The Great Courses, a globally recognized provider of educational video and audio content, has enriched audiences with high-quality courses across a vast array of subjects. From history and science to wellness and fine arts, The Great Courses brings world-class knowledge to people’s screens, offering deep dives into topics like The US Constitution, Appreciating Great Works of Piano, Understanding Financial Markets, and many more. For four years, PUREi partnered with The Great Courses’ internal creative team, contributing our expertise to produce video assets and animated openers that visually enhance and brand each course.
Collaborative Project Management for Large-Scale Course Production
With over 50 courses requiring assets and openers, PUREi worked closely with The Great Courses’ design team to create a seamless workflow for each project. The Great Courses would provide our team with the course title, style requirements, and a detailed list of assets needed for each series. Each project required close coordination, as our team delivered a mix of static visual assets and animated openers. By utilizing our proprietary project tracking software, Trackfront, we maintained clear, streamlined communication with The Great Courses, enabling both teams to manage multiple projects at any given time without missing a beat.
Crafting Educational Visuals with Adobe Illustrator
For each course, PUREi’s team of designers used Adobe Illustrator to create vector-based visuals that supported each course’s instructional material. These assets ranged from detailed maps and charts to tables and other explanatory visuals. Our aim was to help viewers better understand complex topics by providing clean, effective graphics that complemented the narration and course material. The visual assets we created were designed not only to inform but also to engage, providing an educational and visually cohesive experience across each video series.
These visual aids were essential for subjects that benefit from illustration, such as the geographical layout of Egypt’s Nile for the Egypt Nile course or the structures of governance for The US Constitution course. By working with The Great Courses’ design team, we ensured each asset maintained a consistent look and feel, tailored to each course’s unique tone and instructional style.
Bringing Course Titles to Life with Animated Video Openers
In addition to static visuals, PUREi created dynamic animated openers for numerous courses. Each animated opener served as a welcoming introduction to set the stage for the topic and tone of the series. For each opener, PUREi received the course titles, photos, and any other media from The Great Courses, then worked on animating these elements in a way that conveyed the essence of each subject.
Whether it was a historical focus like the Spanish Civil War or a complex financial topic like Understanding Financial Markets, each animated opener was designed to capture the viewer’s interest immediately and provide a brief, visual hint of what they could expect. These animated openers became an essential branding element, unifying The Great Courses’ extensive library with a professional, engaging opening sequence.
Long-Term Collaboration and Efficient Workflow
Over four years of collaboration, PUREi completed assets and openers for approximately 50 courses. Trackfront played a central role in managing this high-volume workload, enabling efficient tracking of tasks and clear communication with The Great Courses. Through Trackfront, both teams could monitor progress, review updates, and coordinate feedback seamlessly across projects. This tool allowed PUREi to meet tight deadlines and manage an ongoing flow of projects without sacrificing quality or attention to detail.
Our partnership with The Great Courses required not only creative execution but also logistical excellence, as each course had unique requirements and expectations. By maintaining a strong collaborative relationship, PUREi was able to deliver educational and visually compelling assets that supported The Great Courses’ mission of delivering quality educational content worldwide.
A Lasting Impact on Educational Media
PUREi’s work for The Great Courses continues to reach audiences worldwide, bringing topics from ancient history to modern finance to life with vivid visuals and engaging animations. The assets and openers we created are integral to the viewer’s learning experience, helping make complex subjects more approachable and visually memorable. Through our work, PUREi has supported The Great Courses’ commitment to education and enrichment, contributing to a library of content that will inspire and inform learners for years to come.
