Brief 4 - Childline - Evaluation

The illustrations placed in context show how it fits with the existing Childline brand and aesthetic, the designs don’t look out of place. Similarly, when looking at the gifs placed into the context where they are most likely going to be seen, such as the likes of the Child - line App, it means that even when children or teens are waiting or not necessarily at the centre of the Child-line social media channels, they still feel a part of that safe, welcoming environment.

The concept of representing feelings by focusing on the weather means the designs are relatable and don’t focus on specific worries or issues, meaning they can speak and reach out to everyone, especially the large range of ages. The designs also focus on the message of ‘show don’t tell’, as they are quite abstract, meaning they can be read into and are generalised to communicate to the spectrum of different ages, feelings and thoughts.

The illustrations and gifs are successful as they build on Child-line’s existing atmosphere of a welcoming environment and allow children and teens to be reassured. Especially as they are in keeping with the existing hand drawn feel, which speaks to the target audience on their level without being patronising. The designs are versatile and can easily be scaled up or down, individual shapes can be taken out and used in various ways across the range of platforms.

In terms of evaluating any changes or negative aspects of the designs, one main issue is probably the level of difficulty of animating, further more sophisticated animations could have been developed if the both skills and more time was there. Also the target age range, children and teens are very different from age 13 to 18, therefore it was difficult to communicate to everyone, however the design has been created to be relatable and generalised to the broad audience.

Ultimately the designs meet the brief and more in terms of putting teenagers minds at rest and help them to relate to and express their worries and problems in a protected, welcoming environment.