Services employed
Motion
Kirklees Council | Climate Change Action Plan Animation
Kirklees Council serves communities across West Yorkshire, delivering services, support, and local leadership across towns, villages, and rural areas.
The council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and is committed to becoming Net Zero and climate ready by 2038.
The brief and objectives
We were approached by Kirklees Council to create an animation which was to outline, in an accessible way, what the council have done to date in response to their Climate Emergency declaration in 2019, what they will do next and what other partners can do / what residents can do to support the ambition of Net Zero and Climate Ready by 2038.
The animation was to be aimed at a broad, non-technical audience of ordinary Kirklees residents, businesses, and organisations. It needed to follow the existing ‘Clean and Green’ branding which was already in place, but had limited material to draw from, requiring us to build a significant amount of additional elements and scenes in order to expand this world.
Our creative approach
We worked closely alongside Kirklees Council to rewrite and refine the script supplied to us to allow for the narrative to flow in clear and succinct manor. The message needed to remain that actions on climate change have, is currently and will be taken by the Council to address the climate emergency, and this issue is deemed a highly serious issue. All while being underpinned with a key message of hope that the council will achieve their emission reduction and climate ready target, but only through collective action and efforts by everyone in Kirklees, alongside regional and national stakeholders.
Once the script was finalised, we created a full illustrated storyboard, drawing inspiration and staying true to the limited existing static assets that currently existed, which consisted of illustrations of people and a graphic style.
We approached the animation phase by first imagining how the brand’s visual language could evolve beyond static design. Instead of simply moving elements for the sake of motion, we considered how each component could behave within its own visual universe – how scenes could shift in unexpected but cohesive ways. The rhythm of the animation was intentionally crafted to support clarity of message, with a focus on pacing that maintained attention without overwhelming the viewer.
Results
The final animation helps residents understand what the council has already achieved, what actions are planned next and how businesses, partners, and communities can help. It supports wider climate engagement across Kirklees and helps communicate the Climate Change Action Plan in a way that is clear, engaging and easy to follow.