Pod Squad

illustration design game

A series of level backgrounds and a world map created for a fun-loving children’s educational app.

Problem

The team at Khemistry had been busy making a really fun app to educate and encourage kids to practice healthy activities and behaviours. They approached me to create a series of level backgrounds that matched and expanded upon existing art for their epipod characters.

Solution

I worked closely with the content writers, designers and animators to create lots of fun and chaotic backgrounds for each different topics and areas in the app. Full to the brim with whacky characters, easter eggs and gags – these locations serve as a fun base for the kids to launch into videos and games related to that level’s topic.

Once these levels were illustrated, I set about creating a world map view. This acted as a home screen with cloud cover showing the player’s progression and providing little previews into what adventures lie ahead.

Role

Character Design & Illustration

Credits

Client: Health and Wellbeing Queensland Agency: Khemistry Illustration: Cameron Pyke

Level illustration of a colourful reef full of aquatic creatures, corals and a ‘chip-wreck’. Plus lots of fun easter egg jokes for children to spot.

Level illustration of a colourful forest with funny frogs, waterfalls and the forgotten lunchbox temple. Plus lots of fun easter egg jokes for children to spot.

Level illustration of a colourful tree with branches spanning the image, a treehouse and picnic. Plus lots of fun easter egg jokes for children to spot.

Level illustration of a desert highway fuel station with a gorge and Australian animals. Plus lots of fun easter egg jokes for children to spot.

Level illustration of a grassy plain with a fun water park and lizards. Plus lots of fun easter egg jokes for children to spot.

Level illustration of a forest full of rainbows, flowers and uni-horn creatures of devices. Plus lots of fun easter egg jokes for children to spot.

Level illustration of burnt forest, a tree stump in the centre and a beam of light illuminates a seedling.

Illustration of the game world map while partially covered in clouds to hide the sections that have not yet been unlocked.

Illustration of the game world map showing all the different level biomes - rainbow woods, green forests, grass plains, dry deserts and coral reefs. Plus lots of fun easter egg jokes for children to spot.

Part of this project also had me creating the background art for an ‘I-spy’ style game set in the ‘Double Heart Reef’, where kids would be tasked with finding healthy foods placed on top of the chaotic image.