Reading between the lines.
Campaign | Visual Identity | Logo Design
‘Reading between the lines’ is an awareness campaign designed to highlight the disconnect between the words of government leaders and their actions towards people forced to flee their home country. The execution hinged on taking quotes from members of Parliament who have been instrumental in refugee laws and then reinterpreting the meaning through slight changes.
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Since 2018, the United Kingdom Home Office have found 89,788 refugees that crossed the British Channel in small boats. Whilst this has been an issue for the UK for decades, the real problem is the solution the Government has devised. Parliament aimed to aid Ukrainian refugees with the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme, but shortly after, the “Nationality and Borders” bill passed through, giving the Government the power to deport anyone seeking refuge back to the country they fled. The “UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership” allowed the Government to deport anyone seeking asylum to Rwanda. After the introduction of these two laws, it becomes clear the United Kingdom Government does not want to help those who need to escape their home, but just instead just move them on to somewhere else.
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To demonstrate the disconnect between the words and the actions of the Government, I asked people to modify a quote taken from 3 particular politicians. These people had crucial roles in bills and schemes aimed towards refugees, making their words essential for the project. The phrases were altered by a random selection of people, further showcasing the fact that a wide range of people view the Government’s actions towards refugees as heartless, inhumane and cruel.
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Giving the campaign a visual identity was critical in tying all of the out-of-home designs together. This involved creating a logo that represented movement in the leg and shoulder of R being cut off through the stem.
Once the letter form was created, I selected a bold typeface that complimented the shape built for the logo with tight tracking and kerning to increase the impact of the messaging. To conflict the quote of the politician, I hand-wrote the modifications the people gave, giving the feeling of individuality that can be associated with the individuals choice of wording.
The bright, heavily saturated green was selected as an eye grabbing ode to the life jackets refugees are often found in when arriving to the shores of the UK. On top of this, the tone of green gives an instant recognition factor, allowing people who see the campaign to tie each out-of-home poster and billboard into the Refuge Action brand.
The introduction of the harsh, rough texture added a more grounded look and feel, stepping away from flat designs which lack any feeling of realness. This use of texture creates a visual link to the very real issue the whole project is based upon.
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