Role: Poster & Social Media Campaign Design
Client: Cruz Roja Española
Year: 2022
This case study highlights the graphic design and campaign strategy for “Dale Voz al Respeto” (Give a Voice to Respect), a critical youth psychological violence awareness campaign for Cruz Roja Juventud (Spanish Red Cross Youth). Led by Marta Piedra, a skilled graphic designer, the project aimed to educate young people on the subtle yet damaging aspects of psychological violence against women, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25N). Marta’s role encompassed visual concept development, poster design, multi-format social media adaptation, and merchandising design, ensuring the campaign’s message resonated across Spain in various official languages (Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician). This initiative showcases effective social campaign design and youth advocacy through visual communication.
Client Context: Cruz Roja Juventud, the youth section of the Spanish Red Cross, is dedicated to promoting humanitarian values and social action, including gender violence prevention and youth awareness programs. Their mission often involves tackling sensitive social issues with a direct and impactful approach.
The Problem/Opportunity:
There was a pressing need to shed light on psychological violence against women, which is often less recognized or even normalized compared to physical violence.
The campaign specifically targeted young audiences, requiring visual language and distribution channels that would effectively connect with them.
The goal was to create a compelling and easily adaptable campaign for the annual 25N event, designed to spark dialogue and reflection among youth on a crucial social issue.
Project Objectives:
Awareness & Education: To inform young people about the definition and manifestations of psychological violence.
Visibility: To elevate this critical issue across social media and public spaces.
Impact Generation: To create a memorable and shareable social media campaign and public awareness materials.
Adaptability: To ensure the campaign design was versatile for various formats (digital posts, print posters, merchandise) and effectively translated into Spain’s co-official languages.
Initial Research: Understanding youth sensitivities and identifying a visual language that would resonate with them on a delicate subject. This involved exploring effective visual communication strategies for social issues.
Core Message Development: Crafting the impactful slogan “Dale Voz al Respeto” (Give a Voice to Respect) as a call to action and expression. The stark statement “La violencia psicológica existe” (Psychological violence exists) served as a key affirmation.
Illustration Style Choice: An illustrated campaign design was selected to humanize the message, making it relatable and less confrontational than photography. Natural elements like flowers and branches were incorporated, symbolizing growth, hope, and tenderness, creating a powerful contrast with the severity of the topic.
Main Poster (A3 Format):
Composition: A dynamic arrangement featuring diverse hands (representing inclusivity and solidarity) reaching upwards, with a megaphone symbolizing the act of “giving a voice.” Branches and flowers frame the scene, creating an atmosphere of support and life.
Typography: A blend of fonts conveying seriousness and approachability. The custom script for “Dale Voz al Respeto” added a personal, youthful touch, enhancing the campaign’s visual branding.
Color Palette: Vibrant yet soft colors (yellow, purple, blue, green, pink) were chosen to attract a young audience, intentionally avoiding darker tones that might undermine the message of hope and action. This strategic color theory aimed for maximum impact.
Social Media Assets (Instagram, etc.):
Size Adaptation: The original poster design was carefully deconstructed and adapted for various social media post formats (square, stories, banners), ensuring visual consistency and message clarity across all platforms. This demonstrates responsive graphic design.
Interactive Elements: Creation of supplementary posts (e.g., puzzle pieces with words, brain illustration, single hand with megaphone) maintained the campaign’s style while deepening the message, encouraging reflection and engagement. These were key for social media content strategy.
Merchandising: Design of items to carry the campaign’s message and imagery (e.g., stickers, t-shirts, badges), extending its reach into tangible products. This highlights merchandise graphic design.
Translation & Localization: Meticulous management and design of versions in Catalan, Basque, and Galician, ensuring the design and message impact were preserved across all languages, demonstrating a strong localization strategy.
Brand Integration: The Cruz Roja Juventud logo and relevant graphic elements (like the SDG logo for gender equality) were subtly but effectively incorporated, reinforcing the organization’s backing and authenticity. This showcases strong visual identity design within an NGO campaign.
Striking & Emotional Poster Design: The final poster effectively captured attention through its vibrant colors and powerful composition, conveying a message of unity, support, and empowerment.
Comprehensive Digital Campaign: A robust suite of social media assets facilitated dynamic and in-depth communication about the sensitive topic of psychological violence.
Successful Adaptability: The campaign proved highly flexible, performing effectively across diverse media and linguistic contexts, a testament to thoughtful multi-platform graphic design.
Clear Campaign Identity: The design successfully established a distinct visual identity for “Dale Voz al Respeto” while seamlessly integrating with the broader Cruz Roja Juventud brand.
Increased Visibility: The campaign achieved significant presence across social media platforms and public spaces due to its compelling design, contributing to social impact.
Enhanced Awareness: The clear messaging and engaging visual approach helped broaden understanding of psychological violence among the target youth audience.
Dialogue Generation: Campaign materials effectively served as conversation starters, promoting crucial discussions among young people about respect and healthy relationships.
Brand Reinforcement: The campaign reinforced Cruz Roja Juventud’s position as a proactive and relevant organization in the fight against gender-based violence among youth. This showcases non-profit marketing success.
The critical importance of a strong, coherent visual identity for social awareness campaigns.
The challenges and opportunities inherent in adapting complex messages for a young audience and for multi-format, multilingual deployment.
How graphic design serves as a potent tool for addressing delicate social issues empathetically and effectively, demonstrating creative problem-solving.
The “Dale Voz al Respeto” campaign for Cruz Roja Juventud, designed by Marta Piedra, stands as a prime example of how graphic design expertise can amplify a crucial message. By raising youth awareness about psychological violence with an attractive aesthetic and empathetic approach, this project not only met its communication objectives but also showcased Marta’s exceptional ability to create impactful and purposeful social good campaigns. This work is a testament to her skills as a graphic designer for non-profits and her contribution to meaningful visual communication.
