Adopt a new life

We've just launched some nice new work for the Toronto Humane Society, the city's main animal rescue and shelter organization.  We worked with them to create a new design approach, and a campaign to encourage pet adoption.

Most animal adoption campaigns tend to focus, sensibly enough, on the animals. The problem is that it can either get gloomy (abused animals, sad eyes behind cage bars), or conversely it gets you pictures of generically cute animals. So instead of focusing on the animals, we decided to focus on the adopter. As any pet owner knows, bringing home a new pet is a really positive emotional experience. And there have been a lot of studies over the past few years showing how owning a pet increases wellbeing, happiness, and even life expectancy. So it's a rich (not to mention much nicer) area to focus on.

The theme of the new campaign is that by adopting an animal, you also adopt a whole new life. We chose a colourful, illustrated style to be friendly, upbeat, and playful. This also helped us update the grey, stodgy image the THS had unfairly acquired. Here are some of the posters:

In addition to the posters, there are three TV spots you can watch here, here, and here.  And a new logo for the THS reflects the design as well:

 

In fact, this look & colour palette will live across everything from business cards and stationery to uniforms to repainting the insides of their offices, the shelters, and their trucks. And we're all really proud of it.

Comments

[Rusty-Chubb]

Excellent stuff. Feels so positive and optimistic.

[Jyothsnay]

Jason
Good work. The whole flavour is a blend of "playfulness","sprighty and agile" emotional experience. Certain degree of "youthfulness" also seemed to have crept into the final rendition...
umm, dont we know that
"My little dog, a heartbeat at my feet." – Edith Wharton
-Jyotsna

[Jon]

Love 'em.

[Tara]

These are excellent posters. I would purchase them if they were for sale.