Client: Tank Exchange, Inc. - Palo Alto, CA
Project: Price Cap Plan Marketing Materials
Role: Graphic Design, Animation/Motion Graphics, Illustration
Tools: Pencil & Paper, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects
Tank Exchange is a tech company in Palo Alto, CA that provides fuel cost saving solutions to both large scale companies and individual consumers. My position entailed several responsibilities, such as graphic design and animation of marketing materials. As lead animator, I wrote and produced bite sized instructional vector-based videos to educate consumers on the company's various products.
Above is the 30 sec "elevator pitch" explanation video we released to introduce the concept of a Price Cap Plan. I wrote, illustrated, animated and cast the voice actors for each of these animations.
This video is a deeper dive into the mechanics of the company's Price Cap Plans. Targeted for companies in the trucking industry, the product was meant to help curb the cost of rising fuel prices for businesses that consumed vast quantities of fuel. This explanation video was the result of field testing we conducted to gauge public understanding of how Tank Exchange's Price Cap Plans work.
In addition to offering fuel plans to larger companies, the TankWallet app was also created for use by individual consumers. This brief video was created to demonstrate how the product works for these users as well.
Each animation involves a process of concept sketching, storyboarding, scripting, voice acting, vector creation, and animating. Here we see a split view of the characters being built as vector assets to be animated in After Effects.
Early sketches for "Chuck" our iconic jolly truck driver. We wanted Chuck to be an approachable and friendly character, so I decided to go with a less realistic and more cartoony visual style.
Early Storyboards for the Price Cap Plan explanation video.
A sample of the vector assets made during the creation of the animations.
In addition to animations, I also created digital marketing materials for the company's products. Below are a few examples which were sent to prospective clients as part of an email campaign. These materials demonstrate how Tank Exchange's Price Cap Plans performs over time using data obtained from the U.S. Department of Energy.
My time at Tank Exchange proved to be a challenging and rewarding experience. Working in the fast-paced environment of a tech startup provided many opportunities to adapt and grow as both an artist and as a designer. Beyond my role as a graphic artist, the startup environment afforded me other valuable opportunities— namely, I got to wear many hats and implement my problem-solving skills in the process. For instance, I collaborated with other team members such as the software engineers and product designers to conduct public opinion surveys, which led to the refinement of instructional materials and ultimately helped us better represent the brand and communicate our message to prospective clients.