Agency: Two Tractors
Client: SEEK
Project: SEEK Search Tools
Role: Art Direction, 2D Animation, Illustration
Platform: Social / Online video
The job search service SEEK Australia required an animated explainer that showcased the sophisticated online job search tools available on their website. The primary challenge was to find a visually compelling way to highlight these features, in what was potentially quite a dry and technical topic.
I pitched the idea of the ‘search’ concept, using the aesthetic of film noir and tropes of 1950s private detective pulp magazines. I established the treatment through references and style frames and then progressed to storyboarding the animation to map out the detective's journey and integrate the job search tools into the narrative. The animation transitions from topic to topic by flicking through the pages of a detective magazine and then zooming into pages which become a full-screen set. I incorporated many trademarks of film noir by using long shadows, dramatic contrasted lighting and moody atmospheric scenes with neon lights, rain and moonlight.
The final result highlighted the search tool features in a really creative and engaging way. The detail shown on screen gave a sufficient overview of the tools without the need to show literal screen recordings of user interactions on the website, which was a huge relief to the client!
