The Context

Barnardo’s asked us to create a high-profile multi-channel brand campaign to launch their rebrand - the first in over 10 years.

Barnardo’s is one of the oldest and largest children’s charities in the UK, but support was dwindling. With 1 in 4 children living in poverty in the UK, many childhoods are being profoundly impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, resulting in feelings of shame, dissociation, anxiety and disconnection.

Barnardo’s knew they would be needed more than ever in the years to come to support children, young people and their families. It was time to reignite support and love for their heritage brand.

The Idea

We needed to create a film that brings to life the day-to-day reality faced by children living through the pervasive impacts of the cost-of-living crisis. We worked closely with Barnardo's frontline support workers and the Cost of Living Fund team to ensure we authentically depicted the experiences of families living through poverty.

“Mollusc” captures the story of a 10-year-old girl and her sense of disconnect from the world around her. Using the visual metaphor of a giant red-pink sea-snail shell, the viewer is confronted with her sense of isolation from peers and the world around her. Through the intervention of Barnardo's, their support workers and community spaces, the girl and her family are given the chance at a more hopeful future…