A Penguin’s Dream – After Effects and Illustrator Workflow
The goal of this project was to deliver an engaging short-form animation, and the creation of “A Penguin’s Dream” demonstrates a portion of my abilities in 2D animation, After Effects workflows, and character-driven narratives. This 15-second short animation was part of a school project but showcases professional skills in storyboarding, animation production, and motion graphics using Adobe After Effects and Adobe Illustrator.
Project Overview:
“A Penguin’s Dream” is a 15 second emotional animated diorama that features a small penguin floating on an iceberg. The penguin looks around with a sigh until a hot air balloon appears in the distance. As the music tempo picks up, the balloon lands, inviting the penguin to hop aboard and fulfill its dream of flying. The entire animation was produced using Adobe After Effects for the animation and Illustrator for the character design, with additional assets from Envato Elements and Adobe Stock for sound, backgrounds, and visual extras.
Disclaimer:
This video was created for a college assignment and does not feature any product endorsements or sponsorships.
Storyboard
For the sake of your time, I have created my storyboard into a short 6 frame animatic describing the scenes as they could happen. This storyboard is very crude and is intended to allow my clients to get a glimpse of my idea without spending too much time on concept before it’s been approved for animating.
Pre-Production: Storyboarding and Asset Creation
The animation process began with a detailed storyboard, developed using Adobe Illustrator and a sketch pad & pencil to plot out key moments and transitions. The goal was to keep the animation engaging while ensuring it flowed smoothly within the 15-second timeframe. This stage involved gathering feedback and making adjustments based on critiques, especially for pacing and visual impact.
The penguin character was retrieved from Adobe Stock and then modified and I built the front facing penguin into multiple positions for me to animate. I redesigned in Adobe Illustrator, along with the iceberg and other assets. To enhance the visual appeal, I used high-quality graphics from Envato Elements and Adobe Stock, ensuring the overall look remained professional and cohesive.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Like any project, there were “oops!” moments. The Penguin’s initial flying motion was too stiff, but I refined the animation path to add a natural flow. I also encountered sound sync issues with the music, which led me to source better background audio from Envato Elements, improving the overall emotional tone of the animation.
Another learning moment came when the animation felt rushed at times and the wing movement seemed unnatural at first, prompting me to revisit pacing and timing in After Effects to make each scene feel balanced, even within the limited 15-second runtime.
Results and Delivery
After about four weeks of work, “A Penguin’s Dream” was finalized, combining creative storytelling with technical expertise in motion graphics. This short animation demonstrates the capacity to produce professional-quality animations that resonate emotionally with viewers, even in brief formats. It highlights my ability to manage the entire process, from storyboarding and asset creation to final edits and delivery.
Conclusion
Though produced for academic purposes, “A Penguin’s Dream” underscores Digi Design Group’s ability to deliver high-quality, creative animation using After Effects and Illustrator workflows. This project is a testament to my skills in 2D animation, visual storytelling, and production, all of which I look forward to continuing in future projects.
