Zora.Life

ANIMATED EXPLAINER | Landing page video
Direction • Storyboarding • 2D Motion Graphics • Cel Animation

To build awareness about the value of dreams, we produced a tranquil animated explainer for Zora: a web app designed to inspire soul-searching and personal growth.

“Nights through dreams tell the myths forgotten by the day.”

Carl Gustav Jung

The challenge

Zora (Serbian word for dawn or daybreak) is a free web app for interpreting symbols, patterns, and narratives that manifest during sleep.

Born out of the heart-felt passion of its creator, the app helps mindful people unlock their potential through a deeper understanding of dreams’ inner workings.

Our task was to design an immersive experience in the explainer video format. Our goal: to educate Zora website visitors about the power of dreams and introduce the app that helps decipher their meanings.

Our approach

The client reached out to us with vision, enthusiasm, and willingness to grant us considerable creative freedom. This made our collaboration the perfect culture fit.

After meeting with the client and analyzing the brand’s online presence, we set off to create the moodboard: a visual guide for the look and feel of the video.

At the same time, we began polishing the existing voice-over script. By touching up the wording and sentence flow, we ensured the narration is concise, descriptive, and captivating.

Document outlining animation style specifics, key elements, and effects.

Document outlining video specifications like formats and frame rate.

Defining the video style

The main challenge inherent to the topic was its abstract nature. We had to envision appealing visuals that complement, rather than compete with the somewhat complex narrative.

To achieve this, we decided to tell the story with elementary shapes and slow-paced, fluid movements. They proved to be a flawless continuation of the delicate and metaphysical narrative.

By contrasting vibrant and muted colors and gradients, we established a gentle undertone, designed to entice and engage the brand’s target demographics.

The animation process

After preparing the project assets, we proceeded to animate the storyboard. Each movement was carefully planned and deliberately paced to match the voice-over.

Moving ahead, we enhanced the atmosphere by traditionally animating key elements such as bubbling liquids and wisps of bright-colored, glaring smoke.

The final touch was adding textures and effects. We drew inspiration from the 80s VHS aesthetic, saturating the video with a sense of wistfulness and nostalgia.

Tweaking & polishing

Once the animation was complete, we inspected the rendered version to weed out any stray artifacts and identify any room for improvement.

The result was a well-rounded viewing experience that motivates website visitors to use the app and learn more about dreams’ potential by exploring the Zora blog.