The Secret Behind Motifmotion’s eLearning Video Productions
After 5 years of surviving (and 5 more thriving!) as an animation and video studio - Motifmotion - the lessons from my eyes as a co-founder have been many. Among the most important has been this one:
The most valuable resource isn’t capital, clients, or even talent — it’s… time.
Because none of those things are possible to obtain without proper time. To think, strategize and create.
But in the world of a founder, time isn’t always easy to come by. This is especially true in the early years when building your business from the ground up.
So the question becomes: How does one obtain this elusive, all-important entity called time?
Over the years, I’ve come to believe there are three core ways to reclaim meaningful time as a founder:
- Create Very Good Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
SOPs turn recurring work into repeatable systems, reducing decision fatigue and freeing up mental space. For founders, they’re a scalable way to get consistent results without being involved in every step.
- Hire talented people who can steer their own ships
People who don’t need micromanaging and can move projects forward with confidence are essential, and then some.
- Utilize tech tools that create serious time-saving impacts
The kind of tools that quietly remove friction from your process and give you breathing room where it counts.
For us at Motifmotion, Boords has been a shining example of the third kind. To use an analogy that should make sense in 2025, it was a ChatGPT-level time-saver for us.
Back then, we were juggling storyboards in a swamp of Google Docs and Slides. It wasn't just where we created them — it was the process of uploading, commenting, and revising. It was making sure our artists and clients received different levels of access, and didn’t receive the same versions. Boords brought order, clarity, and alignment — both internally and with our clients.
Then, the Surprise — eLearning Animation and Video
But what we didn’t expect was this: how differently we’d end up using Boords depending on the type of video we were making, and how it would save us time in different ways.
Most production tools feel like they only work well for one format. But Boords quietly became essential to both our short-form explainers and our eLearning video production projects — two very different workflows.
And that’s what this post is about: how the same tool adapts to both creative extremes, and how your studio might be missing out on key opportunities in the long-form space.
Two Project Types, One Tool
At Motifmotion, we regularly create two types of video content:
Short-form video
Fast-turnaround, visually engaging projects like explainer videos, punchy social media ads, brand teasers, landing page animations, and onboarding walkthroughs. These typically aim to communicate one clear message in under two minutes, with clarity and personality.
Here’s an example:
eLearning video production
Instructional video modules, training series, and educational content tied to curriculum, compliance, or internal knowledge transfer. These are often produced in-house by corporations, but we’ve carved out a niche by delivering them with clarity, creativity, and scale — in large part thanks to tools like Boords.
Here’s an example:
Both require structure and clear communication. But the workflows they demand — and the way Boords supports them — highlight the platform’s quiet adaptability.
How we use Boords to create compelling eLearning video production
Structure is everything
When working on eLearning video production, structure is mission-critical. Each scene is tied to a learning objective or required outcome. Boords becomes a precision tool — the 1:1 script-to-frame layout lets us map visual content directly to curriculum goals. This is where Boords functions like a production control center.
By contrast, in short-form content, structure is more fluid. The storyboard serves as a creative guide, not a checklist. Boords helps us experiment with story beats, reveals, and pacing — in service of emotion and brand tone.
TLDR: Structure Is Everything
- eLearning = curriculum-first, linear structure
- Short-form = story-first, flexible structure
Annotations drive clarity
In eLearning content, our storyboards are dense with instructional notes. We use Boords to communicate what’s being said, what’s shown on screen, and how key learning moments are delivered. These notes help align subject matter experts, producers, and animators. Short-form projects need less of this. The annotations are often creative in nature: tone notes, style references, pacing suggestions. In many cases, the image does the talking. But with eLearning video production, detail is non-negotiable — Boords keeps us grounded.
TLDR: Annotations Drive Clarity
- eLearning = dense, instructional markup
- Short-form = minimal, creative annotation
Scalability over polish
eLearning video production tends to operate at scale. We may storyboard 80–100 frames in a single module. Boords makes that possible — its tools for duplicating layouts, creating reusable templates, and organizing scenes are essential. We’re not obsessing over each frame’s artistry — we’re optimizing for clarity, accuracy, and speed.
On the other hand, our short-form explainer videos demand tight, iterative design. Every frame is finessed. The pacing, the timing of each motion, the transitions — all get scrutinized. Boords helps here too, but in a different way: as a creative sketchpad.
TLDR: Scalability Over Polish
- eLearning = high-volume, repeatable structure
- Short-form = low-volume, high-polish refinement
Feedback that’s functional
For eLearning work, we’re often collaborating with training managers or compliance teams. Their reviews focus on information accuracy, instructional flow, and regulatory needs. With Boords, they can easily leave frame-specific comments and track revisions — even if they’re not visually oriented.
With short-form explainers or brand animation, the feedback is different. Clients are focused on story clarity, energy, or alignment with visual identity. They respond to feel. Boords flexes to handle both types of feedback — technical and emotional.
TLDR: Feedback That’s Functional
- eLearning = factual, outcome-focused review
- Short-form = narrative, brand-driven review
Closing thought
What we love about Boords is that it's flexible across our two core project types. It can offer a foundation for polished, high-impact creative work — but it's equally powerful for the kind of structured, large-scale eLearning content that forms the backbone of our business.
When you’re producing eLearning video content — especially material that’s reviewed by non-creatives and tied to measurable outcomes — Boords becomes indispensable. It brings everyone into the same visual conversation, makes handoffs smoother, and allows us to scale production without sacrificing clarity.
Whether you’re producing a few standout explainer animations or running a high-volume eLearning production company, Boords is the rare tool that adapts to both ends of the spectrum. Some tools help you move faster. Some help you think more clearly. Boords does both!
About the Author
Phil is a cofounder of Motifmotion.com - a Philadelphia founded animation and video production studio specializing in explainer animations, eLearning, and healthcare video productions.
