Hidden Violence and Abuse Hidden in New Anti-Abuse Campaign
An ongoing campaign from abuse and violence cause group Safe Horizon is illustrating most abuse is hidden from view with ads that hide their messages in a jumble of letters. While the notion of making an ad harder to read could be questioned, the concept, which incorporates the twisted words Disrespected, Abuse, Humiliated, Punched, Kicked, Slapped, and Insulted, aligns nicely with the difficulty of the issue.
The pro-bono campaign, which can be viewed within two PDFs here and here, was created by creative team Rachel Howald and Ahmer Kalam from Howald & Kalam, LLC and will appear in various outdoor media in New York City, daily newspapers and nationally in magazines such as Essence, Redbook and People en Espanol.
Comments
I see these posters and ads all around and I think they're pieces of shit. They could've done something so amazing and they chose this. Straight out of art school - these guys actually would've been ridiculed out of my class back in '94. I guess it just goes to show that creativity in today's marketing world is worse than anybody could have imagined.
Joseph, Don't you have anything better to do than cut down probono campaigns for good causes. Obviously, not. Go get a girl friend, and try to be nice to her.
Brian, I do have a girlfriend, thanks. And I treat her like a princess.
Now, I wouldn't characterize my comment as cutting but I see how one might. Obviously, I'm not cutting the pro-bono aspect - I've done my share and I'm sure we all have - but pro-bono or not, it's got to be clear communication. And if you're charged with communicating something as important as child abuse and violence against children, well, at the very least make it legible. After all, we're in the communication business. And what is communication if it's not clear?
Hidden messages is a beautiful, clear strategy. But the work sucks, and if I can't criticize a piece of work featured on an open forum, then what's the point of creativity? Why call ourselves "creative?"
My message isn't hidden: For adults who have children (like I do), for whom caring for and nurturing this new generation is the most thrilling and at the same time the most troubling occupation, an issue as serious as child abuse is nothing to be clever about. More than at any other time in our careers, pro-bono gives us a chance to apply our creative minds to something more worthwhile than selling shoes or electronics or cars. When we have that opportunity and squander it with mediocre messaging that flies over the heads of everyone it intends to speak to, well then I'm sure even you'd agree Brian, that everybody gets hurt. Pro bono is a chance for us - in any small way - to put positive messages back into the mainstream, where all we encounter is consumercentric bullshit.
And yes Brian, I have a ton of better things to do. Like changing diapers. At work and at home.
Brian, I do have a girlfriend, thanks. And I treat her like a princess.
Now, I wouldn't characterize my comment as cutting but I see how one might. Obviously, I'm not cutting the pro-bono aspect - I've done my share and I'm sure we all have - but pro-bono or not, it's got to be clear communication. And if you're charged with communicating something as important as child abuse and violence against children, well, at the very least make it legible. After all, we're in the communication business. And what is communication if it's not clear?
Hidden messages is a beautiful, clear strategy. But the work sucks, and if I can't criticize a piece of work featured on an open forum, then what's the point of creativity? Why call ourselves "creative?"
My message isn't hidden: For adults who have children (like I do), for whom caring for and nurturing this new generation is the most thrilling and at the same time the most troubling occupation, an issue as serious as child abuse is nothing to be clever about. More than at any other time in our careers, pro-bono gives us a chance to apply our creative minds to something more worthwhile than selling shoes or electronics or cars. When we have that opportunity and squander it with mediocre messaging that flies over the heads of everyone it intends to speak to, well then I'm sure even you'd agree Brian, that everybody gets hurt. Pro bono is a chance for us - in any small way - to put positive messages back into the mainstream, where all we encounter is consumercentric bullshit.
And yes Brian, I have a ton of better things to do. Like changing diapers. At work and at home.
Brian, I do have a girlfriend, thanks. And I treat her like a princess.
Now, I wouldn't characterize my comment as cutting but I see how one might. Obviously, I'm not cutting the pro-bono aspect - I've done my share and I'm sure we all have - but pro-bono or not, it's got to be clear communication. And if you're charged with communicating something as important as child abuse and violence against children, well, at the very least make it legible. After all, we're in the communication business. And what is communication if it's not clear?
Hidden messages is a beautiful, clear strategy. But the work sucks, and if I can't criticize a piece of work featured on an open forum, then what's the point of creativity? Why call ourselves "creative?"
My message isn't hidden: For adults who have children (like I do), for whom caring for and nurturing this new generation is the most thrilling and at the same time the most troubling occupation, an issue as serious as child abuse is nothing to be clever about. More than at any other time in our careers, pro-bono gives us a chance to apply our creative minds to something more worthwhile than selling shoes or electronics or cars. When we have that opportunity and squander it with mediocre messaging that flies over the heads of everyone it intends to speak to, well then I'm sure even you'd agree Brian, that everybody gets hurt. Pro bono is a chance for us - in any small way - to put positive messages back into the mainstream, where all we encounter is consumercentric bullshit.
And yes Brian, I have a ton of better things to do. Like changing diapers. At work and at home.
Joseph, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah Blah....
Jospeh, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah....