Level Up

For the Baillie Gifford Technology Solutions Graduate Program, we decided to pay homage to the retro style “choose your own adventure” video games, with each “level” representing a different placement in the company. As the animation progresses, we move from 8-bit style graphics to a full resolution modern style, showing the progression of the graduates through the programs visually by updating the illustration style. With multiple graphical styles, we intended for the illustrations to showcase how diverse the graduate program really is.

We knew our client wanted to recruit a host of new graduates in their technology solutions program, and the client had the idea of a retro video game style of animation. We loved the idea, but needed to convey the sense of advancement and progression through the graduate program in a visual way to showcase the key messaging.

That’s when it hit us. Our favourite classic games, like Mario, started out in an 8-bit style and changed over the years to what we see today. We decided to level up the graphics as our characters progressed through the program. 

As the graduates levelled up their careers, the graphics gradually changed from an 8-bit style to a high resolution, modern style once they finished the program. To achieve this, we used a blend of After Effects, Photoshop, Cinema4d, and Moho to make the animation and made the illustrations using both Photoshop and Illustrator.

Our animation begins by introducing pixelated avatars with low experience levels to reflect the beginning of a grad’s journey in Baillie Gifford’s program. Baillie Gifford invites grads of all experiences to apply to their program. Grads will experience through mentorship and learning new skills. Our animation changes resolution and style as the avatar plays through the game and gains experience.

Next the avatar ‘levels up’ to dreamy animation style and continues her mission along a floating pathway in a cotton candy city in the clouds. Once she’s picked up some new tools and partnerships, she collected tetris pieces full