2024 Chinese New Year e-Card: Dragon Animation

Ernst & Young, a global leader in consulting, assurance, tax and transaction services, wanted to create a unique and animated e-Card to celebrate the 2024 Year of the Dragon. Partnering with their creative director and designer, I was tasked with bringing their vision to life through motion graphics. The animated e-Card was intended to be sent via email and WeChat, popular messaging apps used in China, to their clients and employees to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The project presented a unique challenge: a tight deadline of just 5 days to encompass concept development, animation, and delivery. Further complicating matters was the delay in finalizing the storyboard. Two creative directions were presented, but the selection process extended beyond our initial planning window. This uncertainty meant I had to strategize my approach to maximize efficiency while maintaining flexibility.

Animated e-Card

Three screen ratio versions (16:9, 9:16, and 1:1)

Versions with the chairman's signature and a generic greeting with 2 languages (Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese)

To celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Year of the Dragon, we decided to draw inspiration from the ancient art form of Chinese shadow puppetry. This traditional storytelling method uses flat, articulated figures manipulated by rods to create captivating silhouettes on a screen.

Inspired by the expressive movements and captivating simplicity of shadow puppets, I focused on creating a dynamic dragon animation that captured the essence of the art form. This meant focusing on bold shapes, fluid movement, and leveraging negative space to create a visually stunning experience.

With two storyboard options on the table, neither finalized, time was of the essence. To maximize efficiency, we adopted an agile approach. Instead of waiting for storyboard approval, in the first two days, I researched After Effects plugins for optimal animation delivery and began the crucial rigging process – meticulously separating the artwork into individual layers for seamless animation.

Fortunately, the first storyboard was the chosen one, eliminating the need for last-minute adjustments. This provided a crucial advantage, as I had already begun animating the dragon using the approved artwork.

The remaining three days were solely focused on animation. By leveraging pre-production planning and a proactive approach, I was able to deliver a stunning and timely e-Card. The animation brought the dragon to life, drawing inspiration from the rich history of Chinese shadow puppetry.

Beyond the stunning animation, I also provided EY with a comprehensive guide in PDF format. This detailed document outlines the project’s structure, navigates the After Effects document, and includes a list of required plugins with download links. This ensures a smooth handover and empowers EY’s team to make future revisions with ease, should the need arise.

The project culminated in a highly successful delivery. The animated e-Card not only met all client requirements for format and language variations (Simplified and Traditional Chinese) but also surpassed their expectations. The creative team at EY expressed their extreme satisfaction with the final product, highlighting the animation’s exceptional quality. This positive feedback suggests that the project has set a new standard for future motion graphics projects within their team, raising the bar for what they believe can be achieved.

The success of this project hinged on a three-pronged approach that emphasized proactive planning, adaptability, and a laser focus on execution. Proactive research on plugins and rigging saved time during animation. Flexible allocation of resources based on evolving needs ensured efficiency. Finally, laser focus on animation during the final stretch ensured high-quality delivery.