Stage 1: Understanding the Constraint The core challenge wasn't just explaining crypto in 60 seconds. It was building a sustainable creative system that could deliver 22 episodes over six months without burning out or diluting quality. Early episodes needed to establish visual language, test workflows, and prove the concept could scale. The pressure was finding the balance between speed and craft.

Stage 2: Strategic Decisions Rather than committing to one approach, I treated the first three episodes as active experiments. I tested AI-generated visuals (Runway ML, Midjourney) against traditional motion design to see where each tool added value. This revealed that AI excelled at rapid concepting and visual exploration, while After Effects remained essential for precision, brand consistency, and the polished motion that builds trust in educational content.

Stage 3: Creative Execution I developed a modular visual system with reusable graphic elements, transitions, and compositional templates that could adapt to different topics without feeling repetitive. Each episode maintained a clean, dynamic 2D motion language while allowing room for creative variation. The key was designing a framework flexible enough to handle diverse concepts (from "What is a blockchain?" to "How do smart contracts work?") while keeping visual coherence.

Stage 4: Final Breakthrough The breakthrough came in establishing a hybrid workflow where AI handled early exploration and I retained full creative control over final animation and composition. This wasn't about replacing craft with automation. It was about using AI strategically to accelerate ideation while protecting the quality and consistency that makes educational content trustworthy. The result was a sustainable pipeline that delivered weekly without compromise.