Creating a COVID-19 messaging campaign for the youth of San Francisco.
The first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown had the City of San Francisco scrambling. Generally, city residents were complying with stay-at-home orders communicated across TV, online news and social media, but a particular group wasn’t taking the guidelines so seriously—Gen Z. The youth of the city, restless at home and craving human connection, were breaking the rules, going out, and seeing their friends. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management reached out to IDEO for help developing a messaging campaign to educate youth about the risks of COVID-19, and build awareness around the importance of playing their part.
The Solution
A robust integrated marketing campaign including everything from social media posts and t-shirts to downloadable chalk stencils and radio DJ scripts, complete with hashtags like #dontbeacovidiot. Visual language and tone of voice were edgy, tongue-in-cheek, and reflected current aesthetic trends that youth were browsing, wearing, and seeing on Tik-Tok. The team crafted a content strategy and launch plan, including mailing pamphlets and posters to every high schooler in the San Francisco public school system.
My Role
The small sprint team consisted of myself as visual design lead and an incredible writer as content lead. Together, we conducted research with San Fransisco youth, developed several rounds of conceptual directions for the campaign, and co-wrote messaging content. I lead the development of the visual language and physical assets, and partnered with a fellow Communication Designer in executing assets for digital application.
