Oxford University Press Case Study

Oxford University Press publishes over 300 journals in their Oxford Journals Collection, which they enhance each year. They required a video to visualise all of this data and to encourage libraries to supply their scholarly content in a sustainable manner for their patrons.

They presented us with an infographic that contained all of the data they wanted to portray in their video and also some suggestions for visual representation. Oxford University Press were clear that they wanted their data to stand out in the absence of a voiceover as they planned to show the video at conferences where it might not always be feasible to rely on sound.

The client also stressed the importance of keeping the video short with a fast-pace that would keep viewers engaged.

Working to a restricted length can be a challenge, especially when there is a lot of information to include in a video. This was the case here, with Oxford University Press requesting a video no longer than 40 seconds but also presenting us with a list of facts and figures to include. To tackle this, we always ask our clients to choose 3-4 key facts that must be included in the video and we prioritise these over the rest of the data provided in the brief form.

Data visualisation videos are very different for our illustrators than typical explainer videos. This is because the visuals need to be created around the data that is provided. A client gives us a list of facts and figures, or presents us with an infographic, and we create visuals to complement these findings. Sometimes the visuals are more literal, such as pie charts and graphs, but other times clients want something a little more imaginative so that they can stand out. For Oxford University Press, Dan thought outside-the-box to create unique visuals to represent the data in the best light.

The client provided a lot of fast-paced video examples for us to use as inspiration for the animation, so that is what we emulated when it came to the final stage of making the video. There was also a lot of kinetic typography included in the video because of the requirement for it to make sense without sound. Chris used a lot of fun, eye-catching transitions to engage the viewer and make the data stand out in a memorable way.