Background of a open sports field in a city.
Decorative Teal Sparkle edge
Host Character for HEADS UP to Youth Coaches,Hispanic Youth Sports Coach with a grey shirt and blue whistle

OUR WORK

HEADS UP

THE CHALLENGE

CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention needed to help people in the US better understand the growing impact of brain injuries and the best ways to prevent and treat them.

We met this challenge with expert:

  • instructional design

  • character design and animation

  • digital and social marketing

We asked…

What if...

we reduce the number of youth traumatic brain injuries by bringing concussion training to teachers, coaches, and others who have the most power to prevent them?

Young girls' indoor soccer team.
CDC HEADS. UP Logo
Youth soccer coach showing a small group of boys the plays for their next game.
Decorative teal half circle

So they came to us, and we worked with CDC to identify and prioritize the audiences most likely to help prevent and treat concussions in adults and youth. We connected with experts and identified the best format and messages to connect with our audiences.

THE APPROACH

Hero banner for CDC Heads Up: Safe Brain. Stronger Future. Features various icons from Heads Up materials
Images of lectora trainings, including different click to reveals, knowledge checks, and case studies.
Moving GiF that has a whistle that says Heads Up Coaches! Learn how you can help prevent concussions and support concussion safety. It calls viewers to "Take the training today"
Graphic for Heads Up video "Heads Up to Youth Sports Coaches" featuring the host character and a button that says "take the training"
Graphic for Heads Up video "Concussion Signs and Symptoms" featuring the host character in front of the field
Spanish: graphic for Heads Up video "Heads Up to Youth Sports Coaches" featuring the host character and a button that says "take the training"
Spanish Graphic for Heads Up video "Concussion Signs and Symptoms" featuring the host character in front of the field
A Venn Diagram with three circles "Athletes" "coaches" and "Parents and Guardians". In the center overlap is "Working Together to Prioritize Concussion Safety"

THE RESULTS

We built, promoted, and maintain Heads Up—a digital ecosystem of explainers and toolkits, educational materials like video-based e-learning, and more.

We researched, designed, and launched Heads Up for Coaches, which is a suite of video-based, interactive concussion courses which has helped coaches across the nation prevent concussions injuries.

This training is among the most popular and highly-rated trainings on TRAIN, CDC’s e-learning platform, with 4.5 stars and 116,409 ratings with over 260,000 users having completed it.

Illustration of neuron snapses
Badge that says "when in doubt sit them out" with a brain and a bench.
Blank Certificate of Completion for Heads Up

But we didn’t stop there.

We developed materials for Athletic Trainers, Educators, Sports Officials, and more.

"HEADS UP to Athletic Trainers" training cover image and two sample slides from the training.
"HEADS UP to Coaches" training cover image and two sample slides from the training.
"HEADS UP to Sports Officials" training cover image and two sample slides from the training.
"HEADS UP to School Professionals" training cover image and two sample slides from the training.