The Girl Who Caught A Killer

In 1990, seven-year-old Rachael Watts miraculously survived being abducted, assaulted and left for dead. Three days after being found, she was asked to pick out her attacker from an identity parade. Her bravery triggered the discovery of a terrifying miscarriage of justice, reopening an old murder case and paved the way for one of the most sensational re-trials in British history.

Tasked with creating visuals for a new Sky documentary centred around this story, there was an obvious need to be respectful and considerate with the tone while accurately capturing the severity of this shocking story. The words ‘Redemptive’, ‘Poignant’ and ‘Intriguing’ were listed as the main themes and ideas to capture in these visuals, motivating the following ideation and sketches.

Of the many ideas generated and visualised, there were a few stand out concepts: Focussing on the child recreating these graphic scenes with toys was an incredibly striking concept, showing the impact these traumatic events could have on a seven-year-old. Ultimately, it was decided this concept lacked the idea of redemption which is key to this documentary, being the first time Watts has gone on record and spoke publicly about her experiences. The second concept, showing the distorted, stylised presentation of memory, was visually engaging but lacked the personal connection at the core of this tragic story.

The concept below was decided to be the best of the options – Placing focus on the redemptive moment of Rachel identifying the perpetrator from a police line-up. While alongside her mother, the sense of isolation and tension in this moment was important to capture.

Having used non-licensable AI within the initial concept, the concept was then remade. By using a combination of Firefly AI and stock assets at its core, we were able to create imagery that was hugely authentic to the real events while still being suitable for this idea.

The design then went into retouch, making minor tweaks to the image, composition, and colour grade to ensure the key art is ready for delivery. This included refining the typography, favouring a condensed transitional serif typeface that felt dark and mysterious. The added wear and degradation on this TA adds to the idea of age and memory at the core of this documentary.

Working with the Campaigns team (including Chloe Cairns, Johnny Ace, and Sophie Wade) on this project helped me develop a more considered approach to visual storytelling, especially when dealing with sensitive subject matter. It reinforced the importance of aligning creative direction with tone, and how every design choice – from concept to final retouch – contributes to that. Navigating the balance between an authentic representation and creating an engaging visual was a key learning point, as was finding effective ways to communicate emotion through image and type.