A storyboard is the foundation of any animation.
It’s a series of sketches with notes that show what each scene will look like.

Before any design or animation begins, we first plan everything in the storyboard.
We define what we show, how elements move, and where the camera goes.

This step takes time.
Sometimes as much as the design and animation.
But it’s necessary.

Why it’s worth it

Without a proper storyboard:

• Key scientific details may be left out.

• The message may not be clear to your audience.

• Revisions later in the process become expensive and time-consuming.

A well-done storyboard helps everyone understand what’s coming.
It gives you the chance to check and adjust before production starts.
It keeps your animation focused and effective.

A storyboard should not be pretty

We believe a storyboard should stay rough.
Not polished. Not detailed. Just clear.

If the images are too refined, the focus shifts to how it looks—
instead of what it shows.

In this early step, content matters more than style.
We want you to think about the story, not the visuals yet.

That comes later.

What do we show in a storyboard?

We define:

• What elements will appear on screen

• How big they are in relation to each other

• How they move

• How they interact

We also write short, precise descriptions for each scene.
This helps explain what’s happening and why it matters scientifically.

An example: Clot formation for Basking Biosciences

In our animation for Basking Biosciences, we started with sketches and clear written notes.
Each note explained what to show and how to show it.

Example instructions from the storyboard:

From now on, we will show the clot formation in a close-up view with more details.
We start with a close-up and slowly zoom out to reveal more of the clot.

Various proteins (represented as random blobs of different colors) are on the surface of the platelets.
The most important protein is glycoprotein, which we suggest depicting more realistically—shaped like a hook (reference: image link).

The von Willebrand Factor (vWF) strings bind to these proteins, and platelets adhere to each other via these vWF strings.

As the camera zooms out, we see more and more cells accumulating:

• Red blood cells

• Platelets

• vWF

• Fibrin (depicted as strings in a different color than vWF)

Important: The clot should appear denser at its core and looser around the edges.

In the animation, we need to include many more yellow strings (vWF) than are currently shown in the storyboard.

Once the camera fully zooms out, we see the entire clot. It should be densely packed with these yellow vWF strings, almost resembling yellow yarn.

There is only a small passage at the top, through which a few red blood cells squeeze through to the right.

To indicate a lack of oxygen, we will add a slight bluish hue to the right side of the image.

These details were clear in the storyboard, so no time was lost later.
Everyone understood what the scene needed to communicate.

The result

When you work with complex scientific content, details matter.
If they are not planned early, they are hard to fix later.

A precise storyboard makes the process smoother.
It reduces back-and-forth.
And it leads to a better final animation.