Ogilvy & Mather team up with Brand Union to create an anti-censorship campaign for Amnesty International.
Censorship of the press has been all over the news recently, with many viewers left scratching their heads as to what is and isn't fake news. Sadly, the problem isn't a recent one, as Amnesty International explored last week in its Every Freedom needs a Fighter campaign.
Working in partnership with Brand Union and Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong, Amnesty International created this multi-tiered anti-censorship initiative in response to the abduction of five booksellers on the Hong Kong border back in 2016. The initiative included a pop-up bookstore with powerful murals written in a calligraphy font, and time-lapse film that screened on Hong Kong buses.
At the heart of the issue was the violation of Article 27, a basic law that entitles Hong Kong residents to “freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike”.
This law provided the basis for the initiative. Thanks to the bookshop campaign, which ran from 16-17 February, over 1000 redacted books were made free to browse or buy for a donation of HK$27. A striking bespoke book cover was also created to support the event.
The whole campaign is part of Amnesty Carnival, which runs from 16-26 February and brings together prominent artists from around the world to explore the idea of freedom of expression.
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Article 27 inspired the book covers
Censorship is cleverly incorporated into the graphics
Fragmented graphics lined the shelves
The branding echoes traditional calligraphy styles
Whistleblower Edward Snowden makes a guest appearance
Tote bags and t shirts were on offer alongside the books
The obliterated text is particularly powerful
Redacted books got a chance to be read in the bookshop
We admire how Article 27 was used in the donation pricing
The freedom of the press continues to be a pressing global issue
Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
