Ixia Videos

During my time at Ixia, I've been fortunate enough to create a number of videos showing off our products and solutions. 

When I started at this job, I was relatively new to motion graphics and video production. So when it was announced to me that we could either outsource the job to external companies, or take on video production ourselves, I was nervous but excited to take on the opportunity. It would be a good chance to learn on the job. I had some faith in my ability to use the software (I'd spent a few hours in Adobe After Effects to build a video for the BeatStreet app I built in art school), but I had no understanding of motion graphics trends, and of what would be acceptable out in the real world. A competitive analysis of the videos being put out in our sector (by companies like Spirent and Gigamon) yielded results that looked staid and unadventurous. My boss at the time and I were unimpressed by what the market was doing. Even if we didn't have the skills to make something better, we knew we had the vision and mindset to ensure that Ixia's motion identity would be something that helped differentiate it from the competition.

As designers, we wear our influences on our sleeve. And so I went to the things that I always thought looked cool for inspiration. Among them: Gaming gear commercials (from companies like Razer and Steelseries), posts on Brand New (specifically from companies like Audi and Spike TV), and award winning motion graphics from companies like Virgin and Centric. We were drawn to the sleek transitions, the careful attention paid to type and animated type (the Audi Rings reel in particular), and the twang that gave these motion graphics life. With that, we set out to create our visual identity.

GOAL : CREATE A DISTINCTIVE IDENTITY FOR IXIA VIDEOS

We were lucky to have a robust brand book to guide our efforts. Elements like color, typeface, and writing style were already defined. We just had to take those elements and bring them into motion. 

What we ended up with was a look all our own. 

We juxtaposed the slick typographical treatments employed by consumer businesses with subtle textures and vector illustration elements. We focused on creating animations that were snappy, unconventional, and subtly detailed. Please take a look at some of my favorite pieces I’ve done.