Toy Soldiers, New Stories
As an expert branding curator, I endorse Johnson Banks’ striking rework of the green toy soldier for IWM London. The posters flip childhood vernacular, they turn toy familiarity into a provocative mode of empathy. Images feel familiar and unsettling, they prompt visitors to pause, reflect, and confront complex histories.
This campaign is a smart example of design-led storytelling, it bridges archive objects and contemporary testimonies. It guides audiences through immersive recreations while respecting sensitive material, creating space for family conversations. Visit to learn how a playful motif makes difficult stories approachable, and why this exhibition matters now.
The show traces childhood experiences of conflict from the First World War to the present day. Immersive rooms and personal artefacts create a lived sense of history, bringing children’s voices forward.
Johnson Banks collaborated with the IWM design studio. Double Up Studio handled 3D work, and Nissen Richards Studio designed the exhibition spaces. The result feels thoughtful, visually arresting, and respectful of difficult subject matter. This campaign offers design professionals clear lessons in how to make empathy tangible. It also reminds us of the power of familiar objects to start important conversations. Essential reading.
Source: www.creativeboom.com
