barnardos australia
During the 2nd trimester of 2019, I enrolled in major project. Major project as a class revolved around creating a way to attract a new audience, and re-occurring donators, to Barnardos Australia. Barnardos Australia is a charity that aims to fight against child abuse / mistreatment. They have many, many programs, ranging from finding children foster carers, to helping parents provide their children the things they need to live a fulfilling life. In major project we were lucky enough to present to, and get feedback from, Barnardos Australia themselves, with some representatives in marketing and design coming to Billy Blue College of Design
a few times throughout the 12 trimester.
Idea
My idea is based around video content. 6 pieces of video content will be released, with each focusing on the narrative of a different child. These videos show how Barnardos Australia helps children, and also all the different ways child abuse can effect people. Each video mostly stands on its own, with a few minor connections to the other content to help the viewer understand that Barnardos Australia provides assistance under all these drastically different circumstances.
These videos hover around the 1 minute mark, making them suit the short attention span that people often browse social media with. The most significant part of the structure comes in the before / after aspect. Each video is broken up in 2 halves, the 1st focuses on the childs life before Barnardos Australia provided assistance, with the 2nd half focusing on the childs life after Barnardos Australia provided assistance. This combination of structural elements appeals to viewer sensibilities and concretely communicates what Barnardos Australia does.
additional content & Rollout
A small amount of additional content will be rolled out along with the videos. This includes social media posts with calls to action, briefly giving insight into the stories told in the video content, creating curiosity and a way to capture potential donators who have more passive social media habits. A re-designed donation page is in line with the style of this campaign, creating a fuller interaction with the campaign.
This range of content will be rolled out over 1-2 months. The image content will be posted during the interim of the video content being posted, making for a simple yet reinforced rollout which ties into the respectful, comfortable imagery. This laid back rollout also stops this content from appearing as a mere cash grab or blatant advertisement.
Style
These videos make use of a very particular style. I call it ‘subverted familiarity’. By making use of imagery that we all associate as being comfortable, or positive, like a child’s drawing, and then subverting it by showing it ripped or crumpled, I can communicate that this child isn’t happy, or comfortable. This style allows for 2 very important things: 1. I can avoid using graphic imagery, like that of a sad / hurt child, which also lets me avoid making something manipulative and 2. I’m then provided with a good base of imagery that I can play straight in the 2nd half of the video, letting people easily understand the positive changes Barnardos Australia have made in this child’s life