“Let the distance be only physical." When illustrator and architecture student Cristina Estanislao learned that the UN had called for a free creative content platform on covid-19, she thought that was the wish she wanted transmit in his work, Estanislao explains it this way the idea: "The name" social distance "seems to me wrong, since what we should do at the moment is to maintain a physical distance, but not lose contact with our loved ones or our community And he adds: "Today, the world thrives on visual information, and there is no faster way to educate people than through social media."
That is what the United Nations thought when they launched this project to spread reliable information, messages of support and optimism. The resulting creations, in different formats (texts, audio, graphic design, music, animation and video), are available free of charge for anyone who wants to use them and thus spread a philosophy of unity and cooperation in these difficult times.
The result is a database with more than 4,400 works selected from the more than 17,000 that have been submitted. The creators come from 143 different countries.
Six messages to transmit
In the bases of the project, works were requested that responded to one of these great themes related to the coronavirus: hygiene, physical distance, symptoms, kindness, rupture of myths and solidarity.
Through the project's website (which they have called the Covid-19 Response Creative Content Hub , something like "covid-19 response creative content platform") it is possible to filter according to these six thematic blocks and also by language , geographical area or format. The works received are "beautiful, spectacular and very impressive", in the words of Dawda Jobarteh, head of the strategic center for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Jobarteh is convinced that "creativity has the power to mobilize people".
Andre Levy, Zhion , is another of the artists who picked up the glove released by the United Nations. He is a Brazilian who lives in Germany and was concerned that his family was not receiving the correct information to protect themselves. “I focused on the idea of staying in touch with loved ones despite the limitations of confinement. The last thing I wanted was to cause panic, so I decided to create happy and inspiring illustrations, even though my head was seething with concern, ”he explains.
One of his proposals invited to take advantage of the time of confinement with different tasks, and Levy printed the image to send it in physical format to his neighbors and friends. "These messages showed them that they were not alone in adjusting to that unusual and limiting routine." In addition to contributing his grain of sand, he also felt benefited: "They helped me by giving me a purpose and even had a collateral economic effect," he says, referring to the fact that he was able to promote his activity and show brands that his skills could be used in a relevant way. .
The collection of images presented by the Spanish studio Velkro (by Patricia Armada and Eva Vesikansa) in collaboration with Sanna Kolehmainen encourage, with a touch of humor, not to believe all the news that arises about the coronavirus, many of them false. With this series they wanted to encourage people to “sketch a smile, de-dramatize and find out from reliable and safe sources”. When some friends told them about the call, they felt that they had "the duty to contribute" with what they knew how to do: communicate. "We wanted to help people navigate the flood of information and distinguish facts from myths," they say.
pass it on
The dissemination of the works, and therefore accurate and optimistic information on virus prevention, is as important to the organizers as the success of the call. That is why they invite creatives to use as many channels as possible: media, social networks, personal use ... The only requirement is the attribution of authorship in recognition of these artists who have put their time at the service of all to balance a little. the scales with beauty and good intentions.
Although the admission process was only open for two weeks (from March 30 to April 14), “the purpose of the content will last for months, because there may be outbreaks and because there are many countries that are experiencing different stages of the pandemic and may require informative and uplifting content, ”says Maya Boyle, co-founder of Talenthouse, the company that has organized the action with the UN. The call does not have winners, but a wide selection has been made of those who met the quality requirements to be on the platform and be used to combat the coronavirus.
The authors are students, freelance designers, full-time professionals, hobbyists, advertising agencies, or brands. "A true cross section of creators from all walks of life," reflects Boyle.
Many brands are now producing ads showing the theme of the pandemic, but in Boyle's opinion, there is a big difference between these types of productions, which can sometimes be “a little cold or less inspiring”, and the shared ones. through this project. “When you have creators from 140 countries and 20 different languages with extraordinary interpretations of the same guidelines, there will always be something creative that will excite you. From comforting poems to humor or pieces that make you cry. "
The campaign slogan, Stay well. Be safe. Be kind (“stay well, stay safe, be nice”), considers the need to add one more recommendation to the health safety instructions: kindness. That “be kind” will be what makes us not look at others with mistrust and focus the discourse on protection and responsibility and not on accusation and hatred.
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