Child Poverty Action Group

In the UK today, 4.2 million children live in poverty. That number is rising as the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect families across the country. Child Poverty Action Group needed to cut through the noise and put child poverty back at the top of the agenda. They could no longer rely on their usual channels or language. They needed a new idea, one that could not be ignored, and one that would provoke an emotional response from both the public and policymakers.

Imagine was built on empathy. Rather than relying on data or shock tactics, the campaign invited people to picture the life of a child growing up without the basics. We used warm, familiar scenes of childhood and quietly removed the safety, stability and care that should surround them. The result was a campaign that created presence through absence, making space for the viewer to feel the reality of what poverty takes away.

As Head of Design, and alongside Senior Designer Flo Levene, we created the design executions across all touchpoints. The campaign took a deliberately unexpected approach for a charity. It was bright, colourful and optimistic at first glance, only for the message to deliver a quiet but powerful rug pull. This contrast was key to re-engaging audiences who had become desensitised to the issue. We applied this across out-of-home, social and press formats, bringing consistency and clarity across every channel.

This was not just a campaign. It was a new direction for a legacy organisation. Bold, emotional and designed to make people stop, feel and act.

2023

Head of Design