Social Care Animation for Portsmouth City Council
This animation delivers a powerful and thought-provoking visual exploration of Portsmouth City Council’s essential services for vulnerable adults in the community. At the heart of the story lies a simple but transformative principle: rejecting labels and embracing the individuality, dignity, and humanity of every person in Portsmouth. Portsmouth being a part of our local county Hampshire made this project particularly important to us.
The animation aims not only to inform viewers of the services available but also to challenge assumptions and celebrate the diverse experiences of adults who receive support across the city.
This animation was developed to communicate the council’s commitment to equity and accessibility in a visually compelling way.
Supporting Vulnerable Adults Through Creative Storytelling
From the outset, we worked in close partnership with Portsmouth City Council, Hampshire to shape a concept that would approach complex and sensitive topics with empathy, clarity, and respect. Working from a client-provided script, we collaborated to refine the tone and narrative arc to ensure it struck the right balance between informative and emotional.
We then developed detailed style frames and a comprehensive storyboard, mapping the animation’s visual journey and narrative pacing. This early work helped ensure that the messaging remained consistent, empathetic, and true to the council’s inclusive values, all while maintaining a high standard of creative storytelling.
This animation is more than a promotional video, it’s a social impact tool. It’s designed to inform, uplift, and empower.
Abstract Visual Style with a Local Identity
The animation features a refined abstract style, using simplified character designs and smooth transitions to gently guide viewers through a variety of environments. These environments reflect the journey of individuals accessing support and depict the wider network of services, staff, and community members involved.
To strengthen the local connection, we illustrated a range of recognisable Portsmouth landmarks in the background, including key buildings, parks, and coastal features. This attention to local detail grounds the story in Portsmouth, Hampshire and helps local viewers feel immediately seen and included. It reinforces the city’s shared sense of identity, belonging, and responsibility.
The creative choice of abstraction also encourages universal relatability, allowing audiences to focus on emotions and ideas, rather than literal depictions that may risk reinforcing stereotypes or privacy concerns.
The visual direction of the social care animation was carefully chosent to ensure emotionaly clarity, tone consistency, and respect for those represented.
Respectful Representation of Diverse Experiences
One of the guiding principles behind this social care animation was ensuring that it represented the lived experiences of vulnerable adults with honesty and compassion. By using an abstract visual approach, we were able to avoid reductive or overly literal portrayals while still conveying the emotional truths of people’s lives.
This decision also allowed us to protect privacy, especially in cases involving mental health, learning disabilities, or domestic situations. The result is an animation that communicates emotional weight without compromising the dignity, diversity, or anonymity of those it represents.
The animation sends a powerful message: everyone deserves respect, support, and fair access to the services that empower them to live with independence and purpose.
Raising Awareness and Promoting Inclusive Support
This animation is a clear reflection of the council’s dedication to inclusion, accessibility, and social justice. It highlights the wide range of services provided by the council, spanning mental health, learning support, community outreach, and daily living assistance.
Through visual storytelling, we aimed to:
Challenge stigma surrounding social care
Encourage community awareness and empathy
Support frontline teams in explaining and promoting their work
Inspire civic pride and engagement
The animation is distributed across the council’s social media platforms, internal training materials, and public outreach campaigns. It serves as both an educational resource and a community engagement tool.
A Creative Collaboration That Drives Impact
This project was a true collaboration between our creative team and the council’s social care professionals. We are proud to have helped bring this important story to life through thoughtful design, scripting, animation, and sound.
For us, it represents the potential of animation as a medium for social change, fostering empathy, promoting dialogue, and building stronger connections between services and the people they support. Creating this animation from our office in Southampton, Hampshire was a pleasure for us.
Our team brings decades of experience in producing public sector video content across Hampshire, and this social care animation is one of our proudest collaborations.
Learn More and See Related Work
Explore our public sector and social impact animations in our portfolio.
Learn more about Portsmouth City Council’s services at https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/