Stemming from an initiative by Belfast Education and Library Board and National Museums Northern Ireland, this story and activity book was created to help deliver the Board’s Parent Engagement strategy, and increase interaction between all visiting parents, their 3 to 5 year olds and the museum exhibits.

Some initial work had been done between the Museum and the Board, out of which came the book’s character, Berkeley Bear, and the initial plan of how the story unfolds through the museum and what curriculum based activities tied to which exhibits.At this stage a team was formed including, myself, a consultant teacher, a project manager representing the Museum, a museum guide, the BELB’s Parent Engagement specialist.

We were each able to bring our specialist skills to the project and over the course of 3 days the journey was walked, talked and analysed until it had been streamlined to meet the objectives of the team, BELB and NMNI. I was happy to be able to bring some design thinking to the project as a whole (both a designer and a parent) and in the latter stages drive the visual styling and subsequently roll out the design of the final printed piece and the signage that was developed to bring to life the journey in the physical space.