Final animated SVG hero section for the Holiday Outlook homepage

A Decade of Insight, Reimagined for What’s Next

2024 marked the 10th anniversary of PwC’s Holiday Outlook—a decade-long compass for decoding consumer sentiment during the most defining shopping season of the year. This year, we stood at an intersection: one foot in the legacy of past reports, the other reaching into a retail future shaped by AI, shifting generational dynamics, and post-pandemic recalibrations.

Using GenAI “Firefly” to render concepts and color versions for rapid review and concept assisting.

My Role

As UX Designer and concept lead, I was tasked with turning data into something you could feel. This wasn’t just about layouts or logic—it was about atmosphere. From the beginning, I envisioned a digital experience that moved like a story and felt like a conversation. It had to inform, yes—but also invite.

To do that, I worked closely with our illustrator and animator to build a visual language that blended personality with precision. This year, we introduced generative AI into our creative workflow—specifically Adobe Firefly—as a means to accelerate and diversify our concepting process. What once took days of sketching became hours of visual experimentation. We explored dozens of illustration styles, compositional ideas, and tone variations before a single pencil hit paper.

The result? Over a 25% reduction in concepting time—and a sharper creative direction because of it. Firefly didn’t replace the artistry; it opened the door to more possibilities, faster. What emerged was a visual system that reflected both the warmth of tradition and the sheen of tech-forward modernity.

On the UX side, I also partnered with development to ensure the experience flowed seamlessly across screens, moments, and modalities.

Customized page sections

Design Strategy: Where Tradition Meets Technology

We leaned into contrast—cozy, analog textures set against crisp, digital components. The illustrations nodded to in-store rituals, while the UI hinted at AI-assisted futures. It was all intentional, all in service of the report’s core message: the holidays are no longer binary. They’re both nostalgia and novelty. Memory and machine.

Interactive infographics grounded the narrative. For example:

  • Gen Z’s section came alive with toggle-based data views and animations that played with the theme of conscious consumerism and self-gifting.

  • Boomers, meanwhile, were met with simplified flows and responsive layouts that reflected their preference for intuitive digital convenience.

From omnichannel shopping stories to emerging AI tools, every touchpoint was a design decision rooted in empathy.

Select slides for presentation

The Impact

More than a seasonal report, this became a case study in collaborative, future-ready storytelling. It proved how UX design—when fused with illustration, animation, and now generative AI—can elevate even the most complex research into something resonant, memorable, and human.

The Team

  • Design – Ryan Ganley, Cedric Cummings, Chris Tepler
  • Illustration – Cedric Cummings
  • Generative AI Concepting – Adobe Firefly
  • Animated Charts – Shannon Andriese
  • SVG Animations – J Bradley Johnson
  • Copywriting – Alyssa McCallan
  • Account Management – Lisa Moorman