Freddie the Thumbprint
Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity
Overview
As part of a mental health fundraising initiative for children across the West Midlands, I created Freddie the Thumbprint, a friendly illustrated character featured on postcards and materials included in charity subscription boxes.
Freddie was designed to provide a cheerful and reassuring presence for children experiencing mental health challenges, helping to make charity materials more approachable and engaging.
The Challenge
The project needed to address mental health sensitively while remaining lighthearted and hopeful for a young audience. The challenge was to create a character that was simple, expressive, and comforting, without feeling overly childish or dismissive of the subject matter.
The new designs needed to:
Create a child-friendly character that represents hope and care
Communicate sensitive themes with warmth and simplicity
Appeal to both children and parents alike
Add personality to charity fundraising materials
Encourage positivity and emotional reassurance
Strategy and Creative Direction
The design direction focused on personality, empathy, and playfulness.
Character design: Freddie was created using thumbprint textures with friendly facial expressions to represent individuality and humanity.
Messaging: Positive, encouraging phrases were paired with Freddie’s illustrations to uplift and reassure.
Tone: Gentle and optimistic, ensuring the materials felt inclusive and supportive.
Freddie became a visual symbol of warmth and encouragement, offering a familiar face of comfort across the charity’s mental health campaign.
Skills
Deliverables
Character concept and design
Illustration and artwork
Typography and messaging design
Print materials and postcard layout