Video
Videos are a powerful way to tell our brand story and connect with our audiences. But creating a well-executed branded video is more complicated than it may seem. These guidelines can help guide you through the process.
Getting Started
Our society is used to watching high-quality video content and good video production is expensive. This means if you are planning on producing a video, you need to make sure your project is worth the investment. Consider the story you want to tell and why, your target audience, how your video will be hosted and distributed and more. Completing a creative brief before you begin will help your planning process.
Tell a Story
Videos you create should tell an interesting and authentic story that your audience wants to hear. Visuals should be action-orientated and should never be just a mashup of clips attached to music. Instead, find and highlight universal themes such as perseverance, friendship, experiencing something new, discovering a passion, etc and connect it to our Cal Poly brand messaging.
tying it all together
The elements you use while editing your videos are also important. Learn more about how to use fonts, title cards, animations, transitions, colors and more to ensure that your videos are not only on-brand but also accessible.
other Things to Remember
Accessiblity
No matter what platform you use to upload and distribute your videos, you need to provide accurate closed-captioning to ensure accessibility. In some cases, this may mean providing your own captioning or editing the captioning that is provided.
Metrics
View count isn’t always a good metric for video quality but consistently low view counts on videos tell you that you’re not reaching your audiences in the way you may like. This may mean you need to adjust your strategy.
Music
Music helps enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of your video. It’s easy to want to emulate our favorite movies and videos that incorporate our favorite songs but it’s not always that simple. Learn how to choose the right music for your project without violating copyright or other intellectual property laws.
Branded video examples
These videos are great examples of how to showcase our brand personality and highlight Learn by Doing in action.
Ready Day One
The Band Always Wins
Jake Javier
Virtual Tour
Botany 433
Design for Paradise
NEED ADDITIONAL HELP?
If your video project is intended for a large audience, our team may be available to help you. Contact University Communications and Marketing for more information.