Over the past three years, our team has had the joy of collaborating with ABPI Schools to solve a brilliant creative challenge: How do we take complex, cutting-edge science and technology concepts and turn them into something young children genuinely love to explore?
The answer was born in pigtails and dungarees: Ellie.
Building the pipeline early
The UK life sciences and technology sectors face a growing skills gap. But if we wait until students are choosing their GCSEs or picking university degrees, we’ve waited too long. Curiosity is ignited much earlier.
The Big Idea: To build the future workforce of scientists, innovators, and problem-solvers, you have to meet kids where they live. By translating abstract, high-level science into relatable daily adventures, we turn “Science is hard” into “Science is an adventure!”
From a character sketch to a 19-book educational universe
What began as a single concept has expanded into a rich 19-book educational series (with even more in development!), backed by classroom posters, campaign packs, and interactive teaching resources.
With Ellie, alongside her nursery-aged neighbour Ella, the series bridges an astonishing spectrum of STEM, medical, and environmental disciplines:
- Genetics, biotechnology & evolution: Unravelling the language of life, from ancient Stone Age DNA found in fossilised birch tar to real-world genetic sequencing, species classification, and biodiversity preservation.
- Medicine, healthcare & public health: Tackling critical medical awareness in an approachable way, demystifying childhood vaccinations and herd immunity, recognising early warning signs of severe conditions like sepsis, and teaching safe prescription management at the pharmacy.
- Agri-Tech, ecology & food science: Modernising kids’ views of agriculture and food through GPS-guided tractors (“Sat Nav Sam”) and crop-monitoring drones, forensic soil science and pollen tracking, pasteurisation, and the chemistry of cooking.
- Physics, innovation & intellectual property: Demystifying fundamental physical forces like gravity and magnetism, while introducing young minds to the world of invention, patents, trademarks, and copyright.
- Sustainability & early childhood habits: Empowering nursery learners to become “Climate Superheroes” through practical actions like energy conservation and recycling, alongside daily preventative health and nutrition choices.
Designing for engagement, not just information
Creating educational assets for an industry body like the ABPI requires holding two worlds in balance: bulletproof technical accuracy and pure visual magic.
Working hand-in-hand with primary education specialists, geneticists, Michelin chefs, pharmacists, and research scientists, our job as a design agency is to strip away corporate rigidity. We bring concepts to life using expressive illustrations, witty details, and characters children relate to.
Whether designing for four-year-olds taking their first nursery steps or older primary students connecting classroom science to real-world careers, the creative goal remains constant: convert heavy information into pure engagement.
The takeaway for science & technology brands
Complex, highly technical subjects don’t have to feel dry or daunting to communicate. Whether your organisation works in advanced therapeutics, green technology, or digital innovation, creative storytelling and thoughtful design have the power to humanise your vision and inspire the people who will lead it tomorrow.
We’re thrilled to watch Ellie’s world continue to grow across schools nationwide, and we can’t wait to see what big questions she tackles next!