Challenge
Merck needed short engaging animations for LinkedIn to help recruit for technical roles. The brief was clean and concise: use their solid brand library, get viewers to stop scrolling, feel confident about Merck’s technical opportunities. Time was tight, resources were imperfect, and some assets weren’t accessible.
Approach
I worked closely with the creative director to map out storyboards that could deliver the message clearly in motion. With limited access to Merck’s character assets, I found similar character illustrations online and styled them to match Merck’s brand standards. I focused on developing animations that felt playful yet professional. Early on I prioritized clean transitions, brand-consistent color and tone, and ensuring each scene would read clearly even in muted or compressed formats often used on LinkedIn.
Branded Merck illustrations provided by client
Execution
In After Effects I built two animations: one featuring characters parachuting down, another navigating a tablet app while sync’d with narration. I had to be resourceful—cleaned up voiceover audio in Premiere to ensure thick accents were audible. Scenes that were tricky (floating characters, app UI) got extra attention: more iteration, adjustments to timing, easing, and motion paths. I created templates for these animations to speed up styling and maintain consistency between both videos.
First draft of animation storyboard
Initial file set up for animation in After Effects
Outcomes
The final animations turned out well. Merck was satisfied with how they balance brand polish and storytelling. They communicated their technical role opportunities in a way that felt fresh and engaging. Despite constraints, the animations supported recruiting efforts and added personality to Merck’s LinkedIn presence. Internally, the process strengthened trust in using motion and animation for technical recruiting content.
Merck Digital Accelerator Team animation
Merck Inventing for Life Animation
Next Steps & Insights
Moving fast under constraints taught me that planning for asset gaps upfront saves time later. Strategically building template structure in motion projects makes maintaining consistency easier. For future animation work I want to secure full access to character assets early. Also want to explore integrating more subtle motion in static content and creating shorter teaser animations for social to boost reach.