Case
Study
How to Dig a Hole,
a Simple Demonstration
Company
The Crossing Group is a horizontal tunnel and trench company that uses a variety of technologies to dig holes under rivers, mountains and infrastructure.
The Challenge
There is no really easy way to show how to dig a hole with photos, and the company was interested in very simple illustrations that clearly and iconically showed how their technologies worked. The Crossing Group already had explainer videos for many of its solutions, but nothing simple that would capture attention without giving an entire lesson.
How could we illustrate and animate short, 15- to 30-second clips showing how their machines work?
Solution
I created multiple animated GIFs that were very easy to digest. Quick and fun, and gave a very simple example of how each technology worked.
These ended up being a highlight on the website, making the Crossing Groups' expertise apparent within seconds.
My Role and Responsibilities
Illustrator and Animator.
Process
- Research
- Stylization
- Illustration
- Animation
Research
Working with the subject matter experts, I obtained documentation for each machine and its unique use case for each tunnel type.
Stylization
The Crossing Group had a strong visual brand and wanted the animations and diagrams to reflect that identity. I styled off their company's colours, using red (their primary colour) to highlight the tech and solutions, and gray (their secondary colour) to represent the environments where each solution should be used.
I also knew that this simple colour scheme would help with the GIF's overall byte size, ensuring quick load times on the website.
Illustration
We started with the static diagrams to make sure the company felt good about the information and how easy it was to digest. After completing the first one, it was obvious that everyone was excited by the simplicity of the direction and the amount of information being shared so quickly.
Animations
Once we knew that we were on the right track, I made all the animations. Since we were dealing with load times, I had to keep the frame rate low.
Outcomes
The animations turned out elegant and showed exactly what each technology could achieve in a limited number of frames. A tiny elevator pitch for the Crossing Group showing their expertise in a few seconds.