CAMPAIGN DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION CASE STUDY: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE MUSEUMS
The University of Cambridge Museums partnered with Rune Films' design and illustration team to bring its Summer at the Museums family campaign to life, turning a holiday programme into a bright, playful invitation that families would actually keep.
The brief was not a poster for its own sake. It was to get families across Cambridge through the doors of local museums and heritage sites over the school summer holidays.
This project is a strong example of design and illustration used to drive real engagement and make a marketing campaign do a job, not just look good.
The Challenge
Summer at the Museums is a programme of family activities run across the University of Cambridge Museums and local heritage partners through the school holidays. The campaign had to cut through a busy summer and move families to actually visit.
The campaign needed to:
speak to children and families first, not just parents
run consistently across a full suite of materials, from poster to social media
raise awareness of museums and heritage organisations right across Cambridge
feel joyful and memorable rather than like standard event marketing
The Approach
CONCEPT
Creative
We built the campaign around three characters, Fern, Urbi and Nook, who together spell FUN. Each one carries a different museum theme, so the campaign is playful on the surface and quietly tells families what is waiting inside before they have read a word.
Fern blooms with floral elements, inspired by Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
Urbi is built from bolts and nuts, a nod to engineering and invention.
Nook is made from a mix of animals, representing the Museum of Zoology.
Every element ran on a playful, vibrant palette, bright and cheerful tones chosen to spark joy and curiosity at first glance. The characters gave the whole campaign a face families could recognise across every touchpoint.
THE INTERACTIVE TWIST
Rather than a flyer families would drop in the nearest bin, we put a children's activity on the back: an Odd One Out game and a Crack the Code puzzle. That turned a disposable leaflet into an interactive keepsake, something children wanted to hold on to, which kept the campaign in the house long after it landed.
The Result
The campaign shipped as a complete, consistent set of materials, poster, flyer, social media graphics and banners, all carrying the same characters, palette and tone. The interactive flyer gave the campaign a far longer shelf life than a standard leaflet, and the client was delighted with the result.
Why This Worked
The characters did the heavy lifting. FUN is easy to remember, and three characters built from a botanic garden, an engineering workshop and a zoo tell families what is inside before they read a word. Putting an activity on the back turned throwaway marketing into something children asked to keep, which is the difference between a flyer seen once and one that works for weeks.
Campaign concept and original character design (Fern, Urbi and Nook)
Illustration and artwork across the full campaign
Complete print and digital suite: poster, flyer, social media graphics and banners
Interactive children's activity (Odd One Out and Crack the Code)
Project Scope
"We were delighted with these joyful, vibrant designs for our summer programme and really valued Charlie's expertise in bringing in an interactive, playful element. Charlie had a great understanding of the brief and was a friendly, flexible and responsive person to work with. Thank you!"
Jocelyn Murdoch, The University of Cambridge Museums
The Verdict
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LOOKING FOR CAMPAIGN DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION OR BRANDING? GET IN TOUCH.
Rune Films' design and illustration team creates original artwork, characters, branding and campaign design for cultural organisations, schools and businesses across Leeds, Cambridge and the UK. If you have a campaign that needs to connect with people rather than just reach them, we would like to help. Get in touch and let us make your mark.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS CAMPAIGN ILLUSTRATION USED FOR?
Beyond making a campaign look good, original illustration gives it a face and a personality people remember. Characters, a distinctive palette and a consistent style pull a whole suite of materials together and make a campaign feel like one idea rather than a set of separate adverts.
HOW DOES CHARACTER DESIGN HELP A CAMPAIGN?
Characters are memorable, flexible and easy to build a story around. Fern, Urbi and Nook spell FUN, carry the museum themes and work across poster, flyer, social and banners, so the campaign is instantly recognisable wherever a family meets it.
CAN THE ARTWORK REFLECT OUR SPECIFIC ORGANISATION?
Yes, that is the point. We work from your audience, your aims and what makes you distinctive, so the artwork reflects your organisation and what you offer rather than a generic template.
DO YOU ONLY WORK WITH MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL CLIENTS?
No. Our design and illustration team produces branding, illustration, campaign design and large-format artwork for a wide range of clients. Cultural and family audiences are just one of the places playful illustration does especially good work.