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NEW HAVEN ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION CENTER
The “No Excuses!” campaign to inspire residents to go back to school and pursue their dreams through education.
OVERVIEW
The New Haven Adult & Continuing Education Center identified that 1 in 6 adults in New Haven do not have their high school diploma, and 30% do not read or have trouble reading. It all started from there; we created a campaign to combat just that. The idea of the campaign blossomed from a vision into a series of billboards and graphics, turning into a full blown take over of the City of New Haven. We needed to catch the eye of the passerby and be easily understood at a quick glance. We have the opportunity to reinvent the brand of the school and take it to the next level to escape its previous interpretation.
SERVICES
- Billboard Design
- Print Media Design
- Campaign Creation
- Image Compositing
- Brand Direction & Consulting
- Public Spokesmanship
- PR
CONCEPT
The idea for this project started from the prompt, which was the tagline for the campaign, “The struggle is real. Return to school… & the possibilities are endless”. The goal was to provide needed hope and a path towards a dream. Each person’s dream is different but so many start by obtaining a diploma or learning english. The billboard needed to convey a dream, a transition from point A to B. That is when I came up with the concept of the frame. The frame provides a transformation of what passes through it; the perfect opportunity to create an entire campaign through this theme. Through this lens, your dream is realized, through this path you can obtain it. The frame also goes to represent a picture perfect moment, when something is framed on a wall, it is a moment of pride.
PROCESS
The project started from the point of ideation, generating countless concepts and narrowing them down until the final solution was pursued. The designs were forged from image compositing. Carefully chosen images were stitched together to create the needed poses and elements.
CHOOSING CAREERS
In order to provide examples of possibilities, the careers chosen were that of options opened up by obtaining a high school degree or GED.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Billboards were placed in the neighborhoods with the highest need for education completion. Along high traffic roads throughout the city, the campaign takeover was cast. It was important for the diversity of the signage to reflect the diversity of the communities.
BRINGING IT TO LIFE
At campaign events to spread the word and gain support, a physical white frame was created for photo opportunities. People would hold the frame around them and post their pictures to social media. Images were taken against a ten foot tall backdrop featuring all of the designs created for the campaign as well as the signature call to action.
SPREADING THE WORD
The campaign took attention in local news and garnered the support of the city. Myself, Veronica Douglas-Givan, and Michele Bonora (the principle) took to TV to speak publicly and prompt students to return to school. An event was held to march for education, seeing over 1,000 people take to the streets displaying shirts for the campaign.
PRINT MATERIALS
Billboards, lawn signs, flyers, handouts, t-shirts and backdrops were all created to bring this campaign to life.
RESULT
- An increase in sign-ups lead to a filled capacity
- 1,000 people march to New Haven for Education
- News coverage across the State of Connecticut
- Now 1,600 students enrolled annually
- Support and Sponsoprship from large local organizations such as Yale & Cornell Scott Hill Health Center
