In 2019, Richmond became one of the first councils in the country to declare a climate emergency. At the same time they launched a consultation to engage residents in the process and help refine the policies. They approached us to create a digital and social media campaign.
Upon taking the brief we were struck by how vulnerable Richmond is to climate change: the town is built along the bank of the river Thames and Richmond Park is its most famous landmark.
We produced a series of hard-hitting animations showing Richmond’s riverside community being flooded, the beautiful flora of the park dying away and the park turning from the lush green space it is today into a brown arid wasteland. Whilst this seems an apocalyptic vision, it is a potential reality if change is not brought about now. And the campaign needed to reflect this urgency.
We produced six animations in total: one each for the five key areas of the consultation, and a sixth that ran first and gave the audience an overview of the issues. The consultation was divided into air, water, waste, nature and legacy.
The call to action was designed to encourage engagement with the council’s consultation process. We also used the videos to highlight some of the changes that the council wanted to make that would help to halt the decline on a local level.
Before we began we needed to create a brand and logo for the campaign that could be carried on all the campaign materials as well as the council’s strategy documents. The chosen logo featured a roundel designed to look like the sun radiating heat.
We also created posters based on the animation concepts that were used in council-owned public spaces, such as libraries, sports centres and other municipal buildings.
The campaign ran for less than 6 weeks and targeted Richmond residents. It proved a huge success, helping to generate:
