Ifaw/international Fund Of Animal Welfare: STOP THE SLAUGHTER

Credits & Description:

Type of Entry: Graphic Design & Design Crafts
Category: Posters
Advertiser/Client: INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE
Product/Service: ANTI-WHALING
Entrant Company: JWT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Design/Advertising Agency: JWT Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Executive Creative Director: Richard Muntz (JWT Melbourne)
Deputy Creative Director: Keith Nicolas (JWT Melbourne)
Creative: Harsh Kapadia (JWT Melbourne)
Creative: Chris Andrews (JWT Melbourne)
Creative: Josh Armstrong (JWT Melbourne)
Agency Producer: Michael Travers (JWT Melbourne)
Account Supervisor: Daniel King (JWT Melbourne)
Producer: Ben Cox (Central Illustration Agency)
Illustrator: Tom Bagshaw (Central Illustration Agency)
Typographer: Darren Evans (JWT Melbourne)
Vice President of Communications: Erica Martin (IFAW)
Global Whale Program Director: Patrick Ramage (IFAW)
Planner: Anuj Mehra (JWT Melbourne)
Brief Explanation:
Achieving our objective was not going to be easy. The average Joe does not get to see a whale in his lifetime and therefore understandably finds it difficult to feel the pain that whaling inflicts on these gentle giants of the sea. The challenge for our posters was to make the viewer feel anger and hate towards whaling and not just mere sympathy for the whales.
Describe the brief from the client:
Commercial whaling was banned in 1986. Yet, whales face more threats today than at any other time in history. Whaling nations - led by Japan, continue to kill thousands of endangered whales in the name of ‘scientific research’. Our client, IFAW was keen to put an end to this sham.
We were tasked with the objective of garnering mass support and opinion against the inhumane act of whale-hunting.
Description of how you arrived at the final design:
Killing a whale for scientific research is as ludicrous as building a coal-fired power station to examine greenhouse gases. Our design needed to amplifies the ridiculousness of whale-hunting in the name of scientific research and place it in stark contrast to the grace and magnetism of these gentle giants. We wanted the images to speak to the insanity of the perpetrators, without showing the obvious brutality of whale killing.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market:
The campaign has already received a great response from IFAW's global offices and the campaign has been made available for use to other countries to help protect whales around the world. The posters have been referred by many as art rather than an advertising campaign.