Civil & Human Rights Winners
Judges' Pick
Uncomfortable Truth by TAXI in Vancouver, Canada (Client: The Human Rights Foundation)
"We applaud this project for identifying what was exciting and relevant to the public, then responding quickly to draw awareness to a social problem. It was a very effective campaign due to this clever idea, the element of surprise, and the methods of execution.”
—Gillian Hickie
“Everything came together wonderfully in this one. We were so impressed by this team’s ability to spot an amazing (but very fleeting!) opportunity and seize on it with such an intelligent, surprising, well-executed and ultimately impactful campaign.”
—Chris Wharton
“Really loved the concept and execution of this work. It would’ve been even stronger with a clear call to action for the audience.”
—Emma McDonald
The Human Rights Foundation needed a disruptive, culturally relevant idea to help raise awareness of the fashion industry’s complicity in the kidnapping, torture, and genocide of an entire culture. Capitalizing on public attention surrounding ads for a Yeezy/Gap blue puffer jacket, the campaign used the same simple design approach to show the blue prison jumpsuit worn by Uyghur people trapped in forced labour camps in Xinjiang, China. New Yorkers desperate for the next Yeezy drop rushed to scan the QR code, which directed them to a landing page with information about the issue and how to take action. While in market, the campaign saw a 631% increase in visits to the website over 72 hours, over 91K social media impressions, and upwards of 7.15 million earned media impressions.
Protests and Pedagogy Event Material by LOKI in Montréal, Canada
The Protests and Pedagogy Conference commemorates one of the most significant Black student protests in North American history. In 1969, Caribbean students called out discriminatory practices at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University), before occupying the computer centre for two weeks. The conference interrogates the legacy of this event and its connection to current struggles around Black liberation and education. Working with archival material, the design uses a bold black and white typographic approach to emphasize the dates of the conference and the occupation. A cohesive visual language connects all supporting materials for the event and was also applied to the book design for The Fire That Time, a publication that grew out of the conference.
Canadian Perspectives Impact Report by Field Trip & Co. in Toronto, Canada (Client: Council of Canadians)
The annual report from The Council of Canadians required a refreshed look and feel to attract new members and represent the depth and breadth of the organization to its donors. The traditional masthead and grid layout maintains the grassroots foundation of the brand, while updated colours and typography help breathe new life into the document and draw attention to the impact of the stories. Collages were created using community photos in duotone colours and textures. This year, the Council of Canadians solicited their largest amount of mail-in donations using the impact report tear-out form.
Global Communities Rebrand by Briteweb in Vancouver/Toronto, Canada
A newly-unified organization combining the efforts of Project Concern International and Global Communities required an updated visual identity to represent alignment, while also honouring the individual milestones of each organization. The updated logo maintains the brand equity of Global Communities with a refreshed look and feel to simplify the visual and achieve a more modern, streamlined effect. The circular arrow lines suggest renewal and change. Organic and curvilinear shapes help emphasize a friendly and approachable visual tone. Custom iconography indicates the different areas of expertise within the categories of Humanitarian Response (yellow), Sustainable Development (blue), and Financial Inclusion (green). The result is a thoughtful visual identity that reflects the newly united organization, and an annual report which marries the stories of two organizations into a seamless interactive experience.
Path Through Homelessness Campaign by BM Dodo Strategic Design in Kingston, Canada (Client: United Way KFL&A and City of Kingston)
To help destigmatize homelessness and communicate the complexities that supportive housing organizations face when assisting clients, the campaign uses pathways to represent individuals’ stories. The timeline format emphasizes how earlier experiences affect later ones, with illustrations of key life moments to show how they impact each person’s trajectory. The design is overlaid on a photograph of the storyteller to show the real person behind the story. The final colour bar indicates the current situation for each storyteller and where they are in their journey to find housing. In addition to the public launch, the campaign has been shared with additional Kingston organizations to be circulated to their membership, and has resulted in increased traffic to the resources section on the Path Home Kingston website.
