Project Overview
The WWF Climate Witness program aims to document the direct experiences of people who are witnessing the impacts of climate change on their local environment and livelihoods. The key message is that climate change is happening right now to real people.
We had previously designed eight large expo style banners, each telling a different person’s story, that had been hugely successful. WWF wanted to develop the idea for the G8 Conference in Bali – however they did not have an official location from which to operate.
The series used emotive keywords to tell a very compelling story from afar while each banner told a personal story as delegates moved closer to the images. The banners continue to travel around the world to remind world leaders that action needs to be taken urgently.
Challenges
WWF’s aim was to make an impact on delegates as they entered the G8 symposium on climate change, and for future events the Climate Witness team may attend. They did not have the official placement or capacity to cart the large expo banners we had created into position for this event, however, and a new solution was needed.
Design Strategies
Thinking about the need for mobility, fast movement and barrier like functions of the front line at the G8 we developed. We researched the impact of conventional protest boards, their functionality and the user experience. We wanted to create something different, something that stood out in the crowd, something that expressed urgency, creativity, and that was visually attractive while clearly communicating the message in a playful way.
We developed a number of prototypes as we explored the opening mechanism and the impact the boards would have in a crowd situation. Lightweight foam core construction meant the boards could easily be lifted above the operators heads and affordable rubber plugs were sourced from our local hardware store to ensure they could be replaced easily should they go missing.
The entire design went through a dozen or so iterations and is testament to the effectiveness of iterative design.
Outcomes
Each protest board tells the story of an individual climate witness that can be experienced up close. But a larger story is told from a distance – the collective message is assembled as the protest boards fan out in front of the viewer. The boards competed well in what was to become a media circus and delivered a personal message to delegates as they entered the talks.
Tati Guedes, Programme Administrator, WWF Australia, had this to say:
“Digital Eskimo went beyond the basic brief to add creative and strategic input to the product. The result was a vibrant, impacting and innovative material that we are proud to showcase at events targeting various audiences, from business to government and internal staff.”
Credits
- Creative Director: Dave Gravina
- Producer: Michelle Gilmore
- Executive Producer: Penny Hagen
- Designers: Rully Zakaria
