The I Want! Campaign was a collaborative college project done to spread the idea to consume less and share more in order to do so. The end goal was to drive as much change as possible in terms of the mindset that tends to the habit of consuming more and more. The campaign comprised of four events that took place over a week’s time, one after the other.
The Visual Language
The visual language used aimed to give the audience a feel of what the campaign stands for, through all the communication mediums such as typeface, colours, materials, posters and instruction sheets created. The intention was to make people recall their shopping/consuming experiences through the look and feel of the campaign.
/ Event 1 / Barcode : Launch of the campaign
The first day’s event was designed to launch the campaign such that it lays down the context to the audience and also marks its presence and identity. This was done through a participative activity starting with questions that may have them introspect on the need of their ‘favourite things’ were stuck on the staircase they use. They then rate how much they really need it on a scale of 1 to 4, each rating having a specific black sellotape associated with it. With the tape that matches their answer, they stick it on a paper, that eventually forms the campaign’s logo.
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It was interesting to observe the challenge most people faced in deciding how much they need it and questioning their own compulsive tendency to hold on to these things with no real reason of value.
/ Event 2 / The Junk Monster
The next event was a step ahead into setting the idea of the campaign. Using two cardboard cartons, a creature was created called the Junk Monster, as a canvas for it to consume more junk. Trash like paper waste, old paint bottles, and other things were collected into three garbage bags and kept near the Junk Monster canvas for people to take and put on the monster however they wished to. Once the monster was completely filled, a poster was put up that read “Don’t be fed in by society’s junk”, intended to be a pun and have multiple indications.
This was done to metaphorically show how much we consume mindlessly with no real need, which ends up feeling suffocating.
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People noticed the gradual increase of junk accumulated by the monster through the day just like it happens in reality. It was a major reality check when the poster was put up at the end because it was a mindless and fun activity till then, and that is exactly what happens in our lives too.
/ Event 3 / Gathering Things
The next event was aimed at motivating people to give up things that they just keep for different reasons, but don’t necessarily need. Ropes were tied to the pillars and hung at a common and visible space for the things to be put up. The collected things were to eventually be donated to a children’s home who’d need the things more than we did.
Posters made for the event
Here, people were to bring the things they wished to give up to the common area, write on a cardboard the reason why they still kept it and end by writing “I’m finally ready to give it up”. This tag was then attached to the respective thing and hung from the ropes for the others to see and be motivated to give things up if they had similar reasons.
#IWantCampaign #BuyLessShareMore on social media
A total of nine bags of things collected to be donated
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Many people were motivated to give things up seeing other people’s reasons for doing so and there were a lot more things collected than expected.
/ No Events / Cleared all the things given
Visiting the Children's Home
/ Event 4 / Screening and Conclusion
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Initially, the intention was to hand over all the things collected at the children's home, spend a while and leave. There was a twist in the tale when they asked for the bags to just be left at the doorstep and come in to talk to them. We even got to spend time with the kids in the home! They were kids with special abilities and were thrilled to have people come visit them.
It was then decided that the campaign’s theme will also need to be changed from materialistic sharing to sharing more time, love and happiness.
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