How Click2View Turned a Technical Biofuel Brief Into a Multilingual Visual Campaign
Swire Shipping needed to explain its Voyage 2.0 Carbon Programme to an audience that might not understand the technicalities, or find the subject engaging.
What began as a hybrid video combining expert interviews with animation became something more focused: a visually distinctive animated story that made the programme clear without talking heads. Its visual language was then extended across supporting fact sheets and adapted into English, Chinese and Japanese, creating a cohesive multilingual campaign for events, digital channels and Swire Shipping’s website.
BRIEF
Swire Shipping wanted to build understanding of its biofuel initiatives while strengthening its position in the sustainability conversation.
The original plan combined interviews with subject-matter experts and animated explanations. But a technical explanation delivered directly to camera risked making an unfamiliar subject harder to engage with.
Click2View needed an approach that could make biofuels understandable outside the maritime industry while retaining credibility with a technically knowledgeable audience.
RESPONSE
Biofuels are not an easy subject to visualise.
The animation had to explain what biofuels are made from and how they fit into Swire Shipping’s operations. Materials such as animal fat needed to be instantly recognisable without becoming unpleasantly realistic or overly cartoonish.
Click2View created an accurate and clear representation of the port locations, while the animated vessels had to reflect its actual ships, including details such as the number and placement of their cranes.
PROCESS & COLLABORATION
Click2View developed a stylised motion-graphics treatment influenced by futurist design, using layered shapes, shifting perspectives and textured compositions to bring energy to the subject. We had full creative lead on the project, including the colour palette, since the work didn't need to adhere to Swire Shipping's brand guidelines, with one exception: the ship graphic had to be exactly right.
Early treatments explored both technical, infographic-led imagery and more expressive styles. Through close collaboration with Swire Shipping, the final approach found a deliberate middle ground: distinctive enough to hold attention, but accurate and serious enough for an industry audience.
Difficult concepts were reduced to clear, universal forms, while maps and vessel illustrations were refined using geographical references and photographs of Swire Shipping’s ships.
The challenge was finding the line between stylisation and universality, showing difficult subjects clearly without making them overly realistic, off-putting or cartoonish.
As the animation developed, it became clear that the visual storytelling could carry the full explanation. The planned expert interviews were no longer necessary, giving Swire Shipping a more concise and cohesive format.
OUTCOME
The campaign gave Swire Shipping a clear and consistent way to explain its biofuel programme across its launch event, website, LinkedIn and subsequent events.
The supporting fact sheets included a QR code directing audiences to the online landing page and animation, connecting the physical and digital materials.
The work was well received across Swire Shipping's international business.
Most importantly, Click2View turned a potentially dry technical brief into a multilingual visual campaign that communicated the complete story, without the expert interviews originally thought necessary.
