Illustration & Visual Narrative / Task 4: Final Project
Timeline: Week 11 - Week 14
- For this Final Project, we are required to create a 15 to 20-second poetic, life-lesson animated video with captions. The video must include:
- At least 3 sequences of animated illustrations based on a provided script (no need to write our own script).
- Sound effects, background music, voice narration, and script captions.
- The video must be in vertical format (1080px width × 1920px height).
- Final Submission Requirements:
- Adobe Illustrator file(s) (.ai)
Final Animated Video (.mp4)
- Sound, music, animation & captions
Documentation (.pdf):
Inspiration description- Moodboard
- Storyboard
- Script
- Detailed project info
- Design rationale
- Self-reflection
- Notes:
- Break the script into parts and carefully plan visuals for each.
- Example Video 01 - Click Here
- Example Video 02 - Click Here
- Assignment Brief With The Script - Click Here
- 1. Research / Ideation / Sketch
- 2. Digitalize
- 3. Animation Process
- 4. Final (Video / Documentation)
- 5. Reflection
For this project, I selected the following motivational quote by Oprah Winfrey for this assignment :
"Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a new way to stand." – Oprah Winfrey
1.2 Mood board Research on Art Style and Visual Reference
This two mood board is to help guide the art style and visual approach, I created two mood boards:
I broke down the quote through a mind map (Figure 1.3.1) to explore its meaning in depth. This helped me extract key ideas: challenges, Exploration, adaptation, discovery, and growth.
Initially, the first idea that came to my mind was quite straightforward — it simply involved displaying the quote visually without much depth. However, after receiving feedback from my lecturer, I was encouraged to spend more time thinking critically, exploring a wider range of ideas, and reflecting more deeply on the meaning of the script before finalizing my concept.
Taking this advice to heart, I continued to brainstorm and seek inspiration from different sources. Eventually, I developed a more meaningful concept, centering around a story of a boat embarking on an adventurous journey at sea. This boat would symbolize the challenges a person faces in life, while the journey itself would represent the process of overcoming obstacles and adapting to change. The final destination — discovering a new, unexplored place — ties directly to the quote’s message: “to find a new way to stand.”
After solidifying this core idea, I began thinking in greater detail about how each scene would visually communicate the different stages of the journey. Below is a breakdown of how I planned the scenes to align with both the narrative and the quote’s deeper meaning.
Story Line
- A person accepts a challenge and begins their journey. Along the way, they face many obstacles and situations beyond their control. Instead of fighting back, they learn to adapt and continue moving forward. In the end, they discover a new, unexplored place—a new beginning or opportunity that no one has reached before.
Element
- The Boat = Challenges / Journey
- The Sea = Uncertainty / Exploration
- Maps / Compass = Searching for Direction
- Scene 01 – “Challenges are gifts”
- Elements: Boat / Map
- Visual: A person holds a small boat and passes it to another person (hand above).
- Representation: Receiving an opportunity or challenge—whether to accept it or not.
- Scene 02 – “that force us to search”
- Elements: Boat / Map / Stationery
- Visual: The boat is placed on the map (at the starting point). The map is incomplete, with pencils and other stationery around to symbolize searching and finding a way forward.
- Representation: Accepting the challenge, starting the journey, and actively searching for solutions.
- Scene 03 – “for a new center of gravity.”
- Elements: Boat / Sea
- Visual: A top-down view of the boat drifting in the middle of a sea shaped like a compass to symbolize direction and guidance. Small fish swim around the boat, bringing life and movement to the scene, representing the journey through unknown waters.
- Representation: Being at the midpoint of the journey searching for direction, adjusting to change, and finding balance amidst uncertainty.
- Scene 04 – “Don’t fight them.”
- Elements: Boat / Sea
- Visual: A side view of the boat being hit by large waves.
- Representation: Facing difficulties or unexpected challenges, learning not to resist but to endure and adapt.
- Scene 05 – “Just find a new way to stand.”
- Elements: Boat / Sea / Land
- Visual: Through the lens of a telescope, a new, unexplored land is seen ahead.
