The Brief

We collaborated with the NHS to produce a series of animated explainer videos introducing the new Federated Data Platform (FDP)—a transformative data system designed to improve how information is accessed, managed, and shared across healthcare services. The FDP aims to reduce waiting times, streamline processes, and help healthcare professionals make better-informed decisions more efficiently.

The animations were created to support internal communications, helping NHS staff understand what the platform is, how it works, and why it’s being introduced. With a need to communicate complex ideas in a simple, accessible format, the content needed to strike a balance between clarity, trust, and professionalism.

Our task was to bring these ideas to life in a way that felt informative without being technical, reassuring without oversimplifying, and visually engaging while staying aligned with NHS brand values. The animation would act as a first point of contact for staff engaging with the platform, helping to build confidence in its benefits and ease of use.

Our Response

To support the rollout of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), we developed a clear, concise animated explainer aimed at healthcare professionals across a wide range of roles. The goal was to introduce the system in a way that was accessible, easy to understand, and built trust from the outset.

Our approach combined strong narrative structure with a visual style that reflected NHS brand guidelines—prioritising clarity, simplicity, and a calm, professional tone. We used a clean colour palette, stylised characters, and carefully considered transitions to guide viewers through the story, presenting key concepts one at a time. The design avoided overly technical representations, instead focusing on real-world benefits and practical use cases.

Voiceover, subtitles, and minimal on-screen text were used to ensure accessibility and reinforce core messages. The explainer highlighted what the FDP is, how it helps reduce inefficiencies, and why it plays a critical role in improving patient outcomes and operational effectiveness.

The result was a 3-minute animation delivered on schedule, now used as an internal communications tool across NHS teams. Early responses have been overwhelmingly positive, with staff praising the clarity, tone, and reassuring message of the film. The success of this piece has helped pave the way for future explainer content around ongoing platform developments.

Style Frames

Storyboard Development

Shot Development

Style Development

final Animation

Behind the scenes

To demonstrate our process throughout projects and give a little insight into how we create our characters, here are some behind the scenes assets from our artists.

What our client Said

“Producing our first ever animated video was a scary proposition and uncharted territory for us as an agency. Working with The Animation Guys they put us at ease, listened to our ideas and made the process come to life. They’re genuinely decent, honest and hard-working people that ultimately produce first-class animation videos. We couldn’t be happier with our final product and no doubt will return to them for a follow up video at some point! Fully recommend.”

Beth Hellowell

Managing Partner @ Signify Digital

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