Helping kids to stay safe
Client: Vector
Vector’s award winning Safety in Schools programme required a design refresh to bring it up-to-date and make it more relevant to Kiwi kids.
Through developing a quirky, child-friendly character and incorporating locally commissioned illustrations with photography, we created a series of fun, engaging and educational materials to breathe new life into Vector’s schools’ programme.
The Brief
Vector is New Zealand's largest energy infrastructure provider; it owns the Auckland electricity network, keeps the gas flowing around the North Island and provides other services such as fibre optic into homes and businesses across the country.
Vector runs three free programmes throughout primary and intermediate schools in the Auckland and Taranaki regions, educating children between Years 3 and 8 about electricity, natural gas and sustainable energy. We were approached by Vector at the end of 2012 to redesign the materials that support these programmes, specifically to give them a more modern look & feel and also to make them more relevant to children in New Zealand.
The Solution
Our first challenge was to develop a central character to help guide children through the programmes. Working closely with Tauranga-based illustrator Ali Teo, we created ‘Zot the Energybot’: a quirky and clever little robot, built by Vector’s engineers from leftover materials in their workshop.
Zot appears throughout all of the materials, engaging children with bits of advice, facts and figures and also handy tips about staying safe around electricity and gas.
We developed a series of materials to support the programmes including classroom workbooks, website, display banners, stickers, brochure and promotional flyers. By using a combination of vibrantly coloured illustrations and photography we created a fun, visually engaging and fully interactive experience for the children.