- Representation: Discovering a new path or solution—finding a stable place after going through hardships.
- Original Idea:
- Initially, I planned to use water waves or water drop effects to visually suggest movement on the sea’s surface.
- Final Version Change:
- In the final version, I replaced the water wave elements with small fish swimming around the boat. This change was made to enhance the sense of flow and direction while symbolizing guidance and life within the scene. It also helped visually communicate that the boat is positioned at the center of the sea (the compass).
Overall, the main revision occurred in Scene 3, where the visual storytelling shifted from water waves to fish to better support the narrative and overall composition. The rest of the scenes remained consistent throughout the process.
- With the ideation and the idea part done I then began with a rough overall sketch to plan the visual flow of the animation and ensure consistency throughout each scene. This early stage helped me visualize both composition and animation direction.
Below are the scene-by-scene sketches and planned animations based on the final concept. As per the lecturer's advice, I focused on applying limited animation techniques to keep the movements simple and purposeful. Scene 1 Sketch Process
Scene 1 – Sketch & Animation
- Visual: A hand from above and a hand from below hold a boat between them, symbolizing the act of passing on a challenge.
- Animation: The boat gently moves up and down to create a feeling of motion and life.
Scene 2 – Sketch & Animation
- Visual: A boat is placed on a sea map, representing planning and the start of the journey. Stationery surrounds the map to reinforce the concept of searching.
- Animation: The boat moves left and right, representing indecision and the search for direction.
Scene 3 – Sketch & Animation
- Visual : A compass on the sea with a boat in the middle (top view) to show that they are on their journey, in the process of finding new stability or direction.
- Animation: The compass slowly rotates and fish below moving, representing searching and uncertainty.
Scene 4 – Sketch & Animation
Visual: Large waves hit the boat , showing it shaking amidst challenges.
- Animation: apply video masking techniques, such as overlaying rain and thunderstorm videos, to enhance the scene’s atmosphere. The boat also rocks back and forth to show struggle.
Scene 5 – Sketch & Animation
- Visual: Through a window or telescope-like view, a person sees new land ahead.
- Animation: The scene slowly zooms in and out .
Visual Explanation
The visuals for Scene 1 and Scene 5 share the same background style and color tone to represent the connection between the beginning and the ending of the journey.
Meanwhile, Scenes 2, 3, and 4 use a consistent blue color tone to represent the process and progression through challenges. This visual approach helps to show that the journey has a clear starting point, a connected ending, and a unified visual flow throughout the middle stages.
This use of color helps to strengthen the narrative: the beginning and the end are connected, while the middle emphasizes the journey of growth and adaptation.
I also used the Shape Builder Tool to clean up and refine the shapes to refine the lines
Also to maintain organization, I properly structured all the layers, keeping elements grouped clearly for each scene.
Coloring Process
After completing the outlines, I used the Live Paint Bucket Tool to fill in the base colors. I also applied gradients to certain elements to create more depth and enhance the visual quality.
Refinement Process
Throughout the refinement stage, I made adjustments to ensure better consistency, visual flow, and alignment with the overall color scheme and narrative. Below is the breakdown of changes made for each scene:
- Scene 1:
- No changes were made.
- Scene 2:
- Completely changed the color palette to better match the tones used in Scenes 3 and 4, focusing primarily on blue tones to create consistency and strengthen the visual connection between the scenes.
- Removed one of the land elements to simplify the composition and make the scene less cluttered.
- Added a gradient to the map to improve depth and enhance the overall aesthetic.
- Scene 3:
- Updated the compass design for a cleaner look and to ensure it fits better with the overall scene’s balance.
- Removed the previous water drop elements and replaced them with small fish. This guides the viewer’s eye, symbolizes movement, and reinforces the idea of the boat being at the center of the sea.
- Adjusted the background color darker to align better with the other scenes, maintaining visual harmony throughout the project.
- Also Changes the background colour
- Scene 4:
- No changes were made.
- Scene 5:
- Made changes to the center part of the scene to improve the perspective and composition, ensuring the visual directs focus more clearly to the discovery of new land.
