From drawing to real train
NS
Overview
Most parents simply don’t know that children aged 4 to 11 can travel for free with NS Kids Vrij.
But instead of creating another awareness campaign explaining the product, we wanted to make something impossible to miss.
Together with NS, we created the NS Drawing Contest: a nationwide competition inviting children to design their ultimate dream train. What started as a drawing contest quickly grew into a nationwide 360° campaign.
Out of more than 1,200 submissions, three finalists were selected. Using AI, these three finalist drawings were transformed into moving, lifelike trains travelling through Dutch landscapes. Suddenly, children’s imagination became visible everywhere.
But the campaign didn’t stop there.
The winning design by Phileine (8) was further developed together with a professional illustrator into an executable train design, while making sure to preserve the imperfections and perspective of her drawing.
To celebrate the launch of the real train, NS revealed the ‘Lieve Monstertrein’ during a festive event where Phileine and her family watched it arrive for the very first time. The celebration even featured custom merchandise inspired by Phileine’s monster characters.
Today, Phileine’s ‘Lieve Monstertrein’ is a real NS train travelling through the Netherlands until 2028.
