Lymphoma Action needed a way to explain a complex illness with sensitivity and clarity. Through a series of carefully crafted animated films, we helped illuminate their vital work - using animation to communicate what words alone often can’t.
Healthcare communication often walks a tightrope.
Lean too clinical, and you risk emotional distance. Lean too abstract, and trust erodes. For Lymphoma Action, the challenge was heightened: they needed to explain a nuanced illness while also amplifying the breadth of support they provide, without fear, without confusion, and without losing humanity.
The audience spanned newly diagnosed patients, long-term survivors, carers, and healthcare professionals. Each brought different emotional states and levels of understanding. The films had to meet them all where they were.
This wasn’t about marketing. It was about clarity, reassurance, and dignity, communicated at a moment when people need it most.
When words become heavy, visuals can carry the weight.
The insight was simple but powerful: animation can say what words alone can’t. It allows space for empathy. It slows the conversation. It invites understanding rather than demanding it.
Instead of leaning into overtly stylised or cartoonish visuals, we chose restraint. Characters needed to feel real, recognisable, proportioned, grounded. Environments needed depth, not distraction. The idea was to let animation support the message, not compete with it.
By blending 2D character design with carefully constructed 3D environments, we created a visual language that felt warm, dimensional, and human, mirroring the charity’s own approach to support.
The craft lived in the details. Each character was designed with careful attention to proportion and posture, avoiding exaggeration or overly stylised traits. Subtle movement - small shifts, pauses, moments of stillness - allowed emotion to surface naturally, without being pushed.
Throughout the process, every creative decision asked the same question: Does this help someone understand and feel understood? If it didn’t, it didn’t make the cut.
For Lymphoma Action, we blended carefully designed 2D characters with detailed 3D environments. The 3D environments added quiet depth. Not spectacle, but space. Light and shadow were used deliberately to guide focus and create a sense of presence, helping each scene feel lived-in rather than illustrative.
This hybrid approach allowed us to balance clarity with emotional resonance. Complex ideas could unfold visually, step by step, while the grounded character design maintained credibility and trust.
Healthcare stories deserve time, care, and intention. Healthcare stories deserve time, care, and intention. Explore our other animation case studies to see the craft behind our projects, and how our distinctive approach brings imaginative stories to life.
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