Be A Mermate
Developed by Kimberlin Education in partnership with Royal Life Saving WA, Mermates is a water safety education program that helps students build confidence and awareness around safe behaviours in and around aquatic environments.
Combining interactive learning experiences, classroom resources and engaging visual storytelling, the program encourages high school students to explore important water safety concepts through play, exploration and discovery.
I led the visual development of the Mermates world, establishing the art direction, character library and illustration system that supported the program across interactive learning experiences, classroom resources and educational content.
Scope of work
Art direction
Character design
Environmental illustration
Illustrated game assets
Interactive learning resources
Student worksheets
Teacher guides
Developed by Kimberlin Education in partnership with Royal Life Saving WA, Mermates is a water safety education program that helps students build confidence and awareness around safe behaviours in and around aquatic environments.
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Combining interactive learning experiences, classroom resources and engaging visual storytelling, the program encourages high school students to explore important water safety concepts through play, exploration and discovery.
I led the visual development of the Mermates world, establishing the art direction, character library and illustration system that supported the program across interactive learning experiences, classroom resources and educational content.
Character design
A cast of hero characters, supporting characters and over 70 unique illustrated figures brought the Mermates world to life, creating a vibrant and engaging environment for students to explore.
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Every character was designed to feel authentic and relatable to the target audience, reflecting a diverse range of personalities, appearances, body types and interests. Details such as tattoos, acne and expressive poses helped create characters that felt contemporary, recognisable and true to the Mermates brand.
From surfers and swimmers to families, lifeguards and beachgoers, the character library supported the game's educational objectives while giving the Mermates world a distinctive visual identity that could grow across learning resources, classroom activities and future content.
Interactive Educational Game
At the heart of the Mermates program is an interactive educational game that encourages children to identify water safety risks through observation, exploration and play.
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Set within a detailed coastal environment, players explore beaches, pools and waterways while identifying unsafe behaviours and learning important water safety principles through interactive gameplay.
I led the visual development of the experience, including art direction, environmental illustration and the creation of the game's illustrated assets. The resulting world balanced playful exploration with clear educational messaging, transforming water safety education into an engaging and memorable learning experience.
Interactive Learning Resources
A suite of interactive classroom resources extended the Mermates experience beyond the game, helping teachers bring water safety education into the classroom through engaging digital learning experiences.
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Developed for classroom delivery, these highly interactive presentations combined visual storytelling, gamified learning principles and simulated digital interfaces to encourage active participation and reinforce key water safety concepts.
Character-led storytelling, quizzes and scenario-based activities allowed students to safely explore real-world situations while supporting teacher-led discussion. Together with accompanying teacher guides and student worksheets, the resources formed a cohesive learning ecosystem that complemented the interactive game and extended the Mermates world into the classroom.