The things I love to do with my work are encourage people, help them think, and bring the joy of feeling inspired – to help people connect with what’s possible and feel energised to give that a go. Mostly this happens with story-telling, or the power of well-chosen words turned into lovely focal points.
I don’t think I’m alone in having had a few weepy moments with the shock of our collective diving for cover to keep safe during lockdown. The work that’s come my way in the last few months has really helped lift spirits though, and thankfully it’s all been an opportunity to deliver on those values. I am very grateful to be able to say this.
One such project is a short animation I made for Tower Bridge when it reopened after Covid-19 lockdown. It was primarily meant to communicate new safety measures for returning visitors. With lockdown easing though, the thought of getting out and about again carried significant anxieties so I saw this film as an opportunity not just to deliver practical information, but also make something gently encouraging in spirit and emotionally reassuring too.
Stills from Tower Bridge ‘Welcoming you back to the Bridge’ animation
Here’s what I focused on, and why:
Style and design. I was lucky to work with lovely icons and palette already designed by India and her team at The Way Design, who got me in on this project. Good! This was super quick turnaround so storyboarding happened fast. I added warmth with graduated backgrounds, and softness in extra ‘echo’ layers which stopped it feeling too clinical. Gentle, human, but strong too – that’s what I was going for.
Music. I chose a track with a lovely light feel, something that would help the subject matter not feel quite so heavy. Instruments and genre both work for this world-famous heritage site but stop short of grand fanfare and triumph. At the moment, I don’t think that would resonate for most people! This is bright and optimistic, and a good tempo with plenty of cut points – useful as we had a lot of information to race through. But for one minor chord change which fitted with the appearance of the virus graphics, it’s a hopeful choice.
Familiar motifs from the Tower Bridge logo made it into the flow – hexagons and the quatrefoil used with gentle movement and in satisfying patterns reinforce visual branding. That’s good brand awareness. Help viewers know exactly where they are, and who they’re hanging out with.
Choreographed movement, with joy and a playful (but subtle) bounce in places, and a smooth transition from scene to scene. It all had to move quickly to hold attention of social media scrollers, but with enough space to get key messages over. Always flowing forward, like the river under the Bridge.
Script. Original copy was written in a very matter-of-fact, straightforward way to convey important information on the tower Bridge site, but there was quite a lot of it. To work in a fast-paced animation, I edited / drafted a concise set of captions which I knew would work and stay readable at the required quick tempo, with some kinetic typographic treatment to help legibility. The tone of voice, along with style of movement and music, was intended to be friendly, reassuring – it’s a time for some humanity in these messages, I thought.
The final animation has gone down really well, appearing on the homepage of the Tower Bridge website and streaming all over social channels. A shortened (cheerful yellow) version also appears on screens in the ticket office, matching the floor signage created by The Way.
“Ah Lizzie you’re a miracle worker. It’s looking lovely. Thanks so much for your sterling help with this the last couple of weeks. Always a pleasure working with you.”
India Rabey, The Way Design
Making all this happen for Tower Bridge to get its message out on time was intense work, but it was also lovely to throw myself into. Even in the midst of feeling my own anxieties about lockdown, I relished this opportunity to encourage people out of hiding with reassurance and a friendly sense of care and optimism.
I didn’t want this to be a dreary focus on the danger and weirdness that is this pandemic – we get plenty of that already. Instead, I wanted to create a helpful focal point with warmth, welcome and safety, and suggest even though we aren’t past it yet there is hope beyond Covid-19.
Creating something that helps us take great care of ourselves and one another, and inspires a little hope for the future – now that’s my sort of project.