The Journey of Water

Campaign visuals for WWF – 2017 & 2019

Graphic design and project management:
Design for development

Copywriting and Social media strategy:
Jana du Plessis

Videography:
Mad Little Badger

Website development:
Mediatorr (2017), Limabean (2019)

Photography:
WWF South Africa

The main aim of the Journey of Water campaign is to connect us urban dwellers to where our water comes from. WWF South Africa embarks on the Journey of Water campaign every two years, taking a few local celebrities on a multi-day walk from the source of our water, to the tap. The campaign calls on us to follow their journey on social media, and in the process learn why it is important to protect nature to have clean water.

WWF-SA approached Design for development to help with a brand refresh for the campaign in 2017 – amid a devastating drought. Water was on everyone’s mind, and in the run-up to the event, the social media campaign provided helpful tips on how to use water sparingly. In 2019, we worked on the next Journey of Water campaign, highlighting the need for healthy ecosystems in our water source areas. (To find out more, and discover what the celebrities got up to, read the blog.)

The central campaign concept was already developed, and in its third year when we were commissioned. Our task was to refresh the branding of the campaign to appeal to a youthful, urban audience and create an exciting social media campaign. Central to the campaign is the website, where people can use an interactive map to find out where their water comes from and learn important facts about these water source areas (especially the threats).

The campaign has proven so successful in South Africa, that WWF branches in Zambia, Brazil and Malaysia subsequently held their own Journey of Water events.

The list of items we designed for the campaign includes:

• Branding and campaign look and feel;
• Social media campaign – concept and content creation;
• Website look and feel;
• Videos;
• Print media items including advertisements in various magazines/newspapers, billboards, banners, decals, invitations, tshirts and vehicle branding.