Hasta La Ideas

Design agency Frost* has created a new campaign encouraging the use of condoms for the Australia AIDS Council of New South Wales (ACON)’s Ending HIV initiative.

The new campaign, Stay Safe, was launched in Sydney yesterday. Typographic banners and metro-light posters placed around the city’s centre and central business district use phrases such as ‘oh yeah’ and ‘carry on’ topped with brightly coloured condom illustrations.

The bold black-and-white style is in-keeping with the visual identity Frost* designed for Ending HIV and previous sub-campaigns Test More and Treat Early, which are referenced in the new designs. First launched at Mardi Gras in March, Ending HIV aims to appeal to an audience that might have grown tired of traditional reinforcement messages, says ACON.

Stay Safe graphics will also be applied to temporary tattoos, t-shirts, tote bags and of course, a range of condoms. It’s a striking and memorable campaign, and the mathematical formula device (Test More + Treat Early + Stay Safe = Ending HIV) is a simple but effective way to communicate the initiative’s three key messages.

As Frost* founder Vince Frost explains in a video case study on the agency’s blog, “we wanted to create something the whole community could be involved in and that almost becomes a rally cry.”

“Frost convinced us that our message was so strong that we didn’t need any cosmetic effect or sexy images – just a few words,” says ACON’s Yves Calmette.

Frost founded Frost* in London before moving to Australia in 2004. He will be returning to the UK later this month to deliver the next Typo Circle talk at the JWT ad agency on September 24 – click here for details.

Credits
Creative Agency: Frost*
Executive Creative Director: Vince Frost
Creative Director: Ant Donovan
Design Director: Benjamin Hennessy
Designers: Graziela Machado