NHS Children’s Character Development Project

This live client brief was set by Julia Wilkinson from Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with Vision West Nottinghamshire College. The project focused on creating a new suite of inclusive, child-friendly visual assets for use in NHS promotional materials aimed at children aged 6–10 and their families.

Students were commissioned to design a range of original characters that could be used across digital and print health promotion resources. The client requested approximately 10 character illustrations, alongside one or more digital assets suitable for use within wider promotional campaigns.

A core requirement of the brief was diversity, inclusion, and representation, ensuring that the characters reflected the real communities served by the NHS. Students were asked to consider:

*A wide range of skin tones and cultural backgrounds

*A balance of genders and identities

*A child using a wheelchair

*Representation of a child with a prosthetic arm or leg (where possible)

*Inclusive, friendly, and age-appropriate visual design

The overall aim was to create approachable, relatable characters that would help children feel represented, supported, and engaged with NHS health messages. The designs needed to be suitable for use across multiple platforms, including posters, leaflets, online content, and family-facing promotional materials.

This project provided learners with valuable real-world experience of working to a professional healthcare brief, responding to client requirements, developing inclusive design solutions, and creating assets with genuine social impact for young audiences.