Reporters Without Borders: SPECIAL POSTMARK

Credits & Description:

Type of Entry: Graphic Design & Design Crafts
Category: Flyers, Tickets, Invitations, Postcards, Christmas and Other Greetings Cards
Advertiser/Client: REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS AUSTRIA
Product/Service: HUMAN RIGHTS
Entrant Company: SERVICEPLAN Munich, GERMANY
Design/Advertising Agency: SERVICEPLAN Munich, GERMANY
Chief Creative Officer: Alex Schill
Creative Director: Christoph Everke/Cosimo Möller/Alexander Nagel
Account Supervisor: Nadine Wintrich
Graphic Design: Elena Ressel, Annalena Bottmann
Brief Explanation:
The biggest challenge was coming up with a design for the mailshot that worked completely without words, was very different from conventional mailshots and was attention-grabbing as well as making a noticeable reference to the sender's mission.
Describe the brief from the client:
The International organization Reporters without Borders supports innocently detained journalists worldwide and fights for their discharge.
To generate donations to support the organisation's work and to at the same time achieve media support from newspapers, a mailshot was to be created for the International Human Rights Day that made reference to the organisation’s mission in an unconventional way and immediately set the mailshot apart from others at first glance.
Description of how you arrived at the final design:
A special postage stamp and a specially-designed postmark were designed and, with the support of the Austrian Postal Service, circulated for International Human Rights Day (10.12.2010).
This uniquely designed, special edition postmark was used to imprint over a postage stamp depicting an imprisoned journalist. The result showed the portrayed journalist as if behind bars. Together, the portrait ‘Behind Bars’ was created and the mission of the organization made unmistakable. So we communicated our message to the receiver even before it was actually opened.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market:
The mailing was a great success. As a result newsarticles supporting the organization Reporters without Borders appeared in 28 newspapers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
This in turn generated donations and publicity.