Abortion Archives
Branding the history of the abortion movement worldwide
My Role
Audience and Topic Research | Workshop Faciliation | Brand Strategy development | Campaign Ideation | Cross functional collaboration| Brand Architecture
Overview.
SheDecides is a global political movement fighting for a world where every girl and young person will have the right to decide what to do with their own body. Their global campaign, Abortion Archives, was set out to be a global exhibition which captured every abortion campaign throughout history. By creating a simple yet enticing brand story, the exhibition which kicked off in New York raised awareness of the issue by 300%
The Challenge
Abortion has been politicised to be one of the most divisive ideas in the world today. Naturally, branding the history of abortion campaigns throughout history was no easy task. While the launch took place via an exhibition in New York, the brand required the longevity to exist as a digital archive and what's more? It had to be done in 3 weeks!
The Solution
A brand identity built on the personality archetypes of popular female artists and political activists - Nan Goldin, Joni Mitchell, Rosa Parks and Patti Smith. This gave way to a unique tone of voice and a brand narrative that could withstand the test of time.
Key Takeaways
1. Tight Timelines? In-person meetings are your best friend.
I was determined to complete this project. It had the potential to make an enormous impact and change the global dialogue on abortion. Timelines were our key barrier. But meeting the partner in person meant we got to understand firsthand what the brand should sound like, what it should say and how it should feel.
2. People are still hesitant to discuss abortion openly, creating a safe space might help.
The stigma and censorship surrounding the topic meant that artistic expressions of abortion rights could create a safe space for this dialogue. This drove how the tone of voice shaped the brand narrative, and vice versa.
3. Be authentic to speak to your niche.
The campaign was going to be activist-led. Therefore, when the partner approached us about wanting to attract a “middle”, bench warmer audience (which by the way is now a trend with most organisations), we said - NO. The brand had to engage the audience that first and foremost truly cared about abortion rights. Therefore the tone of voice was written to be “Truth-seeking, celebratory and welcoming”. In an age where AI is thriving, people will start looking for one thing in the marketing of anything - more humanity, more authenticity.
View the work
Partner Website
Postcard