Gift of Life, a charity seeking to cure blood cancer through cellular therapy, has enlisted the talents of DDB New York (now adam&eveDDB) and Unsaid Studio to deliver a poignant campaign with design at its heart. Promoting blood and bone marrow donations to the not-for-profit, it celebrates the unbreakable link between a patient and their donor. This video outlines the creative crux of the campaign.
The campaign utilizes shared letters in the names of blood donors and recipients to visualize the lifelong bond between them, adding weight and a human element to what is often anonymous. Through this simple concept, it neatly encapsulates a complex bond between individuals in one moving symbol.
DDB tasked Unsaid Studio with creative exploration through motion and design to bring the campaign idea to life. Complementing the bold central concept, the studio opted for a black and white color palette and a single font. Shown amidst the busy screens of Times Square and the dense pages of The Washington Post, the campaign stands out for its profound simplicity amongst the visual noise.
Tom Alex Buch, ECD at Unsaid Studio, commented “One of the primary challenges was to effectively convey the delicate and serious subject matter with taste and elegance. The simplicity of the work meant that there was no room to hide, the animation had to be flawless.”
CreditsClient Gift of Life Agency DDB New York (now adam&eveDDB) Mat Bisher, chief creative officer; Mussashi Shintaku, Vinicius Fernandez, creative directors; Paulo Junger, executive creative director; Maya McGauley, producer; Teri Altman, head of production. Production Unsaid Studio, Brooklyn, NY Doug Bello, director; Tom Alex Buch, executive creative director; Keka Petrich, exec producer; Pablo Porto, animator; Luciano Nader, modeling; Marina Parreira, producer.
Top Spot of the Week: EHRAC, Animation Studio NOMINT Depict Life “In Limbo” As Families Search For Loved Ones
This animated film titled In Limbo depicts the journey of a heroic woman protagonist representing the countless families in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe (where Chechnya is situated) searching for their forcibly disappeared loved ones. Utilizing theatrical elements, the film highlights the unnatural disruption caused by enforced disappearances and delves into the profound trauma these families endure. It emphasizes their long battles with the domestic authorities as they seek answers. The film also underscores the vital role of community support in helping these families cope and continue their fight for answers, serving as a compelling call to action for justice and human rights.
Through intimate storytelling, In Limbo raises awareness of the ongoing uncertainty that leaves families in a perpetual state of limbo, unable to find closure.
Directed by Afterman--the animation duo consisting of Tsvetelina Zdraveva and Jerred North--and created and produced by London-based animation studio NOMINT, In Limbo was commissioned by the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC).
In a joint statement, Zdraveva and North shared, “Our film takes place on a theater stage, highlighting how such tragedies are far removed from ordinary life,” they continued. “The stage is circular, resembling an artificial, perpetually spinning obstacle course, with a target—the red tail lights—just within sight yet never within reach, symbolizing the family’s never-ending quest for justice.”
“We used a limited primary color palette to contrast the two worlds all families are pulled between. Minimalist compositions of starkly silhouetted characters and environments create the ominous atmosphere of a deeply painful and... Read More