Microsoft 365 Vision

This film was created to encapsulate our vision for where key Office experiences such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint were headed, a vision which came true with the release of Windows 11. Read the article for more context.

Stills I created to feature the UI evolution for Word, Excel PowerPoint and OneNote.

The creative process

In the look development phase we spent a great deal of energy on exploring lots of key moments for the video. These frames were to research ways in which we could create a scene to embody deconstructed elements of the Microsoft brand, and the concept of a “productivity cloud”, synonymous with Microsoft 365.

Productivity Cloud

This is ultimately where we ended up, using the idea of weightlessness and an inspired interpretation of a cloud shape as this holographic cloth to represent the cloud.

We also explored other ways of embedding the both logo of Microsoft and the form of hey app icons throughout the design of spaces, such as the shape of windows and the alignment of furniture.

Focused & Amplified

As a way to carry the notion of Microsoft 365 and the Microsoft brand throughout all scenes, we explored the use of caustics and light projections near and around devices and other objects, simulating a more fanciful spectrum of col

Protected

Security was another key topic in this story. In the final film we created an animated force field out of the same iridescent effect to simulate the production customers would experience with Microsoft products.

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Following the approach we have taken for all of our UX films, we developed a series of custom objects, furniture and spaces that were evocative of the vision we had for the products themselves. In this film, this approach came together in a unique way, conveying a more elevated version of our experiences than we could have done otherwise.

Connected

These sequences represent collaboration between many customers, showing bits of conversation, shared documents and reactions. We used realistic CG hands as a way to add a more human quality to the film.