STUFF I’ve MADE
Bench ✦ Product Marketing Video
Bench • Video • Creative Direction • Product Marketing • Branding (Jan 2024)
Bench Accounting is America’s No. 1 professional bookkeeping services and tax advisory fintech platform with over 12,000 U.S.-based customers supported by 650 employees.
The task → Create a two minute explainer video outlining Bench’s product offering and communicate the key benefits to drive awareness and encourage leads to sign up.
The process → We started with the script and began drafting out key sections of the video. As this video would be used as one of the first touch points in the customer journey, we first introduced the problem—business owners have a lot on their plate, and don’t have time for their finances—and then followed into the solution—Bench. The sections of the video covered how the product worked, introduced key offerings—bookkeeping and taxes—and highlighted value propositions, such as saving time and real time insights. My team and I collaborated heavily with the Product Marketing Manager and Product Design team to ensure we were fulfilling the brief, accurately depicting the product and meeting their expectations. We presented a rough storyboard to stakeholders and once we got approval on the script and creative direction, we moved ahead on creating a detailed storyboard. Partnering with a freelance motion designer allowed us to bring the video to life and execute the concept we had envisioned.
Creative direction and artistic choices →
Including a hero character to be present throughout the video—a small business owner who viewers can relate with and see their journey from life before Bench to after signing up
Using bold background colours from within the core brand colour palette to create contrast and distinct sections of the video
Creating simplified versions of the product screens as to not overwhelm the viewer
Pairing product visuals and stock footage of people together to create a balance that reflects the mixture of tech and people support that the Bench product provides
My role →
Collaborating with the Copy Manager and Product Marketing Manager on the script
Developing the creative direction for the video
Presenting the video concept and storyboard to key stakeholders for approval
Creating a detailed frame-by-frame storyboard in Figma which included voiceover cues and notes for animation
Collaborating with the Lead Product Designer on choosing appropriate product screens
Designing all the graphics and simplifying product screens
Partnering with the Product Marketing Manager on sourcing stock videos that were thematically consistent
Briefing the freelance motion designer on the creative direction and design guidelines of the video
Reviewing drafts from the freelance motion designer and providing feedback
The deliverables → Full video for YouTube and Bench website, plus cutdowns for social media
The impact → +134,000 views on YouTube in three months
“Working with Arshika was an absolute delight. I had the pleasure of collaborating with her on an explainer video project for Bench Accounting. Her design skills were in full display with the beautiful storyboards she crafted, laying the foundation for our project's success. As the Motion Designer tasked with bringing these storyboards to life, I was consistently impressed by Arshika's creativity and attention to detail. Her designs provided the perfect canvas for me to animate, resulting in a final product that effectively communicated the benefits of Bench's software in a visually captivating manner, which resulted in one of Bench's most successful video marketing campaigns in company history! Beyond her talent, Arshika's collaborative spirit and professionalism made the entire process seamless and enjoyable. She is not only a skilled designer but also a fantastic teammate. It was a privilege to work alongside her, and I wholeheartedly recommend her for any design project or designer role.”
— Matthew Henry, Motion Designer
Credits:
Art + Creative Direction: Arshika Chandranath
Storyboard: Arshika Chandranath
Script: Emily Copp, Arshika Chandranath, Monica Romaniuc
Design Asset Creation: Arshika Chandranath
Motion Graphics: Matthew Henry
Video Production + Editing: Matthew Henry
Project Management: Ariel Kellett, Monica Romaniuc