Network Rail. Careers postcards for young people
Role: Graphic Designer and Illustrator. Agency: Storycatchers
Context
Network rail wanted to attract young people into careers across the organisation and challenge narrow perceptions of what working on the railway looks like. The aim was to highlight the breadth and diversity of roles available, from engineering and ecology to digital, freight and project management.
The output was a series of double-sided postcards designed to be engaging, accessible and easy to distribute at events, in schools and through outreach programmes.
My role
I was one of two creatives responsible for developing the visual approach and designing the postcards. We worked collaboratively on the concepts, layouts and illustrations, creating a flexible system that could support multiple roles while still feeling part of a single, recognisable set.
My contribution focused on graphic design and illustration, helping shape the overall look and ensuring each card balanced personality, clarity and consistency.
Design approach
Each postcard was designed with a clear front-and-back structure.
The front used bold, playful questions and eye-catching illustration to spark curiosity and invite engagement. These were deliberately designed to feel surprising and non-corporate, using humour and visual metaphor to reframe roles in a way that felt relevant to a younger audience.
The back grounded that curiosity in reality, featuring real Network Rail employees sharing their job, background and career pathway. These stories showed that there is no single route into the railway and helped make the roles feel achievable, relatable and human.
Although each role had its own visual language, the set was unified through consistent structure, tone and branding. Illustration styles, typography and layout conventions were carefully controlled so the postcards could be mixed and matched without losing cohesion.
This approach allowed the series to scale across many roles while remaining easy to recognise and easy to use.
Outcome
The finished postcards provided Network rail with a practical, engaging recruitment tool that combined attention-grabbing design with authentic storytelling.