Microsoft | Video Concepting | Storyboarding
When Microsoft partnered with TD SYNNEX to promote Windows Server 2022, the challenge wasn’t just to explain features; it was to make a deeply technical product feel alive, intuitive, and visually compelling. The solution became a three-video series, each built around a shared world that could hold every idea the scripts needed to communicate. And that world started at my desk.
Once Microsoft and our internal teams aligned on objectives, the copywriter delivered the scripts. They came with a strong narrative backbone and a few early hints of what the visuals could eventually become. From there, my role was to translate that blueprint into something watchable: a visual ecosystem that could evolve across all three videos without ever losing clarity or momentum.
I decided to build a stylized city: a living, breathing environment that could shift from quiet corners to high-energy scenes depending on the story being told. Within that city, metaphors became architecture: security could be a velvet-rope checkpoint; performance upgrades could be a theater transforming from black-and-white to full color; scalability could unfold through layered environments and transitions. Some assets I designed from scratch, others I adapted from stock vectors to meet the tight turnaround. But whether original or modified, every element had to feel cohesive, on-brand, and flexible enough for the motion designer to animate smoothly.
This hybrid workflow, custom design + strategic use of stock, was key. It allowed me to move fast while still building a world that felt intentionally crafted. I created the visual assets, the storyboards, the transitions, and the overall flow, making sure each video felt connected but still capable of carrying its own message. Once the visual package was approved, it moved to motion design, where animation, music, and voiceover brought the city to life exactly as imagined.
In the end, the series did more than promote Windows Server 2022. It turned a technical message into a narrative experience, one where visuals supported the story, and the story made the product feel understandable and real.
Credits
Jenna Ksaibati, Copywriting.
Chris Lagarce, Motion Design.
Jenna Ksaibati, Copywriting.
Chris Lagarce, Motion Design.