Vega students receive award for campaign against fur
CRAIGHALL – Two Vega students won a prestigious D and AD Pencil Award for their campaign against the use of animal fur for clothing.
Two students from Vega recently took home a D and AD Pencil Award, which is one of the most coveted awards in the advertising industry.
The students submitted a campaign in the New Blood category for 2017. The category awards a series of world-class programmes for new creatives and aims to reach young creatives from as far and wide as possible to offer inspiration, learning and genuine breaks into a naturally competitive industry.
The creative duo, Saraah Saint, who studies visual communication and Jessica Hay, who studies creative brand communication, were briefed to collaborate on a print and digital campaign to raise awareness of the Fur for Animals Crusade, a cause which aims to put an end to the international fur trade.
“After conducting a great deal of research into anti-fur campaigns of the past, we found that the ‘blood and gore’ approach proved ineffective when it came to getting people to appreciate the message behind the campaign and take it seriously,” said Saint.
“We engaged with lecturers, known at Vega as navigators, who guided us through the technical process of executing the project and bringing our ideas to life,” added Hay.
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Saint and Hay’s campaign, Who Wore it Best? focused on the role that celebrities play in the fashion world by endorsing fur and encouraging its desirability as a high-end fashion item. A striking feature of the campaign is how Saint and Hay showcased the stark contrast between animal and human.
The campaign included a series of magazine covers and print ads featuring side-by-side images of celebrities dressed in fur and an animal whose fur the garment was made from. The team also created a Facebook voting poll for social media users to vote to decide who wears fur better, celebrities or animals, along with an online anti-fur pledge form for people to sign.
Fiona Peake, the communications navigator at Vega, said the New Blood Awards are a great opportunity for Vega students to showcase their talents on an internationally-recognised platform.
“I would like to congratulate Saraah and Jessica on this phenomenal, world-class achievement,” said Peake.
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