Saving our species
creative /
art direction
- Advertising
- Photography
The North Atlantic right whale has migrated from Georgia and Florida to the waters of the Northeastern United States and Canada for hundreds of years, but now human activities are driving them to the brink of extinction.
Physical trauma, caused by collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear are the top threats facing the right whale. The blunt force of a ship strike is often enough to kill a whale. Fishing gear is dangerous to whales because entangled ropes constrict their mouths, fins, and tails until they can no longer effectively maneuver or feed. Many of these beautiful mammals can remain entangled for up to six months before they die from exhaustion, extreme stress, or infection. Both of these causes are inhumane and can be prevented with the right solutions.
With an estimated population total of around 411, including only about 100 breeding females, the species will not recover if even one whale is killed by humans each year.
We need people to act now to prevent right whale deaths associated with shipstrikes and entanglements.
Together, we can bring these animals back from the brink.
Together, we can make a difference.
Brief
Don't fail our whale
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), has been working hard to bring critically endangered North Atlantic right whales back from the brink of extinction, and they wanted to raise programmatic and public awareness using a highly-engaging visual element with a clear and concise call to action.
A great opportunity from LA Times came knocking for IFAW to participate in a December 2018 print/digital spread with the theme of 'Saving Our Species' paired with two editorials. The publication as of late was offering a strong print/digital presence with a viewership skewed towards a slightly younger demographic that responds to highly visual elements and environmental issues. Ultimately, this was in line with IFAW's new direction, and the NARW project well encapsulates this theme and commitment.
Now, all we needed to create was a positive motivation to make the audience want to find out more about this urgent matter either by reading the editorials or visiting the web page.
#DontFailOurWhale
Concepts
Every animal matters
The goal, as always, is all about giving a voice to the voiceless. And, giving people a little spark to care. Most of us love animals, and yet we remain ignorant of or apathetic towards the abuse of domestic or circus animals or the extinction, poaching, over-harvesting of wild populations, and many others. The lurking temptation to reach for shock advertising to generate awareness and donations? Indeed! Would it have been more effective, especially considering the most charitable time of year? Perhaps. However, we didn't want to dampen the mood in the most cheerful holiday season. Exactly why the direction was set to keep the communication as positive and enlightening as possible. Yes, the power of positive appeal.
Here are a few short-listed concepts to effectively establish a sense of curiosity, awareness, and urgency about the lesser-known ecosystemic crisis. A special thank you to a renowned photojournalist, Brian J. Skerry, for his majestic shot of this elusive creature.
