SKILLSFUTURE - GO FOR THE WIN

SkillsFuture aimed to market a new Work-Study Diploma to polytechnic graduates, offering a career head-start.

SkillsFuture’s Work-Study Programme (WSP) aims to position work-study pathways as a compelling option for polytechnic graduates.

In collaboration with Hakuhodo, the campaign was designed to engage a younger audience by framing the programme as a progression-based journey, inspired by familiar gaming experiences.

The visual direction translates the programme’s key benefits into a structured, level-based narrative, where each stage represents a milestone in career development.

1. The Challenge

The key challenge was to communicate multiple programme benefits in a way that is:

Engaging and relatable to a gaming-oriented audience
Visually dynamic while remaining clear and informative
Scalable across video, digital, and physical activations
Structured to guide the audience through multiple messages without overload

2. Visual Approach

The campaign adopts a game trailer visual language, drawing inspiration from competitive and progression-based gameplay.

A futuristic environment was developed to support a structured journey, where each stage introduces a new challenge tied to a specific programme benefit.

The visual system balances energy and clarity, ensuring the environments remain visually engaging while supporting communication of key messages.

3. Research & Concept Development

Research focused on translating real-world activities into visually distinct gameplay-inspired challenges.

Key references included:

Competitive sports and obstacle-based challenges
Terrain-driven activities
Game level design structures where difficulty progression aligns with reward

These references informed the design of each environment, ensuring that every stage feels purposeful and aligned with the narrative progression.

4. ENVIRONMENT & LEVEL DESIGN

The environments were designed as a sequence of levels, each representing a specific programme USP.

Theme: Hi-tech manufacturing campus.

Each stage introduces a distinct challenge, with visual cues and spatial design guiding the character’s movement and progression.

The layout was structured to:

Create a clear forward journey
Maintain visual variation across stages
Reinforce the idea of progression through achievement

This approach ensures that the visual design supports both storytelling and message delivery.

5. Character In Context

The character serves as a guide through the journey, interacting with each environment to demonstrate progression.

Character movement and positioning were designed to reinforce scale, challenge, and achievement, supporting the overall narrative of growth and advancement.

Each time the character receives a new “buff”, representing a programme benefit, he initially struggles to adapt to the unfamiliar ability. As he progresses, he learns to control and integrate the skill, using it to overcome subsequent challenges.

7. Final Output

A structured visual system that translates programme benefits into a progression-based narrative, making complex information accessible through an engaging and familiar format.