Societi: Kawasaki Disease

Client: Societi Studio: The Animation Guys

The Mission

Societi needed a clear, emotionally resonant animation to raise awareness of Kawasaki Disease, the leading cause of acquired heart disease in UK children, and drive home the urgency of early diagnosis.

The goal was to create something educational yet warm, capable of reaching both medical professionals and parents.

My Role

• Visual development and storyboarding

• Full animation and editing

• Voiceover coordination and sound sync

• Delivering a friendly but informative tone to reflect the seriousness of the issue while staying accessible

Why It Mattered

Many parents and even doctors aren’t familiar with Kawasaki Disease, and delayed diagnosis can have lifelong consequences. The animation needed to balance clarity, compassion, and memorability, all in under 90 seconds.

Visual Approach

I used a clean, illustrated style with calm colours, soft textures, and a hand-drawn warmth. Visual metaphors (like the child’s heart or symptoms appearing as visual cues) helped explain medical content without being too clinical. The pacing was slow and steady, giving space to absorb the message, with voiceover guiding the narrative gently.

To add a personal and authentic touch, we incorporated drawings created by young Kawasaki disease patients, lending a unique perspective to the animation.

Styleframes

You can see that before we went ahead with the childrens original drawings, I also drew a couple of characters that were inspired by, but re-drawn to be more 'industry' friendly (I guess) however I'm so happy we went with the original drawings. I used paper elements and hand drew assets myself, all within a 3D space that helped give it depth.

What Made It Stand Out

• Empathetic tone that avoided fear-based messaging

• Designed to be digestible across age groups and healthcare audiences

• Visual consistency across stills and animation made the message stick

Audience Impact

The video was shared as part of Societi’s awareness campaign across their digital channels and in partnership with health networks. The animation was viewed by a huge crowd and received a standing ovation.

Projects like this are why I value animation as a storytelling tool. It’s about using design to help make something understandable, memorable, and human. It can evoke so much empathy, especially these visuals that incorporate the children's drawings. How can your heart not throb? I’m so proud of the role this piece plays in public health communication.