Birmingham Airport, as a client of Connect Group, invited me to be part of a very exciting and innovative project: SkySide. It aimed to engage and entertain children (and therefore help families) in the busy departure lounge.
I was asked to create an identifiable character and visual identity that could be used at a number of touch points across the airport, through social media and wider advertising outlets. These would all focus on the SkyZone - a fully interactive area exclusively for children.
The character had to appeal to a wide age range of children from every corner of the globe, be approachable (as an oversized character suit would be made and worn around the airport) and aspirational. So, I created the concept of a Sky Cadet called Zoom, who invites children to also become a Sky Cadet by solving puzzles and playing games in the Sky Zone.
Zoom was first sketched in pencil, then digitally drawn and developed in Illustrator and finally 3D rendered so the character suit could be made. The visual identity was applied to the Sky Zone, various printed documents, and signage across the airport.
The feedback after the first season was overwhelming, winning awards within the industry for innovation and winning hearts of many young travellers.
