City of Bend: How the Budget Works Animation
Animation I created to simplify and demystify how the City of Bend's budget works, making it accessible and engaging for everyone in our community.
Role
Motion Designer
Platform
Web / Social
Tool Stack
Adobe Illustrator / After Effects / Premiere Pro
Background
It’s generally agreed that budgeting is not a fun topic. Through this animated explainer, my goal was to break down the budgeting process into straightforward visuals and clear language, empowering citizens with the knowledge they need to better understand where their tax dollars go, how financial decisions are made, and how they can actively participate in shaping the future of Bend.
Implementation
I worked with the Finance Department to understand the process—where the money comes from and where it goes—and collaborated with the Communications Department director to write the script.
I then recorded the city manager reading the script, and connected with a local bluegrass band to provide the background music. From there, I sketched out storyboards, then drew elements in Illustrator and pulled them into After Effects to animate.
The resulting video has been used countless times by the City and its partners to help explain a complex topic.
Learnings
The biggest lesson learned from this experience was how to use After Effects! I had never used the software or made an animation before, so I used this opportunity to learn a fun new skill! I now have a much deeper understanding of the mechanics of animation that I can leverage when working with animators or generative tools like Sora or Stable Diffusion.