We've all spotted some pretty cool stuff circulating online at the moment, so the five of us have joined forces to tell you about some of our favourites.
From all the current uncertainty has emerged plenty of creativity and innovation!
We’ve all spotted some pretty cool stuff circulating online at the moment, so the five of us have joined forces to tell you about some of our favourites.
Ellen: Does Culture Matter?
I’m going local with my fresh pick this time! Our friends over at Crystallised have started a mass participation research project to understand the part arts and culture plays in peoples’ lives and what has changed since COVID-19.
It’ll be super interesting to see how this sort of upheaval changes our opinions on arts and cultural venues and activities in the future. I know my appreciation has definitely grown now I can’t just go out and visit my favourite places whenever I like.
Crystallised are looking for more people to take part in the research. All you need to do is spend a few minutes each week answering five questions. And lets face it, we all have a little more time on our hands at the moment!
You’ll be helping them to give valuable insights to the arts and culture sector in the UK.
Dan: Spread Facts, Not Fear
Ever since being a design student, I’ve followed the work of Noma Bar closely. His use of negative space in his illustration work is really inspiring, and always so cleverly done. Often his work has a very powerful message and none more so than his recent campaign for Mucinex with their “Spread Facts, Not Fear”. The campaign is to highlight the importance of ensuring the public are getting the right information about Covid-19 whilst we all adjust to the huge changes that the pandemic brings to our day-to-day lives. The US campaign was commissioned by McCann and seen across social, print and out-of-home.
Erin: Kind Words
With the constant barrage of news on social media and TV, people are turning to alternatives such as video games to help cope and distract themselves from the virus.
There are so many great games to help provide an escape from the real world (need I mention Animal Crossing?) however when I saw this episode of People Make Games, I was surprised to see how a game could directly help people cope with the anxiety and stress of recent events. Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) was developed by Popcannibal prior to the pandemic but has now risen to popularity.
The basis of the game is to write and receive kind anonymous letters. You can post out your worries and problems and have strangers respond with comforting words or advice. You may also respond to others’ letters, to help someone who may be struggling.
Katie: ‘Socially Distanced’ Branding
To tackle this pandemic, we’ve seen people across the world come together to do what they can to slow the spread, and brands are no exception.
According to research by MarketingWeek, “the vast majority of consumers do not think brands need to stop advertising during the Covid-19 outbreak, although they do expect companies to think about their tone and messaging, and communicate around values.” And that seems to be exactly what most big brands are doing!
The unusual circumstances have led to brands taking a step back to re-think their marketing and we’re seeing even more creativity! Which I, for one, have been thoroughly enjoying.
For instance, this clever poster from Guinness is based on one they’ve done before, but the image and text has been adapted to encourage people to stay at home.
And VW, Mercedes, Audi and Go Outdoors are just some of the big companies that have ‘socially distanced’ their logos in an attempt to encourage social distancing.
Consumers have also taken to putting their own ‘socially distant’ spin on the logos of some major brands. These are some by designer, Jure Tovrljan.
Henry: 6 feet covers
6 feet covers is an incredible collection of album art redesigned to create awareness for social distancing.
Keeping our distance is something we’re all getting used to and this is a fantastic, fun way to get the message out. These iconic covers from the Beatles and NWA are my favourites, but check out their website for more here.
And that’s everyone! We’ll be back soon with some more fresh picks. But until then, we’d love to see any cool stuff you guys have spotted!
