The Next Wave was a Designmatters sponsor project with the USGS. My peers and I spent 14 weeks creating a compelling campaign to bring tsunami awareness. As a class we decided The Next Wave was an appropriate name for our campaign being that in most cases its not the first wave that causes the most danger, but rather the next one. I had the honor of being a part of the branding and print team for this project. Our team was lead by visual artist, director, and thought provoker Guillaume Wolf.
Based on the research provided by the USGS, the campaign concept touches two psychological triggers: empowerment (for goal-driven people), and feeling safe (for mainstreamers). Avoiding the trappings of ineffective scare tactics, “Know the Tsunami,” creates curiosity and empowers the public by making them proactive partners in prevention.
One of the goals of the campaign was to be able to communicate to “everyone.” A difficult task at hand but in order to reach an all inclusive audience, we decided to create two visual treatments for the campaign that will appeal to different people.
Photo-based: a classical approach, the photo-based campaign conveys a sense of familiarity and safety.
Pictogram-based: the pictograms are immediately noticeable and playful. They convey a sense of playfulness within the community.
Mentor: Guillaume Wolf
Team Members: Salene Jang Illustration, Rhanhee Kim Graphic Design, Lena McSweeney Graphic Design, Emmily Shaw Graphic Design, and myself.