2021
#Game
Taboeiend
Together with YouTubers Dylan Haegens and Marit Brugman, the Dare to Ask (Durf te Vragen) Foundation wants to make the taboo on mental health issues amongst kids discussable. This had to be done through a mobile interactive experience (called "Taboeiend") using mini-games, videos, and a centerpiece (Foob), making it clear to children and young students that it's okay to talk about their mental health. Together with Heijmeriks Wagenmakers, MCW Creative Agency was asked to carry out this project. At the start of my internship at MCW, I was immediately involved in the execution of this project. I have performed numerous tasks. I conducted research, made many illustrations, and designed interfaces for the games. In addition, I also participated in user testing and studio recordings. I had the opportunity to record audio and do a voice-over, and that's where I truly discovered my passion for voice acting.
However, my main task within this project was developing the games. Foob, the centerpiece of this project, has a screen that interacts with the tablets the children receive at the beginning of their experience. Various games will interact between those screens. Together with my colleague Borg Lenstra, I created all the digital screens for this experience. These screens were given a unique and youthfull style through the stickers I developed for this project (see PDF). I worked on this sticker style in Adobe Illustrator and implemented it in all the interfaces. Here, I learned (the importance of) how to organize, structure, and create legible work for my colleagues. I often communicated with my colleague Borg and the developers at MCW to ensure that we could deliver the best quality to the client.
For me, the best reward for this project was a visit from the King and Queen. Besides being able to learn a lot as a design intern, I was also able to contribute to this beautiful work that helps children, and I am very grateful to MCW for that.
Translated: "Recent research, conducted in collaboration with Radboud University and VIGO, demonstrates that TABOEIND succeeds brilliantly in this regard. This makes it a scientifically proven effective intervention that breaks the taboo on discussing mental health among young people." GGZ news, 9 may 2022