#unignorable
United Way
Issue 51 | June 2019
Agency
TAXI
Creative Team
Executive Creative Directors Alexis Bronstorph, Kelsey Horne Associate Creative Director, Art Director Dan Cantelon Associate Creative Director, Copywriter Marc Levesque
Production Team
Designer Rasna Jaswal Illustrator Malika Favre Senior Integrated Producer Cherie O’Connor Producer Dennis Soler Broadcast & Content Producer Joan Digba
Other Credits
Group Account Director Adam Ball Account Director Leigh Anderson VP, Head of Strategy Christine Maw Client Director, Content Adrienne Clarke VP Communications and Brand Strategy Louise Bellingham SVP Donor Relations & Marketing Goodwin Gibson
Date
September 2018
Background
Because Canadians did not realise that social issues like domestic violence, poverty, and homelessness existed in their own communities, the problems were being ignored.
Though United Way worked locally by funding neighbourhood-specific solutions, they wanted a national awareness campaign to get Canadians of all ages, demographics, and backgrounds to take notice of what was happening in their own communities.
Idea
To highlight social issues that were being left in the dark, the idea was to create new Pantone® colour in partnership with the Pantone Color Institute and call it Unignorable.
A high-visibility neon that boldly called for attention, yet was optimistic in feel and tone. It was a colour that appeared to be in constant motion, yet was not polarising like most bright neons.
Working with a world-class illustrator, the new colour was then combined with art to visualise each social issue and tell a story that words couldn’t. Through this minimalist, eye-catching design system, complicated and overlooked social issues were simplified in a way that couldn’t be ignored.
Results
Following the long-standing tradition of art for social change, the power of colour was used to get people to rally around the complicated issues happening in their very own communities.
With over 150 million impressions, the campaign helped raise over $110 million in donations, a record-breaking amount for United Way anywhere in the world.
Our Thoughts
Picture it. You’re in a room with a bunch of other people. The task is to try to raise awareness of issues people would rather not know about. In your own leafy streets there is violence, abuse and despair. Someone says, “I know, let’s create a colour to highlight the problems.” In nine out of ten instances that person would be ignored or rubbished but at TAXI someone else said, “Hmmm, you know what, you might have something there.” This is one of those ideas that allows other people to have ideas. It's an idea you can build on, develop, take into new territories. It is a great idea.