Hasta La Ideas

M&C Saatchi has created a striking campaign for new mental health charity MindFull, with an animated commercial from th1ng.

The new charity was launched by The BeatBullying Group on July 5 and gives 11 to 17-year-olds immediate access to online professional counselling and advice.

The 30-second TV and cinema ad, directed by th1ng’s Will Barras and Shay Hamias, visualises some of the anxieties that young people can experience – such as depression, anger, body image problems and loss of control. The visceral film features an animated head that morphs through different scenarios representing some of those emotions.

The ad draws on feedback from the charity’s target audience on how young people feel when something is worrying them, and the accompanying press and online campaign builds on this theme.

For the print ads, M&C Saatchi commissioned more than 40 artists and illustrators, including Barras, Finger Industries, James Joyce and Sam Brookes, to interpret what ‘having a full mind’ can mean (see some of them below).

by Will Barras

by James Joyce

by Sam Brookes

The agency decided to convey the campaign through animation, due of the medium’s visual impact, according to Orlando Warner, associate creative director at M&C Saatchi. “The reason we went for an animated/illustrative approach is because it’s a visually interesting way to bring to life the emotions we feel,” he says. “Animation allowed us to be more metaphorical about feelings.”

According to the original brief to the contributing artists (see more of their artwork below), the head shape is the main visual property of the campaign, and MindFull hopes it will grow into a strong brand cue for the charity, to be used across all its communications.

By Denis Carrier

By Amy Harris

By Karlie McCulloch

By Stuart Whitton

The full collection of illustrations will be shown at an exhibition coinciding with World Mental Health Day on October 10. Funds from an accompanying silent auction of the work will go towards MindFull.

Credits:
Agency: M&C Saatchi
Copywriter/Art Director: Orlando Warner and Joe Miller
Production company: th1ng
Directors: Will Barras and Shay Hamias
Design Direction: Will Barras, Shay Hamais & Yui Hamagashira
Producer: Milana Karaica

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The July issue of Creative Review is a type special, with features on the Hamilton Wood Type Museum, the new Whitney identity and the resurgence of type-only design. Plus the Logo Lounge Trend Report, how Ideas Foundation is encouraging diversity in advertising and more