In addition to opening and developing the Air-Raid Shelter for visitors, a bespoke set of exciting resources were commissioned and developed by Nottingham Trent University Illustration students in the School of Art and design. This creative content included signage for the shelter site, an animated film to be projected on the interior of the shelter, and an activity leaflet for each school pupil enabling them to continue their exploration of their local history following the study day and visit.
The signage for the shelter was carefully conceived, developed, and delivered by NTU students. They pitched the idea following a project brief that required them to create a sign that would appeal to a younger audience and connect to the other outputs of the project. Ads you can see, the colour scheme and font were inspired posters and signs from the period. The information was provided by Professor Reynolds following extensive archival research on the questions posted by school pupils. The characters included on the sign are inspired by the artefacts session that pupils experience and are also linked to the animated film and activity leaflet.
The animated film was also pitched and delivered by NTU students who were tasked with creating a short film that would be projected inside the shelter as part of the visit experience. Split in two sections, it first of provides information on the Nottingham Blitz of the 8/9 May 1941, before providing an immersive, animated experience of a young person’s journey from their home to the shelter during an air-raid. The film content and style are inspired by the study day experience and targeted appropriately at the audience, with our NG2 Shelter Squad characters again making an appearance!!
Our shelter activity leaflet is the final piece of bespoke content. NTU students were given the task of devising a leaflet that combined information on the shelter and the context with a series of fun activities that would help continue the experience post visit. Inspired by the study day experience and connected to the other elements of content, the leaflet will ensure that the pupils are able to share this experience with their families and it provides the possibility for further in-class activities, not to mention a cool sticker sheet featuring characters from the NG2 Squad! Each pupil will be given a leaflet at the end of the study day experience.
