Cloud Academy Art Direction
Beginning as the sole member of the production team at Cloud Academy, I initially supported the creation of cloud technology training videos developed by in-house subject matter experts. As the company expanded, my responsibilities evolved rapidly from lead animator to Art Director, and eventually to Senior Manager overseeing four distributed creative teams. This growth occurred following our acquisition by the UK-based company, QA. Below is an overview of some of my work spanning 6.5 years.
Making Complex Topics Relatable
When I joined Cloud Academy, tech training lacked polish, modern design, and relatable visuals. While trainers were skilled, the emerging generation of cloud engineers expected more engaging, narrative-driven content. My goal was to make complex topics accessible to novices without oversimplifying for intermediate learners.
Aesthetics
I added sci-fi and gaming aesthetics to many of the visuals to bring a sense of cinematic quality to help engage the viewer. This included some HUD elements, liberal use of lighting effects/particle animations, and subtle 3D components to enhance the experience.
Its About the Customer
The set dressing and aesthetics played a significant role, but I made a deliberate effort to infuse characters and narratives into the visual metaphors. Most of our customers were professionals aiming to advance their careers and earn new certifications. It was essential for me and the team to feature a diverse range of characters to add warmth and interest to the portrayal of cloud technology.
