With the prevalence of all those public service announcements for proper hand washing, coughing, sneezing, etc., The City of Calgary thought a simple reminder about the return of Flu Season would suffice, but when I heard them say the word “gross” when discussing potential directions, I knew we could have a little fun.
It’s the uncomfortable subtleties of elevators that are known for making people squirm, but I thought we could put one aspect front and centre to reinforce our message — elevators can be kinda gross. This way, no matter where you’re headed, having a sneeze, cough, dirty hands or bacteria staring you in the face will help keep things top of mind … and maybe you’ll want to hit that sanitizer station one more time on the way out.
Knowing that the execution would only be as effective as the ‘textures’, I knew authenticity was essential … so a few gulps of non-toxic paint, a palm-sized ink pad with a creative concoction and even an (unsuccessful) attempt at bacteria growth in a petri dish seemed to do the trick … made for a couple fun ‘craft days’ at the studio too.
Head down to the Municipal Building downtown to check’em out. Probably best before lunch though.
