Challenge
Synchrony needed to educate employees about what the Treasury Department does and to build internal engagement and retention. The goal was for the video animation to both inform and inspire people to want to work in Treasury. The project had tight time constraints and limited illustration resources.
Approach
I kicked things off with group brainstorming and sketched out a storyboard to guide the animation flow. Since we didn’t have custom illustrations, I pulled licensed artwork from iStock, selecting pieces that matched the storyboard and aligned with Synchrony’s visual guidelines. To ensure consistency and efficiency, I emphasized file organization, naming conventions, and use of shared creative libraries.
Execution
We split the animation between two designers: I handled the second half, my teammate the first. I first layered vector art in Illustrator, then rigged and animated those elements in After Effects. As I worked, I iterated transitions, timing, and motions—some didn’t work initially, so I refined and adjusted to get smooth flow. Regular check-ins with the other designer helped maintain cohesion so their part and mine felt like one unified piece.
Production ready animation assets
Once we had all the elements we needed we were able to start building the animation. We split the animation in half. I took the second half while the other designer took the first. I like to start by organizing all of my content. I get my After Effects file set up and I start bringing in content little by little to begin. I am a huge proponent of organization, file naming, and utilizing CC Libraries. Whatever helps me to streamline my design process is paramount to my success and the success of whatever project I am working on.
Outcomes
The animation was very well received by the client. It clearly communicated what Treasury does and helped boost understanding among employees. Feedback highlighted how the visuals felt clean, the pacing felt engaging, and the animation’s polish raised expectations for future internal content. Because of its success, Synchrony asked for more animations for other departments.
Final animation
Next Steps & Insights
Working through this taught me how crucial early alignment is—especially on illustrations and visual assets—so animation doesn’t stall. Organization inside tools like After Effects and Illustrator really pays off when multiple people are collaborating. For future animations I’ll plan for custom illustration (or early licensing) to avoid dependency on stock. I also want to experiment with modular animation components to speed up production and explore motion styles that give small moments of surprise or delight inside internal videos.