CATEGORIES: TECHNOLOGY, SALES

The Client
Squirrel Business Hub 
​
The Problem
​Squirrel is a fast-growing technology consulting firm that specialises in the installation, configuration, and integration of business systems—in particular Customer Relationship Management systems (CRMs).  

Every business reaches a point at which they need a CRM to handle incoming leads and customer conversations. Unfortunately most small businesses owners don’t even know what a CRM does.
​
Our Approach
We believe that education is the most powerful sales strategy. The goal of this video was to build authority and trust with the audience by explaining what a CRM is and how it helps a business function more effectively.
The Squirrel brand is one that is very approachable and friendly. Much like the mascot at the heart of the brand, there is an element of fun and cute in the way that “Squirrelies” portray themselves to the world. As a result, we knew that it would be important that the video reinforce the fact that, while technology can be intimidating and scary, your technology partner need not be.

Our Solution
We opted for a first-person view of the customer, so that the target audience would see themselves in the story, and the pain relayed by the narrator would resonate. The client was so happy with the video script that the final line:
“for all the things you didn’t get into business to do”
would go on to become the marketing tagline adopted by the business.
To present the solutions that the Squirrel team offers its clients as non-scary, we peppered the technical explanations with squirrels and fluffy, friendly “cloud” creatures throughout the video. 

A hand-drawn explainer video is an effective tool for educating without being patronising. While it was necessary for us to introduce some terminology, we:

• broke the explanation of new concepts into digestible chunks
• were careful to not overload the viewer, to avoid them “zoning out”, 
• ensured constant motion, to give the viewer something familiar for their eyes to follow
• used colour sparingly, drawing on the brand’s colour palette
• illustrated known systems that the client works with regularly into the visuals
• simplified intimidating technical diagrams into simple sketches

Client Testimonials
“We have that video on the home page of our website for a reason—it beautifully communicates everything that we want potential customers to know about what we do before we start a conversation with them. It’s perfect!”
—Kylie Harker, Founder
​
More Information
For more details on this project, or to learn how Sketch Group can help you make an impact by sketching your story, contact our friendly team:

• Telephone: 1300 SKETCH
• Email: hello@sketchgroup.com
• Web: www.sketchgroup.com 

​CATEGORIES: NOT-FOR-PROFIT, VISUAL FACILITATION, ILLUSTRATION

The Client
Victorian Department of Health & Human Services 

The Challenge
We feel extraordinarily lucky on a regular basis that we get to partner with clients doing work that matters, so we were humbled when the Department of Health & Human Services approached us to map the journey of foster carers from initial interest to multiple children and beyond..
One of the biggest challenges in this space is there is a higher demand for foster carers than are available, so there is a real need for efforts in educating and inspiring others to take this journey. Getting people together with a lived experience, and enabling them to feel safe enough to share their story was a huge part of this exercise. Once we elicited their stories, we were able to illustrate the journey in a way that made sense as a poster to raise awareness and validate the important role that existing carers play.

Our Approach
We worked with folks from DHHS and the Foster Carer's Association of Victoria to:

• prepare questions to ask carers before the day
• plan a series of activities and visual aids to solicit stories from foster carers
• facilitate the workshop on the day, including members from DHHS, Foster Care organisations, and current and former carers
• synthesise and polish the findings into an illustrated journey map that could be used by the department to raise awareness about the crucial role that foster carers play in our society, as well as help identify opportunities for improving and optimising the overall system.

Our Solution
Because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter, we decided collectively that there was value in creating two versions of the poster—one that would be useful for recruiting, retaining, and raising awareness of foster carers, and another version that was more suitable for internal use. This internal version was more focussed on helping members of DHHS and agencies to identify opportunities where the overall system could be improved.
We were faced with the challenge of walking a fine line between wanting to shout from the rooftops about what amazing work foster carers do for our community, with painting a realistic picture that accurately portrays the fact that being a foster carer is hard. 
Some of the stories that came out on the day were heartbreaking, and the weight of responsibility to capture and visualise those emotions was enormous.

We were extremely proud of the final result, which was a truly collaborative effort from the department, agencies, carers, advocates, and several members of the Sketch Group team. With this journey map, the Victorian Government and the Foster Carer’s Association are better equipped to explain what is involved, manage people’s expectations, and encourage more Victorians to volunteer to foster a child.

Client Testimonials
“I love it. I think it is perfect.”
— Katie Hooper
    Chief Executive Officer, Foster Care Association of Victoria

More Information
For more details on this project, or to learn how Sketch Group can help you make an impact by sketching your story, contact our friendly team:

• Telephone: 1300 SKETCH
• Email: hello@sketchgroup.com
• Web: www.sketchgroup.com 

CATEGORIES: EDUCATION, LIVE SKETCHING, LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The Client
Mount Alexander Shire

The Problem
Educating children about how to stay safe outdoors—for example, when cycling, camping, interacting with animals, or during a natural disasters like bushfire or flood—can be a tough sell. For it to be received effectively, educational content needs to be experiential, delivered using variety, interactivity, and novelty.
​
Our Approach
The team from Mount Alexander Shire did a great job of creating a range of outdoor stalls for school groups to visit on the day. We complemented these efforts by providing a graphic recorder to visualise the content on a large canvas. 

The Outcome
The canvas was attached to a portable GraphicWall, which meant it could be easily moved between stalls and was therefore visible when it added the most value. The final canvas captured some of the highlights, and served as a record of “safety tips” for teaching staff, to remind students how to stay safe in a colourful and fun way. Photographs of the canvas served as useful marketing assets to celebrate the success of the event via official communication channels, such as the local council’s email newsletters and social media accounts.

Client Testimonials
“[The graphic recorder provided] Another dimension to the day by providing excitement and fun to participants (kids) and facilitators while sketching the main points of each presentation. Matthew communicated extremely well with participants and organisers and showed a genuine interest in the project and objectives we were delivering to assist with keeping children and their families safe and prepared for emergency. Credit to Matthew.”
-- Luke Ryan, SAFE organiser
​
More Information
For more details on this project, or to learn how Sketch Group can help you make an impact by sketching your story, contact our friendly team:

• Telephone: 1300 SKETCH
• Email: hello@sketchgroup.com
• Web: www.sketchgroup.com 

Our Solution 
Sketch video is a powerful medium when the subject matter relates to topics that are either sensitive or cross-cultural boundaries. Illustrating scenarios, rather than filming them, is a cost-effective way to capture the nuances of interactions that have the potential to be emotionally charged. 
Using illustration also allows for sophisticated concepts to be effectively presented—and received—by an audience who may or may not understand every word in the voiced script.
Watch the video on YouTube.

The Outcome 
The video has been viewed nearly 5,000 times. We also assisted in translating the video into other languages, including Mandarin, Hindi, Vietnamese, Malay, Indonesian, and Korean.

Client Testimonials 
“Wow, it looks great! Thanks so much Kerstin. And thank you for getting it done so quickly. We’re very happy with it.”
“Just wanted to let you know the video was very well received at the student conference last week, so we were really happy [with] the response.”
—Melita Hoskin

More Information 
For more details on this project, or to learn how Sketch Group can help you make an impact by sketching your story, contact our friendly team:

Telephone: 1300 SKETCH
Email: hello@sketchgroup.com
​Web: www.sketchgroup.com