BibleProject
We were able to partner with BibleProject to help them create their 2021 end-of-year initiative. This included the vision for the campaign, videos, and websites. Scroll down to see more of the design work we created together. For the full case study go to our site.
A Small Animation Studio with a Big Announcement
The BibleProject is a non-profit known for creating high-quality videos for people who want to understand the literary, historical, and spiritual significance of the Bible. The company was transitioning from being a small animation studio to becoming a full-scale EdTech platform. They came to Underbelly for help announcing this as part of their end-of-year initiative. As a fully crowd-funded organization, the end-of-year initiative is crucial to the success of the company because it raises a lot of awareness among its supporters.
Colors Taking Shape
A multidisciplinary team from Underbelly conducted a three-day kickoff with key stakeholders from the BibleProject to gain a shared understanding of the project’s history, goals, challenges, inspiration, and opportunities. We aligned on a plan to first build anticipation and excitement around this new development with a Hype video and website, then later announce the details as part of their end-of-year initiative.
After the kickoff, we refined the visuals for the campaign. We needed a highly adaptable theme that could be applied to video, web, and other promotional content. We explored tools and techniques for incorporating animation into a physical space. This would allow us to showcase the BibleProject’s existing beautiful artwork in a new and exciting way. The concept of colorful projections interacting with real people presented an excellent metaphor for the BibleProject’s mission of bringing knowledge and hope to people through technology, art, and film. We created a series of animated patterns inspired by stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, and street art. The patterns would grow and expand to bring color, energy, and light to the darkness. We included imagery that speaks to the historic relationship between technology and the Bible— from the earliest days of the printing press to the apps and websites of today.
Lighting Up Screens with Design
For the websites, we were able to incorporate the visual theme in a way that was interactive and immersive. Through page loading, transitions, and hover states, we presented the viewer with something unexpected and delightful. The two websites (Hype & Announcement) would have a relationship like that of a tunnel leading to a bright open space. We used a dark interface for the Hype site and presented the information in measured stages. This approach allowed us to control the pacing of the journey and encourage the viewer to discover content and experience each section in a focused and intimate way. The Announcement page was light, open, and airy— enabling users to freely explore at their own pace.
Results
The videos and websites we created for the BibleProject’s end-of-year initiative were a huge success, receiving far more engagement than was expected. The Hype website received over 48,000 visitors during its short two-week lifespan with 21% of users opting in to receive the announcement email. Since the campaign launched in 2021, the BibleProject has expanded its EdTech platform to include an app, classroom beta, more podcasts, and an ever-growing animation library, thanks to generous contributions from supporters.
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