Shine A Light: Motion Design Students Earn International Recognition for Confronting Modern Slavery
A powerful motion design project created by a group of Bachelor of Media Design students at Media Design School at Strayer (MDS) has been recognised with both an Australian Good Design Award and two Silver at the New Zealand Best Design Awards.
Their project, Shine A Light, uses animation and sound to expose the hidden realities of modern slavery in New Zealand - turning complex social issues into an emotional, visual experience designed to inform, move, and inspire change.
Design that makes the invisible visible
Modern slavery affects thousands of migrant workers across New Zealand, yet remains largely unseen. The team set out to make those experiences visible through a motion piece that draws viewers into the emotional weight of the issue without resorting to graphic imagery.
This innovative design concept uncovers the hidden reality of modern slavery in Aotearoa, exposing the widespread exploitation of vulnerable migrants and challenging the individuals who exploit them. It aims to empower fellow migrants who have found safety and success in Aotearoa to become allies to those affected and help get their voices heard. Well done to the team for this achievement - such an inspirational design concept that has huge potential. Well done.”
– Jury comments, Australian Good Design Awards
The team drew on first-hand stories from survivors and advocates, transforming real quotes into symbolic visual moments - a meal tray sliding through a cell door, tally marks scratched into a wall, a faceless hand representing control and fear. Their goal was to evoke empathy and awareness through artistry and restraint.
“We wanted people to not just understand the issue, but feel the weight of it,” the team said. “That’s what motion design can do - you can communicate emotion and humanity in a way that stays with people.”
An emotional journey told through motion
Every detail of Shine A Light was crafted to reinforce its message. Using 2D animation and frame-by-frame character work, the team paired expressive human motion with structured, metaphorical environments. The protagonist - a figure without a mouth - becomes a visual metaphor for being silenced, while shifts from darkness to light represent both exploitation and freedom.
“We wanted to bring visibility to what’s often ignored,” the team explained. “When you work on a story like this, you’re constantly balancing respect for the subject with the need to move people to act.”
Audio was sourced from real interviews, giving survivors’ voices a presence throughout the piece. The sound design layers subtle foley and ambient tones to heighten emotion, creating a sense of intimacy and urgency that pulls the viewer in.
Collaboration, growth, and purpose
The project began as part of their Motion Design coursework but soon became something bigger - a shared mission to use design for good. “From the beginning, it was about teamwork,” they said. “Each of us brought different strengths - animation, design, sound - and we had to learn to trust each other to bring it all together.”
Throughout the process, the students credited their experience on the Bachelor of Media Design for giving them both the creative confidence and technical grounding to pursue complex ideas.
At MDS you’re encouraged to take creative risks - to explore real issues and tell stories that matter. Having that kind of support helps you grow as a designer and as a person.”
The project not only showcases their craft but also reflects MDS’s broader philosophy - that design can be a tool for social change and empathy as much as for aesthetics and storytelling.
Recognition beyond the classroom
Winning at both the Australian Good Design Awards and New Zealand’s Best Design Awards has been a defining moment for the team. “It still feels surreal,” they said. “We started this as a student brief, and now it’s been recognised alongside professional work from across Australasia. It’s humbling, but also motivating - it shows how far you can go when you care about what you’re creating.”
Their achievement reinforces the strength of MDS’s studio-style learning environment, where collaboration, experimentation, and purpose-driven creativity prepare students for the industry from day one.
Lighting the way forward
The team hopes Shine A Light will continue to raise awareness and spark conversations about modern slavery, encouraging others to advocate for change in their communities. For them, the project has become more than an assignment - it’s proof that design can be a catalyst for empathy and action.
“Design has power,” they said. “If it can make someone think differently, feel something, or want to help - that’s what makes all the effort worth it.”
Discover Motion Design at MDS
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👉 Discover Motion Design at MDS
Behind Shine A Light – the team making it happen (L–R): Mehmet Gultekin, Scarlett Kang, Jules Castillon, and Eilish Neal. Also part of the project team: Jayme Ducommun.
Created by Motion Design students at MDS, Shine A Light gives voice to those silenced by exploitation. Watch how design and storytelling combine to reveal hidden truths and inspire allyship.
See how the Shine A Light campaign guides viewers from awareness to action. The website experience encourages people to recognise modern slavery and become part of the solution.
