Our Special Island

As Lead Producer and Animation Supervisor at Millipede (now AKQA), Keith helped develop Our Special Island, a culturally grounded, play-based learning program aimed at 6 to 7-year-old children in Tonga. The project combined a mobile app, print resources, and teacher materials to encourage positive attitudes toward healthy food and nutrition, leveraging digital play and local storytelling to make learning engaging and relevant. Keith led production across design, animation, and interactive development, co-designing mini-games and app features with in-country stakeholders. This included workshops with teachers, health officials, and children to ensure the materials were culturally appropriate, curriculum-aligned, and engaging. He also oversaw the creation of supporting print collateral and digital resources.

By integrating game design principles, interactive storytelling, and culturally resonant characters, Keith helped create an experience that connected digital play to real-world learning, empowering children to make healthier food choices.

Key Results

• Improved healthy food recognition: correct identification of healthy foods increased from 3% to 81% after the pilot

• Increased preference for healthy foods: children listing healthy foods as their favourite rose from 60% to 94%

• Winner of Indigo Awards 2020: Gold – Apps for Social Change, Silver – Interaction Design & Character Design, Bronze – Mobile Games & Illustration for Social Change

• AMY Awards 2019 Winner – Healthy Living Product

• Premier’s Design Awards 2018 Finalist – Digital Design

Credits

Production Company: Millipede/AKQA
Keith’s Role: Art & Animation Direction, Lead Producer