- Corrected perspective issues for better visual clarity and flow.
- Added lighting effects to enhance depth and highlight the feeling of hope and discovery in the final scene.
Before starting the animation in After Effects, I created an animatic video to help refine and confirm the timeline and placement of the script, especially to plan where the voice-over would appear. This step ensured that the pacing, transitions, and synchronization between visuals and audio were clearly marked.
The lecturer also suggested exploring limited animation techniques, such as using video masking on top of illustrations, to enhance visual interest while keeping the animation simple and efficient.
Audio and Voice-Over
For the voice-over, I used the AI voice generator from Eleven Labs, selecting the voice “Bill” for a calm and clear delivery.
Voiceover website used - CLICK HERE
Prompt for the voice
- [Gentle, warm tone] Challenges are gifts...
- [Reflective pause] ...that force us to search...
- [Soft, thoughtful] ...for a new center of gravity.
- [Calm, reassuring] Don’t fight them.
- [Encouraging, hopeful] Just find a new way to stand.
The animatic video was compiled using CapCut, where I combined the background sound, AI voice-over, text, and visuals for a clear preview of the final flow.
This helped ensure that the text timing, background, and AI voice-over matched properly.
For Scene 1, I created a simple looping animation where the boat gently moves up and down to symbolize movement. The light behind the boat glows with a subtle pulsing effect.
In Scene 2, the boat moves left and right to show hesitation or indecision, symbolizing the process of figuring out the right direction. The map beneath also moves subtly to suggest the boat progressing forward.
For Scene 3, the compass rotates slowly, representing the idea of searching and reorienting one’s direction. This ties directly to the quote about finding a new center of gravity. The fish below will also move slowly move to show movement in the illustration.
In Scene 4, the animation focuses on the boat rocking forward and backward to depict the struggle against strong waves. I enhanced the scene by masking video layers of rain and thunder to emphasize the stormy, challenging environment.
The final scene features a slow zoom-in on the background to create depth and focus. I also animated the sunrise gradually using opacity and scale adjustments to symbolize hope and a new beginning. Additionally, I also used a circular mask with inverted transparency on top of it to create a telescope-like effect, zooming in and out to reveal the land ahead.
After completing the animations, I compiled the final video in CapCut, where I also added text elements, background sounds, and voice-over for the final polish.
For the AI voice-over, I used Eleven Labs (Bill voice).
For the background music, I chose Enya – “Watermark” to create a calm, comforting, and reflective atmosphere.
Additionally, I included ocean wave sounds (waves tapping on sand) sourced from YouTube, particularly for the opening, Scene 4, and Scene 5 to enhance the feeling of serenity and natural flow to suit the main idea of journey with boat and sea.
4. Final Outcome
- Background Music - Link Here
- Script Overlay - "Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a new way to stand." – Oprah Winfrey
Adobe Illustrator File - CLICK HERE
Final Video
- Final Video - CLICK HERE
- Final Separate Scene Video - CLICK HERE
Figure 4.2 Final Illustration View
Documentation –.pdf format
5. Reflection
Through this assignment, I have gained a deeper understanding that illustration is not just about drawing; it is about the concept and meaning behind the visuals. By analyzing the script carefully, I learned how to extract its core message and think critically about how to translate that meaning into a visual story. The visual elements must represent the story clearly so the message can be effectively delivered through imagery.
Throughout this project, my Adobe Illustrator skills have also improved significantly, especially in terms of creating organized layers, refining shapes, and using gradients to enhance depth. Additionally, I have learned and strengthened my skills in Adobe After Effects, particularly in applying simple animations using things such as scale, opacity, and rotation to bring static visuals to life.
However, I did face some challenges during the process. In the beginning, I struggled with developing the first idea and also during the illustration stage when I wasn’t sure how to visualize the script effectively. I managed to overcome these difficulties by spending more time analyzing the script, understanding its deeper meaning, and looking for more visual inspiration online.
Overall, this assignment has helped me improve both my technical skills and creative thinking. I have learned how to give more meaning to my visuals and how to transform words into effective, story-driven designs.
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