Trauma Informed Practice Animation
Project Overview
At CDS Defence & Security, we were tasked with creating an animation to support the Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) e-learning courses for the Home Office. This 10-minute animation aimed to communicate the importance of trauma-informed approaches when working with people seeking safety in the UK. Through empathetic storytelling, original visual design, and a sensitive narrative perspective, the animation supports staff in recognising the human impact of their everyday interactions.
Details
Type: Instructional Video
Client: CDS Defence & Security and Home Office
Date: September 2024
Tools
Adobe Premier Pro
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Illustrator
Wondercraft
Skills
Creative Direction & Production
Storyboarding & Scripting
Video Editing / Animating / Sound FX
Instructional Design
The Brief
CDS DS were commissioned to deliver leadership and awareness training for the Home Office, with a key deliverable being a 10-minute animation. This animation needed to reflect the experiences of asylum seekers and demonstrate how small, empathetic gestures from staff can have a meaningful impact. The tone had to be authentic, respectful, and emotionally resonant, while also aligning with the Home Office’s brand guidelines.
I was the Creative Lead for the animation, responsible for shaping its narrative and visual identity from early concept through to final delivery. While the production phase was highly collaborative, I led on the direction, scripting, visual development, and audio execution, ensuring the animation could be effectively embedded within the wider eLearning programme.
Instructional Design & Analysis
To ensure the animation would resonate meaningfully with staff and reflect the lived experiences of people seeking safety, I conducted extensive independent research. This included studying trauma-informed practice frameworks, examining narrative approaches in similar projects such as the NEC Scotland animation, and exploring visual strategies that supported sensitive storytelling.
As part of the wider ADDIE-aligned project, other project partners conducted focus groups with asylum seekers. I carefully reviewed the insights and real stories that emerged from these sessions, weaving them into the animation’s narrative. This allowed the final piece to reflect authentic voices and lived experiences, giving visibility to the people at the heart of the issue, and making the example scenarios feel real, grounded, and emotionally truthful.
The overarching learning objectives focused on building empathy, increasing staff awareness, and encouraging trauma-informed behaviour in everyday interactions.
Storytelling & Design
A charcoal sketch and watercolour aesthetic was selected to create a grounded, organic visual feel—avoiding corporate slickness in favour of emotional warmth and humanity. This style helped convey vulnerability and authenticity, echoing the lived experiences of those seeking safety.
I developed detailed storyboards and early mock-up illustrations to guide the visual tone and support client understanding of the direction we were taking. The narrative was carefully structured to reflect the emotional journey of asylum seekers, with a strong focus on empathy and tension. To achieve this, I added nuanced layers to each story, ensuring that characters felt real and situations resonated with truth.
All design choices were shaped by ongoing consultation and aligned with the Home Office brand and accessibility requirements, while allowing space for the emotional gravity of the subject matter to come through.
Create & Develop
As Creative Lead, I directed the animation process from initial concept through to final delivery. I collaborated with a talented team of designers and animators who brilliantly translated my storyboard, asset lists, and rough sketches into expressive motion. Alongside overseeing the production, I also animated several scenes myself and refined existing sequences to ensure visual consistency and emotional clarity across the entire piece. Once the animation components were completed, I handled the full post-production edit, bringing together visuals, voice, and audio design to deliver a polished and emotionally resonant final piece.
One of the key creative challenges was representing trauma and emotional states visually, in a way that was both accessible and respectful. We developed a recurring motif: a squiggly black cloud that appeared above the heads of asylum seekers to symbolise the presence of trauma or PTSD. The cloud shifted and pulsed in response to emotional moments, growing and shrinking to reflect intensity.
At the client’s request, we also visually represented the fight, flight, and freeze responses using typographic elements that emerged from the trauma cloud—‘Fight’ in red, ‘Flight’ in blue, and ‘Freeze’ in white, This created a powerful visual cue that helped contextualise behavioural responses. These moments were supported by subtle but intentional use of motion, texture, and sound to convey psychological tension.
I also directed voice-over performances, ensuring the tone was compassionate and grounded. The sound design and music choices were crafted to support the story’s emotional arc without overwhelming it. Throughout, I worked closely with the client to maintain alignment with their vision, incorporating feedback across iterative reviews to ensure clarity, impact, and sensitivity.
Let’s Create and Collaborate
I’m currently freelancing and open to new collaborations, whether you need a promotional video, a multimedia-rich training solution, or a fresh take on digital learning design.
To learn more and view examples of my portfolio work, please get in touch!
Let’s make learning that has an impact with learners and products that clients are proud to deliver.