"Like a weight has been lifted" - that is how our clients at the London Borough of Hounslow Council hoped their staff would feel on seeing their new explainer animation. Because they recognised that, regardless of the outcome, going through grievance and disciplinary procedures at work was an all-too-often bruising experience.
Challenge
Their challenge was finding a way to share news of this change, at scale, in a way that reflected their concern for the 2,500 people in their organisation. Instinctively, they understood the need to take a new approach to communication, to shape their message carefully and share it widely. 
Solution
Animation is a particularly powerful way to tell a story that packs an emotional punch. The Hounslow team wanted to make clear they understood the emotional toll of the existing procedures, and that a desire to create a happier and more productive workplace had been the inspiration behind the new approach. We could help them do just that - all in under two minutes of animation...
Our scriptwriter, Rachel, worked with the clients to distill their project into a narrative that would inform and inspire their audience to embrace with confidence the new framework and the benefits it would bring.
"The tone and balance of the language we used was absolutely critical," says Rachel. "Moving towards a system that encourages more informal communication to resolve conflict does not mean that grievances and disciplinary matters are being taken any less seriously. On the contrary, the council were implementing these changes to improve outcomes for everyone, and we had to make absolutely sure that was clear.
"It's so important to listen hard, particularly to their feedback on particular words or turns of phrase that do or don't feel right to them. It's a very careful process and it's the only way to ensure that the script does the job they need it to."
“We wanted the animation to feel sincere and honest - the team at Hounslow are approachable, accommodating, and ready to listen, so we wanted that to reflect in the visuals as well.”
Conor Kehelly, Lead Animator, Scriberia
Our animators chose a hand-drawn animation style that felt human, approachable and engaging. Scriberia’s lead animator, Conor Kehelly, explains: “We wanted the animation to feel sincere and honest - the team at Hounslow are approachable, accommodating, and ready to listen, so we wanted that to reflect in the visuals as well.
“We chose a more analogue approach to ensure viewers feel seen and understood. Instead of a slick, sharp style, we opted for a design reminiscent of poster printing. This approach feels more vulnerable and appropriate for a topic so closely tied to the social dynamics of a workplace environment.”
The animators used speech and thought bubbles of different weights and sizes to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters; internal unresolved thoughts look heavy and weigh the character down in conversations, while open positive talks look free and energetic around the characters.
“We designed the characters in Photoshop using a variety of brushes that mimic gouache painting. I tried to make every character feel unique whether it's their outfit being suited for a cold winter, or someone is wearing a bold coloured cardigan. Each character has, in small ways, brought their personality to work with them,” adds Conor.
Results
The finished animation is a charming asset around which the council are able to build their communications relating to this significant and positive change to their internal processes. It takes a sensitive subject and conveys, with real compassion, their desire to make things better and easier for all.
Ros Doyle, Head of Strategic People Services at London Borough of Hounslow Council, says: “We’re thrilled with our animation – it’s the lynchpin of our comms, enabling us to present the ‘why’ of what we’re doing in a simple and captivating way.
"And we think we’re doing that! The video is being really well received and it's great to use some of the stills in other comms to reinforce our approach.
"The team, led by Karen, have been fantastic. Really responsive, creative, adaptable to things we wanted to do and working to deadline. Many thanks to the whole team."
Watch it in full here: