Role: Writer/Art & Creative Director
Agency: HMX

Everything flows

The new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and 2-in-1 use the latest in Intel-partnered AI to enable new and exciting improvements to productivity and creativity. These Lenovo Aura Edition laptops ensure users can harness this power in convenient and secure ways, while keeping their wellness front & center. We'll focus on how AI unlocks potential through two authentic commercial scenarios (one for each model). Each is given a ‘project’ that we see play out in a compelling screen-story that’s designed to showcase processing, app & OS experience and product design.

The screen content drives the video/s and we use it to link scenes with a continuous momentum. The overall message is one of bringing the latest PC tech to life by integrating sleek hardware, enhanced experience and the resulting work that’s completed.

Stories of productivity

The video is driven by what’s happening on the product’s rich and crisp display. We’ll devise a task or project that suits its key appeal. X1 Carbon is used by a marine biologist preparing a research paper, conducting empirical tests, measurements, and experiments on the go, fully leveraging the powerful performance of this Next Gen AI PC.

The assistance of AI runs through this productivity and we’ll fly into the display, weaving through layers of content and a representation of intelligence ‘behind the scenes’. Content might spill out of the display too, like when portraying location changes or all-consuming creativity.

As per Lenovo’s brand guidelines, we’ll use colors for screen content that contrast with the background gradients. The colorful 3D imagery will showcase the display and provide an enthralling visual world to explore in our two product tours.

Art direction

All the elements that build the X1 videos’ aesthetic add to the feeling of seamless flow. We want to highlight how the power of a ThinkPad X1 is channeled comfortably through a modern hybrid lifestyle.

Flowing animation & lighting

The Lenovo brand-color gradient we use in our lighting setup waves around the product, with reflections picking out design details. The colors then shift elegantly into the Aura Edition gradient and light effect. This simple, stylish environment allows the products to really pop as we glide across their slim and sleek surfaces. Changes in animation and edit pace reflect the features: fast and direct for messages of powerful productivity and more graceful for moments of lightness and wellness.

Integrated typography

The way feature supers, logos and stats are used adds to the sense of seamless flow. They’ll be integrated with product animation in 3D space and other times woven into the screen content that we explore.

Remixed soundtracks

Both X1 videos will use the same soundtrack from Lenovo’s audio library, but we’ll use the song stems to do two different remixes. This will strengthen the relationship between the two products while giving each its own flavor.

Scroll down to see a few style frames and the video.