Scammers Love Your Panic!
Online scams are becoming more prevalent as the general population depends on the internet more and more. People are prompted by their fear or excitement created by these scamming messages. They feel shame when they fall victim to them, and might even look down on others who are victims. One may assume that older generations are the main demographic being affected by scams, but Canadian statistics say that young adults are a demographic especially being targeted. For this project, I created both print and digital media, including a poster, billboard, social media ads, and a one-page website layout. I designed and illustrated each form of media, maintaining the same brand throughout.
Objective
The goal of my social design campaign is to educate young adults on the emotional pressure induced by scammer messages, making fun of them while also engaging viewers with entertaining and memorable visuals. When people encounter real scams, they will be reminded of these visuals and remember that while the emotional pressure created by these scams feels urgent, it’s not as extreme as it seems.
Execution
To accomplish the objective, the visuals were inspired by nostalgic 2000s digital games, attracting the young adult demographic. The little green guy, a recurring character within the campaign, is meant to be a self-insert character or one which can be empathized with. They are small and seem helpless compared to the big brooding red scam email. The border provides an outside objective perspective, showcasing that the pressure and strong emotions evoked are limited to only inside the screen.