Throwaway Comments

The Problem
4 in 10 people have experienced microaggressions at work related to their identity. Studies have shown this can cause depression, trauma, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  In the UK, the rise of hate speech has only fuelled this. Many people don’t understand of the lasting impact these comments can have. 

Working with NABS, the UKs leading mental health support charity for marketing, media and advertising industries, we needed to create a campaign to help people understand the consequences of their words.

The Solution
We took illustrations from artists depicting trauma, and used them as the basis for the campaign. All other elements within the design process aimed to tell the story without distracting from the power of the visualised microaggressions. We borrowed visual language from HR reports which are often filed because of microaggressions. Whilst visual ques depict speech marks whilst the crumpled headlines depict the idea of ‘throwaway comments’.   

To highlight the permanent damage that microaggressions cause, posters were printed on specialized indestructible paper that couldn’t be thrown away. They were sent as scrunched balls, resembling thrown away paper. However when the package was opened, the posters unfurled in-front of the recipient.