Making Movement More Accessible:
Our Makaton-Supported QuickChange! Animation

At Savage and Gray Design, we believe accessibility should be considered from the very beginning of a creative project – not added as an afterthought.

As part of the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board QuickChange! project, we adapted an engaging children’s movement and exercise animation to create a dedicated Makaton-supported version, helping make the activity more accessible and inclusive for a wider range of children.

The QuickChange! animations were filmed and edited at Savage and Gray Design’s studio in Cowbridge, South Wales. Our in-house studio provided the creative and production space for bringing the project together, from filming and editing through to the final delivery of the Makaton-supported version. Keeping production in-house allowed us to carefully combine the live-action and animated elements, refine the pacing and visual cues, and ensure the finished video was engaging, clear and accessible for its young audience.

The animations were also developed in both English and Welsh, with spoken narration and Makaton signing helping to make the content more accessible, inclusive and engaging for children across Wales.

Making children’s animation more accessible with Makaton

The original animation takes children on an imaginative adventure through a garden, using animals and insects to introduce simple movement and exercise activities. From jumping like frogs and stretching like swans to flying like squirrels, flapping like butterflies and wiggling like bees, the activities encourage children to move, participate and have fun.

For the Makaton version, we incorporated Makaton signs alongside spoken English and Welsh, providing additional visual communication cues throughout the animation.

This gives children another way to understand the instructions and follow along with the activities, supporting participation for children who may benefit from visual communication as well as spoken language.

The result is a more inclusive children’s animation designed to help more children take part in movement and exercise together.

What is Makaton?

Makaton is a language programme that uses signs, symbols and speech to support communication. It can be particularly helpful for people who find spoken language difficult to understand or use.

By incorporating Makaton into an existing animated resource, we were able to retain the fun, energetic character of the original QuickChange! video while adding another layer of accessibility.

For us, accessibility isn’t simply about making content available. It’s about considering how people experience, understand and interact with that content.

Designed around clear visual communication

The QuickChange! format is particularly well suited to an accessible animated resource. Each activity has a clear visual demonstration, simple spoken instructions and a consistent cue to prepare children for the next activity.

The combination of animation, spoken English and Welsh, Makaton signs and physical demonstration helps create multiple ways for children to engage with the content.

Accessibility through animation and design

As an animation and design studio based in Cardiff and Cowbridge, Wales, we enjoy working on projects where creativity can make information easier to understand and more accessible.

Animation can be a powerful accessibility tool because it allows information to be communicated through multiple channels at once. Visual characters can demonstrate an action, spoken language can explain it, and Makaton can provide an additional visual communication cue.

This approach can be particularly valuable when creating health, education and children’s content, where clarity, engagement and accessibility all need to work together.

The Makaton-supported QuickChange! animation is a great example of how an existing creative asset can be thoughtfully adapted to reach and include more people.

Supporting inclusive health and wellbeing content

The QuickChange! project demonstrates how accessible communication can be incorporated into health and wellbeing resources for children.

Rather than simply telling children how to exercise, the animation invites them to watch, understand, copy and participate. The playful garden setting and animal characters help make movement feel like an adventure, while the repeated QuickChange! cue keeps the session energetic and easy to follow.

We’re proud to have contributed to a project that puts accessibility, inclusion and participation at its heart.

Looking for accessible animation?

Whether you need an animated explainer, educational animation, healthcare video or accessible digital content, we can help you explore ways to make your message clearer and more inclusive.

At Savage and Gray Design, we create animation, motion graphics and design for organisations across Cardiff, Wales and beyond, with accessibility and audience needs considered as part of the creative process.

If you’re looking for an accessible animation studio in Cardiff or Wales, or need help adapting an existing animation to make it more inclusive, we’d love to hear from you.

Ready to make your message more accessible?

Get in touch with Savage and Gray Design to discuss your next animation or design project.

Production Studio: Savage and Gray Design Ltd
Location: Cardiff & Cowbridge, Wales
Project: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board QuickChange!
Format: Makaton-supported children’s movement and exercise animation