Badge Academy

A mobile game simulating police training, designed to recruit and inspire the next generation of officers.

Dutch Police, Amsterdam (NL), 2021

Close-up of a rain-wet Dutch police (Politie) vest, showing the force’s torch-and-shield logo and yellow reflective stripe across the back.

The overview

Badge Academy is an Android game developed for the Dutch National Police to give teenagers a taste of the force. Instead of a dry public service announcement, the app drops players into a simulated training academy where they earn badges, tackle live cases, and hunt down an entire family of recurring criminals, each with their own backstory and personality.

To keep the game replayable, players face random encounters with the family members across eight distinct mini-games. The real test of focus comes from intentional distraction screens where characters jump out mid-game to break the player’s concentration. It takes the high-stress reality of police work, from administering first aid to chasing suspects, and packages it into a competitive, goal-driven experience that slyly doubles as a recruitment tool.

  • Illustration of a diverse group of colourful cartoon characters, including a tall red-haired figure, a girl with braids, an old man with a walker, an old lady with an air balloon, a blue-skinned man and a petite pink-haired woman, gathered together on a dark blue background.
  • A person’s hands holding a smartphone in a red case, displaying the Badge Academy app splash screen with the Dutch Police logo, bold yellow title, and illustrated cast of characters.
  • Smartphone mockup on a dark blue background showing the Badge Academy app splash screen, with the Politie logo at the top, a bold yellow comic-style title, a graduation cap, and the full illustrated cast of characters.
  • Illustration of six colourful cartoon characters of varying ages standing in a row, including a pink figure with a balloon, a green character with a walker, a tall figure in green, and a girl with braids, on a dark blue background.
  • Four smartphone screens showing the Badge Academy app structure: a location hub with Academie, Bureau, and Locker; the Academie sub-menu with first aid, administration, and investigation modules; a Bureau mission schedule with timed tasks; and the Locker screen with collectable badges and equipment.
  • Illustration of a Dutch Politie police car with red and blue markings, surrounded by orange traffic cones on a road with green trees in the background.
  • Badge Academy app logo: bold yellow comic-style lettering with a dark shadow on a blue circle, with the white Police torch-and-shield logo above.
  • Three smartphones showing Badge Academy Bureau content: a video of a police officer at the wheel of a patrol car, a chat-style screen with tips from three instructors in Dutch, and a loading screen with an animated blue police siren.

The work

A one-designer show, me, which meant building the entire visual world, UX/UI, and interaction logic from scratch. My favorite challenge was playing character designer: I illustrated all six members of the criminal family, giving each one a distinct backstory to anchor the narrative. From there, I mapped out the interaction mechanics for the eight mini-games and the focus-breaking distraction screens.

The real tightrope walk was the branding. I built a vibrant, high-energy gaming environment that screams “teenagers,” while strictly adhering to the official corporate color palette of the Dutch National Police. It was a lesson in balancing institutional authority with teenage engagement, but above all, a great way to view criminality from a cartoonish, more pleasant-than-reality perspective.

  • Three smartphones showing the “Schakel het gevaar uit” shooting mini-game, with a landscape intro screen and two portrait screens showing orange and teal illustrated robot-like figures, one holding a weapon.
  • Illustration of a jointed wooden crash-test dummy shrugging with arms spread, standing in front of a blue illustrated police academy building with a football pitch and running track.
  • Illustration of a lanky, sullen teal cartoon character in a white vest and rust-red shorts, standing in a residential street with blue apartment blocks against a magenta circle.
  • Four smartphones showing the “Verleen Eerste Hulp” first-aid mini-game, with an injured illustrated character in various states of distress across the screens and three selectable response items: a first aid kit, a bandage, and a cup at the bottom.
  • Four smartphones showing the “Verdedig jezelf” self-defence mini-game, with a small angry orange cartoon character with wild red hair and a briefcase appearing across all screens in escalating confrontation poses.
  • Illustration of a scowling orange cartoon character with red hair and a briefcase, standing in front of a blue bank building against a green circle on a dark blue background.
  • Illustration of a tall red-haired cartoon character in a green striped jumper opening a blue locker, with a small hand cheerfully waving from inside.
  • Three smartphones showing the Plankgas naar de overval driving mini-game: a comic-style landscape intro screen with the red-haired villain, a top-down street scene with barriers and a stop sign, and a 3D first-person driving view with directional controls.

The result

  • Owned the end-to-end design as the sole creative, handling everything from character illustration to full UX/UI execution.
  • Built the narrative backbone by designing and illustrating a family of six distinct criminal characters.
  • Designed eight randomized mini-games and focus-testing distraction mechanics to maximize player retention.
  • Built a credible brand identity rooted in an official government palette that still felt like a mobile game.
  • Gamified real-world police training into engaging visual experiences for a teenage audience.
  • Four smartphones showing the “Wat te doen” decision-making mini-game, featuring a green cartoon character in different scenarios: playing baseball, reporting a burglary, and jaywalking, with three action options at the bottom.
  • Illustration of a small green cartoon character wearing a sports headband and using a walking frame, standing in a dimly lit home interior with a yellow circle in the background.
  • Illustration of a smiling pink cartoon character meditating with eyes closed, holding a colourful striped balloon, with a thought cloud above its head and a boxing ring in the dark blue background.
  • Illustration of three mobile phones showing different screens of a detective game against a blue background. The screens display the Dutch text “Zoek het bewijs!”, a 3D room, and a mini-game featuring a dark blue bottle with a red stain.
  • Illustration of four mobile phones showing a sequence from a running game against a blue background. The screens display the Dutch title “In de achtervolging!” and follow a character with long braids chasing a pink grandmother holding a striped balloon.
  • Illustration of a yellow-skinned cartoon character with long braids, glasses, and red headphones. In the background, a blue bank building stands before a massive textured orange sun against a dark night sky.
  • A stylised monochromatic blue illustration of a dimly lit, messy office room. A baseball bat sits on top of stacked books on a large desk, surrounded by scattered items like a pistol, a bottle, an axe, and a single lit candle.
  • Illustration of three mobile phones displaying a case-sorting game interface against a blue background. The screens feature the Dutch text “Orden het bewijs!” alongside yellow “Top secret” folders containing suspect photos, fingerprints, and evidence.

Credits

Role: Lead Designer | Illustrator
Employer: IJsfontein
Client: Dutch National Police
Mockups & Video: IJsfontein

© IJsfontein. All right reserved.

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