Palau is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Turquoise water, white sand beaches and undisturbed jungle make it a top destination for tourists worldwide. While its beauty may be more subtle than that of the ocean and the islands, Palau's clean air is one of its most important natural resources. The constant influx of visitors brings along unwanted baggage — secondhand smoke.
While anti-smoking campaigns can be effective particularly when targeting youth who may be deciding whether or not to try smoking in the first place, they tend to be less effective when applied to established smokers, whose behavior is far more ingrained and harder to change. To make a significant impact on the amount of secondhand smoking that occurs, we were challenged to communicate an effective message aimed at established smokers.
The campaign spreads a positive message about celebrating the right to breathe air that is free of toxins and pollutants. Rather than showcasing extreme graphic imagery or scare tactics typically found in anti-smoking campaigns, Share the Air utilizes a bold, graphic feel that borrows from Palauan culture. We combined this with a custom typographic approach across the headlines.
As the campaign only recently went into effect, it is currently too early to measure the behavior change in Palau. However, in a survey of children who participated in the social events around the campaign, 100% enjoyed the program, 100% said that they learned something about second-hand smoke, and 100% would be interested in participating again.
The project recently picked up Silver in the 2018 Graphis Typography 4 Awards.
Companies
Unified Theory
- Design