

• Honor the depth of Ben Ramalingam’s message, which introduces “upshifting” — reframing stress as a path to creativity and resilience.
• Translate that message into a clear, cohesive visual metaphor that could carry the story from start to finish.

With a background in storytelling and instructional design, I wanted to build a narrative that was memorable, visually connected, and emotionally true to the spirit of the script.

Mapping the Work

The process began with the script and audio. I imported the provided voice-overs into Adobe Premiere Pro and refined the tracks, like light cleanup, noise reduction, and improved EQ for clarity. As I listened, I marked natural pauses and transition beats, breaking the script into nine clean segments.

This gave me a structural map: a rhythm for the story, a sense of pacing, and a clear understanding of how much could be drawn and animated within each 5–7 second block. Those nine story beats became the backbone for the visual narrative.

Bringing the Story to Life

Once I understood the script’s cadence, I began shaping the visuals. For whiteboard animation, I always think in terms of big-picture cohesion first, considering the overall metaphor that ties the whole piece together. In this case, the repeated “upshift/downshift” language immediately suggested car mechanics and gears.

In Procreate, I divided my canvas into a nine-panel grid and sketched each section with the metaphor in mind. The goal wasn’t to create nine separate drawings, but one interconnected illustration broken into nine moments — each panel contributing to the broader visual map of the story.

By aligning the sketches to the timing markers, I ensured each visual felt clean and achievable given the tight animation window.

Designing the Look and Feel

Once the storyboard was locked, I moved into illustration. We Are Cognitive provided a monochromatic palette — black, white, greys, and a blue accent — which created a striking, brand-consistent aesthetic.

I illustrated each element in Procreate, separating outlines, fills, and background components into layers that would animate cleanly in After Effects. When the artwork was complete, I exported layered PSDs into Photoshop for final cleanup and preparation.

The result was a visual framework that felt cohesive, metaphor-driven, and optimized for the whiteboard medium.

Building the Interactive Experience

Animation began in After Effects. I imported the PSD with all layers intact, added a camera and null object, and converted elements into 3D space. This allowed me to create the signature whiteboard zoom-and-pan effect — moving across the illustration as if it were being drawn in real time.

To animate the linework, I used the Write-On tool, time-reversed the strokes, and synchronized the reveals to the voiceover beats. I animated background elements through subtle opacity changes, giving the piece depth without overwhelming the whiteboard style’s simplicity.

When the After Effects composition was complete, I brought it back into Premiere Pro for timing refinements and final export.

What Learners Actually Experience

Viewers experience a one-minute visual journey that mirrors the emotional arc of the script: moving from stress and uncertainty toward clarity, forward motion, and creative possibility. The car maintenance metaphor guides the viewer from one idea to the next, reinforcing the theme of “upshifting” into resilience.

The animation feels clean, energetic, and intentional — a whiteboard narrative that unfolds in a single connected illustration.

Impact, Insights, and What I’d Do Again

Winning We Are Cognitive’s competition was an incredible honor, but the process itself was equally meaningful. This project strengthened my ability to:

• translate complex ideas into clean, visual metaphors
• build cohesive narratives that unfold across tight time windows
• work fluidly across Procreate, Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere
• design on-brand illustrations for a global creative audience

see the video

It reinforced the power of visual storytelling, not just to explain an idea, but to make people feel it

The expereince shaped me as a designer and animator, and I’m excited to bring this narrative clarity and visual craft into future projects.