Lemonly signs off every explainer video in Boords, from sketch to full design, before animation starts

Video has grown dramatically as a Lemonly service over the past ten years, and the studio's process puts most of the decisions at the storyboard stage. Storyboards are split into two phases, sketch and full design, and each phase typically goes through up to two rounds of client review, with an internal proof and QA pass before every client round.

“A typical video project might have up to four client-facing storyboard versions between those stages, so having a simple, polished way to present storyboards and gather feedback is a big win for our video process.”

Multiply that by the number of videos in flight, and the review layer becomes the thing that makes or breaks the schedule. The alternative Amy Moore still sees at other agencies is the manual one: a storyboard assembled by hand and passed around as a PDF with comments.

Lemonly's "lemons-to-lemonade" process starts with Ingredients, the studio's version of a creative brief, then a kickoff, then the script. With the script set, the copywriter, designer, animator, and creative director brainstorm the visual direction, the metaphors, motifs, storylines, and key beats. Then the storyboard work begins, in two phases.

“Starting with sketches lets us plan out each frame in low fidelity, so we can align on the direction and composition before illustrating everything.”

The moodboard is compiled at the same time as the sketches, and Lemonly presents it in Boords right alongside the storyboard, so the client has one link to review. Once the sketch board is approved, the scenes are designed in full colour and detail, sometimes starting with a few sample frames before every frame of the video. Only then does animation start.

“Being able to easily present the frame, script, and animation description side-by-side is one of those simple-yet-transformative features that makes the entire process go smoothly. Clients can easily understand how their video is coming together, even if they've never worked with a video agency before.”

Lemonly started using Boords around 2016. Ten years and 800+ storyboards later, the biggest change is not how the studio uses it.

“Honestly, the biggest change is probably in how much we use it. Video has grown dramatically as a service for us in the past 10 years, and it's now one of the things we do the most. Having a trusted tool we love using has made that growth easier.”

The next stretch is more live-action, mixed-media, and 3D work, where planning a shot list carries more logistics than designing an illustrated frame, and the storyboard matters more, not less.

“I can't picture our video process without Boords. It makes sharing and collaborating on storyboards feel simple and polished for both first-time clients and experienced team members.”

That is what the sign-off layer looks like after a decade in one studio. Not a tool the team thinks about, but the step every video goes through before anyone animates a frame.