Post-production Supervisor & Animation

From 2018 to 2020, I collaborated with the Microsoft Brand team to elevate and experiment with innovative ways of presenting Microsoft branding in videos. Below are examples of the brand explorations I led with my motion graphics team at Microsoft.

Microsoft

Common Intro

When I started at Microsoft, we used standardized intros and outros for everything. However, over time, I received requests for variations to these graphics to brand a Microsoft video in diverse ways. In some cases, we would bypass the standard text intro and jump straight into a customer story. In such scenarios, using our basic introduction was not suitable.

Manipulated Logo Animation

One of the initial areas where we began to think outside the box was exploring different ways of animating the Microsoft logo on and off. When I first began working on these tests, I was specifically collaborating with the Microsoft 365 team. These are some of the variations we experimented with.

Zoom Transitions & 3D Objects

Another alternative to our standard three-color wipe was employing a zoom transition and blurring the footage at the zoom's peak speed. This effect created the impression of racking focus as we transitioned from the Microsoft logo to the actual video footage. We also began experimenting with 3D objects to use at the beginning of the video, departing from the standard black and white screen typically used.

Updated Color Wipe

As previously mentioned, we used the three-color wipe in almost all of our videos. We wanted to try different variations of this transition, so we explored the idea of a mock-3D look that could be quickly achieved in After Effects.

Rotoscoping

Thinking further outside the box, we utilized the talent filmed for various videos to wipe on and off the Microsoft logo. This concept proved to be both enjoyable and effective, and we used it for several projects.

Text Animations

While working with my team of motion designers at Microsoft, I consistently provided direction on best practices for animating videos to fit the Microsoft Brand. This example illustrates the techniques I shared with my team for animating text in sizzle and social videos, ensuring consistency and alignment with the brand’s standards.

Animation - Thomas Nichols
Post-production Supervisor & Animation - Patrick Flaherty