When deciding on our animation theme, we considered topics like food waste,
over-consumerism, and human rights. However, the idea of focusing on toys stood out the most to us, as we all understood their importance from our own childhoods.
Our research showed that toys are used in therapy to help children express emotions and provide comfort. We also discovered that in the UK, 60% of children's toys go unplayed, highlighting a waste issue.
Part of the brief required taking inspiration from a text or quote. The most influential source for our animation was an article by the School of Life titled "On the Serious Role of Stuffed Toys." It described how children use stuffed toys as friends, with a memorable quote: “The child sleeps with it, talks to it, cries in front of it, and tells it things it would never tell anyone else.” This narrative emphasized the importance
of toys without relying on statistics, making it relatable and engaging.
Story boarding
We chose a simple color palette to emphasize our campaign message. The light blue background signifies calmness and relates to child abuse awareness. Yellow accents symbolize joy and the happiness toys bring to children. Adding a paper texture reduced the animation's digital appearance.
We selected the Marydale font because it complements the paper texture and matches the animation's mood. Testing different font sizes ensured readability on small screens while maintaining a balanced visual presentation.
From the beginning, we decided to use a consistent character in our animation. We discussed using photographed teddy bears and illustrations, and after asking our peers, we chose my illustrated version. As we worked on the animation, we added details like eyebrows and stitched hand pads to make the character more expressive and recognizable, especially in scenes like the Polaroid sequence.
Animatic & experiments