Skip to content

video-designer — playbook

Design and spec video for marketing, social, or in-product use. Output is a production-ready video spec a producer / videographer / editor can deliver against.

When to use

  • "Design the hero video for our landing page."
  • "Spec a 60-second product demo."
  • "Plan a YouTube Shorts campaign."
  • "What captions / formats do we need?"
  • "Spec the onboarding video for our app."

Inputs (ask if missing)

  1. Surface — landing-page hero / brand film / product demo / onboarding / help video / short-form social / ad spot.
  2. Platform — YouTube / Reels / Shorts / TikTok / website / in-app / OOH.
  3. Length — desired duration.
  4. Audience — Korean / international / mixed; B2C / B2B; age range.
  5. Brand voice — Toss-style / playful / formal / cinematic.
  6. Production budget — DIY / indie / production-company / TVCM-tier.
  7. Audio strategy — voiceover / music-only / silent autoplay.
  8. Existing assets — existing footage, brand video, music library.

Steps

1. Classify the video

Type Read
Hero loop, brand film, demo, ad marketing-video.md
Reels / Shorts / TikTok / vertical social-and-short-form.md
Onboarding, help, changelog in-product-video.md
Korean market specifics korean-video-conventions.md

Always also: video-fundamentals.md.

2. Spec the technical format

Spec Decide
Resolution 1080p default; 4K master if reframing needed
Aspect ratio 16:9 landscape / 9:16 vertical / 1:1 square
Framerate 30fps default; 60fps for fast UI / sports
Codec H.264 (compatibility) + H.265 / AV1 (size); WebM for web
Audio AAC 128-256 kbps; -14 LUFS for online
Captions WebVTT or burned-in (specify language tracks)
File size Target by use: < 5MB hero loop, < 50MB demo

3. Pick length

Use Length
Hero loop autoplay 5-15s
Product demo 30-90s
Brand film 60-180s
Onboarding video 30-90s
Help video 30-120s
Reels / Shorts 15-60s
TikTok 15-60s (up to 3min, 10min)
YouTube long-form varies
TVCM 15s, 30s, 60s spots

Cut to shortest that conveys the message. Default: shorter than the obvious answer.

4. Spec the script structure

For long-form (60+ seconds): 

0:00-0:05  Hook (1-second-grade attention grab)
0:05-0:20  Problem (what users face)
0:20-0:50  Solution (your product / value)
0:50-end   CTA (try it, sign up, learn more)

For short-form (15-30s): 

0:00-0:01  Hook (must stop scroll)
0:01-end   Single message / single demo
0:end-1s   CTA / brand mark

For hero loop (5-15s): 

0:00       Calm starting frame
0:05       Peak action (the "wow" beat)
0:end      Settle to start frame (loop)

5. Captions / subtitles

Use Captions
Hero loop (silent autoplay) None needed (no audio)
Brand film / demo WebVTT, multi-language
Social short-form Burned-in (open captions) — 80% watch muted
In-product WebVTT toggle, default ON
Korean any platform Korean subtitle always

Style: - Bottom 10-20% of frame. - White text + black outline OR brand color. - Sans-serif, condensed (Pretendard / NanumSquare for Korean). - Max 2 lines, ≤ 32 chars per line.

6. Voiceover (if applicable)

Choice Use
Korean female gentle Toss-style fintech, beauty
Korean female professional B2B, education
Korean male warm Premium consumer, automotive
English voiceover International primary
AI voice (Clova, ElevenLabs) Short-form, changelogs, low-stakes
Human voiceover Brand-critical, ads, hero

Honorific level (Korean): - 합쇼체 (~합니다) for B2B, banking, formal. - 해요체 (~해요) for B2C, lifestyle, fintech (default 2024+).

7. Music + sound

Source Use
Royalty-free libraries (Epidemic, Artlist, Musicbed) Most B2B / B2C
Korean royalty-free (Audionetwork KR, Pond5 KR) KR market
Platform-native trending sound Reels / TikTok algorithm boost
Custom composition Brand-defining campaigns
K-pop tracks Avoid — copyright

Mix loudness to -14 LUFS for online platforms.

8. Korean ad disclosure (if branded)

For sponsored / paid promotion: - YouTube: tag "Includes paid promotion" + verbal disclosure. - Instagram / TikTok: #광고, #유료광고, #PR in caption. - Public-facing ads: 표시광고법 compliance.

For health / cosmetic / financial products: KFDA / FSC pre-approval of claims.

9. Performance + delivery

For web: - Provide multiple formats (WebM + MP4 H.265 + MP4 H.264). - Include poster for first paint. - preload="auto" for hero, preload="metadata" below the fold. - Use <source media="..."> for art-direction (mobile vs desktop video).

For platform delivery: - YouTube: 1080p+ at high bitrate; YouTube re-encodes. - Reels / Shorts / TikTok: 1080×1920 vertical at platform spec. - In-product: HLS adaptive bitrate for longer videos.

10. Output

Use this structure:

# Video spec: <title>

> Surface: <hero loop / brand film / demo / shorts / etc>
> Platform: <YouTube / Reels / website / in-app>
> Audience: <KR / international>
> Brand voice: <...>
> Length: <duration>

## Technical specs
| Spec | Value |
... resolution, fps, codec, audio, captions

## Script / structure
<beat-by-beat outline>

## Captions
<language tracks, style, file format>

## Voiceover
<voice, language, honorific level>

## Music
<library / track, loudness>

## Korean compliance (if applicable)
<ad disclosure, KFDA, KFTC>

## File delivery
<formats, bitrates, file naming>

## Performance budget
<file size, LCP impact>

## Accessibility
<captions, transcripts, audio descriptions>

## Don't
<2-3 specific misuses>

Source files this skill reads

Verification phase (run before declaring done)

  • Is the surface category explicit (hero loop / demo / shorts / onboarding / etc)?
  • Is the technical spec (resolution / fps / codec / aspect ratio) explicit?
  • Is length within range for the surface?
  • Is the script structure (hook / body / CTA) explicit?
  • Are captions specified (language tracks + format)?
  • If voiceover: is the language + tone + honorific level explicit?
  • Is loudness target (-14 LUFS for online) specified?
  • Are platform-specific constraints (Reels safe area, YouTube spec) addressed?
  • If Korean B2C: is ad disclosure + KFDA where applicable addressed?
  • Is file delivery format (multi-codec, poster, HLS) specified?
  • Is performance budget (file size, LCP impact) stated?
  • Is reduced-motion / slow-connection fallback specified for autoplay?
  • Does "Don't" section catch 2-3 specific misuses?

Done when

  • One markdown spec, < 400 lines.
  • Surface, platform, audience, length explicit.
  • Technical specs (resolution, fps, codec, audio, captions).
  • Script structure.
  • Captions language + format.
  • Voiceover details if applicable.
  • Music source + loudness.
  • Korean compliance if applicable.
  • File delivery format.
  • Performance + accessibility addressed.
  • "Don't" section.
  • Verification passes.