Family activity site Hoop collaborated with three inspirational designers to reimagine the classic pregnancy badge
· Illustrator Marion Deuchars and graphic designers Erin Aniker and Ellie Thomas created six new designs that celebrate expecting mums across the UK
· Project was inspired by research that revealed 28% of pregnant women feel overlooked on public transport
· Limited edition badges have been released just in time for Mother’s Day, and are available to order free on Hoop
Hoop has created six brand new ‘Baby on Board!’ badges, reimagined to celebrate pregnancy and encourage people up and down the UK to “move over” for mums-to-be.
Released ahead of Mother’s Day and available to order free online, the family activity app collaborated with illustrator Marion Deuchars and graphic designers Erin Aniker and Ellie Thomas to create the new badges.
Inspired by Hoop research among 480 expectant mums that revealed over a quarter (28%) have felt overlooked whilst on public transport, all six new designs were made purposefully bright and bold, to help catch the eyes of busy commuters up and down the country.
Esteemed illustrator and mum of two Marion Deuchars thought back to her own pregnancies when coming up with her concepts. The first features her signature hand lettering in bright red whilst the second shows a cartoon stork carrying a baby.
Speaking about her inspiration, she said: “I wanted to create designs that were striking and fun and importantly, attractive enough that you’d want to wear. One of the things I remember about travelling whilst pregnant was that vulnerability; the fear of having a briefcase accidentally swung into me, or someone squashing me against a door. You can’t have a warning sign or flashing lights on your pregnant tummy, and sometimes many women don’t have a big bump, so being drawn to an eye-catching badge is a good alternative!”
Illustrator and designer Erin Aniker approached her designs from a different perspective; taking inspiration from the inclusive community she grew up with in London. Both feature hands, one cradling the lettering and one featuring a loop of different nationalities.
She said: “I wanted my designs to show growth, support and solidarity. The second design with the circle of hands especially focuses on this, on collective support and community and looking out for each other and each other’s families and children.”
Manchester based Ellie Thomas featured pregnant women in the midst of travelling. She commented: “I wanted to strike the right balance between making the fact they are mums-to-be very clear and still depict them as well rounded characters with other interests – so they are reading a book or listening to music like any other commuter, the only difference is that they need a seat more than most other people. I think it can be easy for women’s identities to get overshadowed by motherhood so it was important to me that these characters are their own people as well as future parents."
Max Jennings, co-founder at Hoop, adds: “Our goal is to help get parents out of the house, have fun with their kids and generally make their lives easier. This project is an extension of that philosophy. By collaborating with three incredibly talented female designers, we have been able to create badges that not only look amazing but also help pregnant mums stand out when they travel. We know that mums and mums-to-be are powerful and all six designs reflect that power. Best of all, they are completely free.”
To view all the badge designs or to order one for free, visit Hoop
Baby on Board re-imagined designs
