Are you ready for adventure?
My final project focused on providing a solution for any problem through Graphic Design and then advertising the problem through an Integrated Campaign.
As a fervent reader and book lover, I realised that children around me, specifically those of close relatives, read less and enjoy reading less.
Reading really helped me to navigate through some tough situations in life, and it built strong vocabulary and literacy skills. And seeing these children being more entertained by their phones or TV, rather than reading stories or having stories read to them, caused the necessary concerns. I realised that it is a problem worthy of investigating. Even though it would be a problem that couldn’t be solved, it could be somewhat addressed.
The Solution
The solution is based on using technology to change children’s relationship with reading positively.
My father is an honourary ranger of SANPARKS and has the most amazing stories to tell. We captured some of those stories, to create a combination between a children’s book series, and an educational mobile game, about adventures in the South African National Parks.
The book series introduces children to the amazing and wild adventures of walking trails in South Africa’s National Parks, while the mobile game is applicable to each specific book, and invite children to partake in the adventures themselves, where they have to walk the trail as smoothly as possible, identify birds, trees, animal and tracks, and try to not make the same mistakes Jimmy and Essie did!
By The Baobab
The brand’s name is By The Baobab, which is inspired by my father’s favourite tree, the Baobab, and it also symbolises the element of sitting under a tree and read.
The logo consists of geometrical shapes, that depict the typical abstract African style, as well as the typical bold children’s fonts.
The colour palette consists of four bright and educational colours, each representing the beauty of South Africa’s nature.
The Book
The book series is about the main character, Jimmy, that walks trails with his family in South African National Parks, and all the adventures they encounter.
The first book of the series is about Jimmy’s first trail in the Kruger National Park. Jimmy, and his cousin Essie, can’t seem to stay out of trouble, and specifically trouble with the giants of the bush veld- hence the book’s name: In the footsteps of giants.
The books are available in English and Afrikaans in all Exclusive Books across the country, in the SANPARKS’ kiosks, as well as on By The Baobab’s website.
The Game
The mobile game is a fun and educational game, and when they scan the QR-code in their book, the children can download it.
The children can create their own characters and have to walk the trail (applicable to the specific book), as smoothly as possible, based on options they have to choose from.
Children can identify trees, birds, animals etc., in the game, will have to dodge animals, complete challenges, and scan the book for details they cannot see with the bear eye. The game will make children excited about revisiting the book and learn more about our nature.
The game is not addictive, as it is (firstly) optional: parents and teachers can choose not to have their children play the game should they wish so, and the game has limited options for each book. Even though they can replay the game, there aren’t really new features about it, until they scan the next book and download a new game.
Campaign- Poster Series
A poster series are placed in Exclusive Books and in SANPARKS’ kiosks. They include illustrations from the book, with captions that tell the viewer that they will experience the adventures of the Kruger when they use the solution combo.
Campaign- Billboards
There are two billboards with the same purpose and message as the posters: one in Afrikaans showing Essie, and one in English showing Jimmy.
Campaign- Website
The brand website is a simple, one-page website that introduces a broader audience to the brand and its purpose, and also creates a platform where people will be able to buy the book online.
Stuffed toys will also be available on the website as merchandise. QR-codes on the tags will allow users to receive additional points for their mobile game. A video about me going through the website is available in the folder.
Campaign- Instagram
The brand has an Instagram Page, which serves the purpose of sharing little snippets of the brand and making children excited about the books and game, and news about the brand such as new books coming out.
Campaign- Stuffed Toy
Every book has its own new wild animal stuffed toy which is available on the website, to make the story more personal for the children. The specific stuffed toy of this book is a Fluffy Buffalo (“Knuffel Buffel”). When children scan the QR-code on the tag around the stuffed toy’s neck, they receive 50 more points for the game.
Campaign- School Event
There are school events at primary schools, where representatives of By the Baobab introduce the books and mobile game at schools. A poster advertise the event at the schools, and the children receive a flyer and merch to take home. The flyer communicates the necessary information to the parents, and the merch are pencils with rubber wild animal eraser.
Campaign- Animation Advertisement
The Animation is an advertisement about the book and mobile game from the main character, Jimmy’s perspective. He tells about himself and his family and where the book will be available. The advertisement is displayed on the screen in the National Parks’ kiosks, and on places such as YouTube. The whole advertisement is available in the folder.
