The UAE’s leading energy group, ADNOC, needed a clear way to communicate a range of HR initiatives across a large, diverse organisation.
Working closely with their team, We Are Alive was tasked with turning detailed, often technical briefs into short, focused stories designed to make complex ideas simple, relevant, and easy to follow.
The result is a growing collection of films built on a flexible visual language, consistent in clarity and intent.
The scale of ADNOC's new HR initiatives brought together a wide range of features, workflows, and processes that needed to be communicated clearly and concisely.
At the same time, the content had to resonate across different audiences, from employees interacting with these systems daily to senior decision makers viewing them from a more strategic perspective.
With tight timelines and multiple stakeholders involved, we needed a structured and efficient workflow to ensure clarity, consistency, and timely delivery across the series.
Simplifying complexity through strategic storytelling
We began by breaking down detailed briefs into clear, visual narratives.
Rather than presenting information as-is, each topic was shaped into a short story, focused on what matters to employees and how these initiatives support their day-to-day work.
Building a scalable system
From the outset, this project was designed to scale, so consistency and efficiency were key.
We established a clear creative direction through moodboards and styleframes, evolving into a flexible design system and asset library that allowed the series to grow as new videos were developed.
Designing for different audiences
The visual approach was adapted for different audiences.
For employees, we used character-driven storytelling, showing real-life scenarios across roles and departments, while senior leadership films shifted to a more refined visual language, designed to communicate at a strategic level.
Blending storytelling with product clarity
Each film combined narrative with clear UI animation, highlighting key features and user interactions within the platform.
This kept the content engaging and practical, helping employees understand not just why these systems matter, but how to use them.
A structured and collaborative process
With multiple stakeholders and tight timelines, the process was designed to be clear and iterative.
Each film moved through a defined sequence, from script and storyboards to animatics and final animation, with regular check-ins ensuring alignment and timely delivery.
The partnership between ADNOC and We Are Alive has resulted in more than 50 HR-related videos to date.
Together, we translated complex topics into content employees can easily understand and engage with, while giving senior leadership a clear view of their wider impact.
The result is a clear, consistent communication system for ADNOC’s HR, supporting the rollout of new initiatives and enabling efficient content development as the organisation evolves.
