Spin & Splash

Overview

Surf Life Saving New South Wales partnered with us to create Spin & Splash, an interactive online quiz designed to teach children about surf safety in a fun and engaging way. Built in React, the web app combines playful design with layered gameplay, forming part of a broader creative strategy to update Surf Life Saving NSW’s community education and outreach initiatives.

Challenge

Surf Life Saving NSW wanted to move beyond the traditional image of the bronze, blonde lifesaver and instead create an inclusive and modern communication style that resonates with diverse communities. Their community education team needed a digital product that would both engage children from Kindergarten through Year 6 and integrate seamlessly with a wider suite of educational initiatives aimed at achieving their mission of ‘saving lives, creating great Australians and building better communities’.

Approach

We worked closely with Surf Life Saving NSW to design, illustrate, and develop the interactive quiz as part of their new Beach Safety Hub. The process involved:

Creative Strategy & Art Direction

• Establishing a visual and tonal framework that aligned with the updated communication style.
• Using inclusive, vibrant colours and approachable illustrations to appeal broadly to children and communities.

Engaging Gameplay Journey

• Category Selection & Spin Wheel: Children choose a theme and spin a wheel to receive a topic.
• Quiz & Puzzle Pieces: Correct answers unlock puzzle pieces, encouraging replay and learning reinforcement.
• Jigsaw Puzzle & Spot-the-Difference: Once a puzzle is complete, children move on to a visual challenge, keeping the experience fresh and multi-layered.
• Certificates of Completion: Kids receive recognition for finishing the game, boosting motivation and positive reinforcement.

Educational Depth

• Contextual hints and fact prompts help children learn as they play.
• Content covers varied environments such as surf beaches, rock pools, and rivers.

Group-Friendly Design

• Anticipated classroom and group-led play, where younger children can shout out answers and teachers facilitate.

Custom Development

• A robust, browser-based React app, free to play and accessible to schools and families.
• WordPress backend integration provided Surf Life Saving NSW with a simple and flexible way to manage and update questions and content.
• Original illustrations created in-house for puzzles and visual assets.

This project was complemented by other digital initiatives we delivered for Surf Life Saving NSW, including VR drone experiences, eLearning modules, videography, and presentations—unified under the overarching creative strategy.

Outcome

The result was a dynamic and playful digital experience that successfully updated Surf Life Saving NSW’s approach to community education. Spin & Splash provided:

• A fun, replayable game that engaged kids through variety and progression.
• A tool for teachers and community educators to facilitate group learning.
• A digital asset that tied into a broader ecosystem of educational resources on the Beach Safety Hub.

Our Role

This was a full service project that we partnered with the Surf Life Saving New South Wales Community Education Team to provide.  We starting from the fundamentals to determine what the measures of success would be for the project and what the positive outcomes would be for the organisation and their audiences.

We the led the project end-to-end, providing:

• Creative strategy and visual direction.
• UX, game design, and development in React.
• Illustration, animation, and art direction.
• WordPress backend setup for content editing and management.

The Bigger Picture

Spin & Splash demonstrates the power of gamification in community education. By combining engaging gameplay with educational depth, Surf Life Saving NSW is better equipped to reach children across the state, instilling life-saving knowledge in a way that’s memorable and inclusive.

The project was also designed with long-term usability in mind. While the front-end React app delivered the engaging game experience, the WordPress backend provided Surf Life Saving NSW with simple, flexible content editing functionality. This ensured their education team could manage and update questions and content without relying on developers.

For us, this project highlights the impact of applying creative gamification strategies to community-focused organisations and not-for-profits – helping them deliver on missions that truly matter.

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