Woodbury School of Architecture 2020/21 Lecture Series Campaign
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced WSoA’s Fall 2020 lecture series online, it opened the door to reimagining their traditionally static print promotions. Centered on the theme of Climate Justice—fitting for a time of global instability—the new digital campaign embraced disruption and the transition of order into chaos. A dynamic design and animation system drove the core digital poster, which began as a seemingly stable grid layout before elements began shifting and scaling in an anxiety-fueled loop—a loop reflected by the ever-present rotating brand mark of the school. Despite the movement, events remained carefully spaced from one another, subtly mirroring the concept of social distancing.
The campaign expanded beyond posters to include video and static assets for each individual lecture, generating such strong engagement that programming extended into Spring 2021 with a refreshed colorway. In total, the campaign produced over 85 assets across multiple formats, redefining how WSoA approached visual storytelling in the digital space.
The systematic, grid-based approach to the poster design meant that it would be easier to bring this to life via Adobe XD through prototyping with auto-animation settings, rather than spending additional time and budget with an animator.
The entirety of the full poster animation was 35 frames, set to transition at varying times as typographic elements scaled and moved along the grid system. Videos of the prototype were then edited into looping videos for digital channels.
This clever workflow allowed for easy creation of individual posters per event, as each animation relied on the same amount of movements before the next event was highlighted. The animation and layout system carried through to the social graphics, as elements shifted and scaled in frame to mimic the movement of the full poster.
