The message against ageism reached millions
Challenge
We were tasked with directing and designing an animated essay and an accompanying social media campaign based on the issues faced with ageism. We had to ensure that our production would not favor any ethnic group and would be tasteful in the representation of older Australians.
We had to create a visual concept to capture the message behind the script and be understandably by the wide target audience which would view it. We believe the project was a success, delivering on a contentious and difficult topic.
General Information
Our client was EveryAGE Counts initiative and the animation was produced as part of a social media campaign about ageism amongst Australian citizens. The goal of the campaign was to fight discrimination against elderly members of society in this country.
For a project of such great social importance, we needed to produce something above and beyond the ordinary as opposed to traditional vector-head characters.
Creative Concept
During the production of the animation, we were conscious to avoid representing elderly members of society as caricatures, as this could negatively represent them and inadvertently contribute towards ageism.
Design
The use of lines within our animation symbolizes the connection that we all have as humans within society. We're all interconnected, even when we don't think so.
We represented this metaphor through drawing objects with one stroke, the kind that children use in care-free doodles. We also ensured each line within the animation were the same width, further contributing to the metaphor of equality.
Color
We selected traditional, bright colors to present a contrast with the beige and transparent backgrounds. To further add to the vintage feel, we added revealing animated textures and a moving grain on top of that.
We believe this really captured the spirit of happier times for those who have experienced ageism, which is why we also lowered the number of frames per second to add the final touch to the visuals.
Animation and Sound
In animation, we focused on the continuity of scenes. Lines either morph into another object or become long enough to draw the next. This style allowed us to exercise freedom within the design detail. Intentional imperfections in proportions and the general animation added a refreshing feel to the animation.
We wanted to keep an organic feel with the audio, so we decided to keep digitally animated sound effects to a minimum. We made use of wooden and paper sounds that fit the stylistics and make gave an impression reminiscent of times gone by animation.
Results
We created an organic feeling within this animation to tackle the serious issue of ageism in society. The main campaign, where animation was one part of the strategy, had a potential media reach of 104 million people across print, online, radio and television over the 3-week period and we’re proud to have been able to contribute towards tackling ageism.
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