Stop, Think, Go, Do

The language of advocacy has a common goal: alter behavior

and act upon instincts, whatever the outcome may be.

ADVOCATE

Designers create messages that rouse audiences to

support, and therefore engage in, an issue or event,

cause or mission—or anything else that falls under the

rubric of advocacy. Doing so is a large challenge. How

these messages are framed can mean the difference

between action and inaction. Activating the conscience

of an otherwise information-saturated segment of the

population is not as easy as it sounds. Beautiful typography

and elegant imagery are not always the most effective

motivators. Pleasingly designed compositions may lull

the viewer into acquiescence rather than spark the flame

that steams the engine. The right balance of “good” and

“appropriate” design is required, and this cannot be

predetermined with a one-size-fits-all template. What

pushes our buttons or not is situational and contextual.

Behavior is not impacted by design alone; other envi-

ronmental, emotional, and social factors contribute to

whether a targeted message hits the mark.

Arguably, the most effective advocacy missives are the

ones that use surprise—even shock—to draw attention

and impart a command. “Help Hunger Disappear”

(page 58), with the six-foot-tall word hunger made from

stacked Campbell’s soup cans, is a textbook example.

Graphically it employs familiar labels, but the cumu-

lative impact of seeing hundreds of cans forming the

word hunger is surprising enough to demand more than

a second look. The fact that the cans are meant to be

removed, thus disassembling the word, provides an

interactive component that most printed billboards or

posters cannot achieve. It is surprising, commanding,

and demanding all at once.

Not as cleverly designed but just as smartly conceived is

the campaign titled “I’m Sorry. We Could Have Stopped

Catastrophic Climate Change . . . We Didn’t” (page 61),

demanding action at the Copenhagen 2009 climate

change conference that uses ironic prescience to move

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the masses. By aging the faces of today’s world leaders—

including Barack Obama and José Luis Zapatero—to

appear as they might look in 2020, the campaign sets

up the possibility that by not acting on climate change

today, they made the planet worse off over a decade later.

Apologies do not help, so the viewer is asked to “act now.”

Although “I amsterdam” (page 56) is not political in

tone or content, it is advocating for citizens to take own-

ership of their city. I am in red and sterdam in white as

six-foot-plus-tall letters is as in-your-face as a statement

can get with as minimal means as possible. The street

installation advocates ownership while allowing for

interactive play. The slogan “I amsterdam” is memorable

and empowering.

Street objects as agitprop are effective advocacy tools.

The “Make Trade Fair” (page 57) protest against the

World Trade Organization uses the idea of equality

among trading nations as its basic message but

underpins the sentiment with messages emblazoned

on colorful shipping containers that catch the eye and

leave a mental “cookie.” What says trade better than

these ubiquitous containers.?

The “Climate Change” (page 52) campaign transforms

everyday objects, flora, and fauna into letters that spell

out the words in question. Rendered in a storybook

representational drawing style, these posters are an

interactive game that invites the audience to play and

learn, while absorbing the message.

Change may be an amorphous thing to advocate for

or against, but it is a charged word. It suggests a new

beginning or it can be a tired bromide. When it is posted

on the street to announce that “Victoria is Changing”

(page 69), it implies the command that the people of

Victoria should embrace whatever is to come. Or if

cynical, it could mean “spare some change,” but even

that sentiment provokes a certain kind of behavior.

Possibly the most poignant example of advocacy is the

send-up of the typical cardboard homeless sign—which

has become such an urban streetscape fixture. For the

“= Less Poverty” campaign (page 73), the ironic statement

“Hungry. Will Work For Dignity, Respect, Human Rights”

speaks to more than just a hot meal—to more than

mere survival. In this vernacular scrawl, these words

have powerful meaning that reminds everyone that

there is more to life than just living.

The images and campaigns under the Advocacy um-

brella demand attention. Designed to trigger response,

passivity is not an option. Whether the design advocates

social change or consumer engagement, the language

of advocacy has a common goal: alter behavior and act

upon instincts, whatever the outcome may be.

stop, think, go, do

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