This is bad enough animation

client
NHS Education for Scotland

brief
Design an animation base on the poem ‘This Is Bad Enough’ by Elspeth Murray. The aim of the animation is to educate healthcare workers responsible for treating people with major illnesses about what they should and shouldn’t do, to ensure their patient receives the most helpful, sensitive care possible.

concept
The animation was designed to subtly enhance the power of the poem and not to overwhelm it. The hero of the piece is the work by the poet, Elpeth Murray, so an abstract style was chosen to visually reference the voiceover, enhancing the emotion and meaning behind the poem. The colours and paper background of the animation were chosen for their softness and comfort. The first half of the poem is a description of the poet’s own experience of being treated for a major illness, and the second half is a series of recommendations on how that treatment could have been improved. Keeping this in mind, the colours used in the first half of the animation are monotone and moody, to reflect the despair and discomfort of the poet’s journey through the health system. The second half pops with bright, optimistic colour and imagery to convey the feeling of being authentically well cared for and supported. The words are spoken by the poet herself, bringing an emotive and deeply personal quality to the animation, which the style reinforces.  

skill set
conceptual design, illustration, animation, storyboard design, sound editing, project management, client management, collaboration