Velocity Video Ad Builder
Evolving video for a vertical world
Design leadership and direction, branding
Flite 2016
Making vertical video ads effortless
In 2016, Flite set out to solve a growing challenge for marketers—how to transform existing horizontal videos into full-screen vertical ads optimized for social media. Traditional editing tools were complex, and most marketers lacked the time or expertise for custom video production. The goal was to build a tool that enabled anyone to quickly and easily create polished, high-impact vertical video ads from their existing content.
Leading the vision and execution of Velocity
As the product design leader, I defined the vision and strategy for Velocity, a fully web-based tool that streamlined video ad creation. Working closely with engineering, I led the design of an intuitive workflow that allowed users to trim videos, overlay animated brand elements, and generate polished, social-ready ads in minutes—without the need for professional editing software. The interface leveraged Flite’s Design Studio, ensuring flexibility while keeping the process simple and accessible.
Beyond product design, I developed the Velocity name and branding, working with marketing to create a strong visual identity that was integrated into sales and promotional materials. This ensured the tool had a compelling story that resonated with customers.
Driving impact and shaping the future of video ads
Velocity gave marketers the power to create compelling vertical ads in hours or days—far faster than the weeks it would take a professional video editor. By removing technical barriers, it made high-quality video ad production accessible to more brands, helping them scale their advertising across platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook.
Velocity’s success paved the way for Snap Publisher, Snapchat’s video ad creation tool, which continues to help brands produce engaging mobile-first video ads today.
Key takeaways
This project reinforced the power of removing friction from creative workflows—by simplifying complex tools, we made professional-quality video ad creation accessible to more people. Branding matters—a strong product identity helps drive adoption and success. And great design has lasting impact—Velocity’s influence lives on through Snap Publisher, proving that well-designed tools can shape the future of an industry.