pro bono charity & nfp work
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While we all need to keep the lights on, just doing the right thing often needs to take priority.   Usually it is just my time that is required to help out, other times it is design, copy writing, marketing or project management skills needed.
My immediate capacity for offering pro-bono work is limited with time already committed to the Samaritans for the coming months. However, should you have a charity or NFP project that urgently needs help, then feel free to get in touch.
Samaritans playing cards - When everyone else was searching for the latest high-tech solutions, the Samaritans wanted the opposite. They wanted to go low-tech to reach this project's target audience - men aged 30 to 55. With suicide rates rapidly rising amongst this demographic, Samaritans wanted to connect with them as groups and to encourage interaction with each other - and playing cards were embraced as the ideal medium. The brief was to work with the latest Samaritans branding, offer nuggets of helpful information and to appeal to the target demographic, but to keep it discreet, so as not to embarrass the owner.
Samaritans playing cards - When everyone else was searching for the latest high-tech solutions, the Samaritans wanted the opposite. They wanted to go low-tech to reach this project's target audience - men aged 30 to 55. With suicide rates rapidly rising amongst this demographic, Samaritans wanted to connect with them as groups and to encourage interaction with each other - and playing cards were embraced as the ideal medium. The brief was to work with the latest Samaritans branding, offer nuggets of helpful information and to appeal to the target demographic, but to keep it discreet, so as not to embarrass the owner.
Samaritans playing cards - the Samaritans had only just revamped their nationwide branding and so needed these playing cards to work within that branding. The "notch" device, the "S" logo, font and colour palette all had to stay. The Samaritans team also wanted to include elements of non-judgemental advice for users as well as their freephone number on each card - Spades would represent "Dig Yourself Out"; Hearts were ideas on "How To Love Yourself", Clubs encouraged community engagement as "Defence In Numbers" and Diamonds offered "Gems Of Information". These constraints only left how to deploy the mandated branding element, the face cards and the suit pips as my scope for creativity...
Samaritans playing cards - the Samaritans had only just revamped their nationwide branding and so needed these playing cards to work within that branding. The "notch" device, the "S" logo, font and colour palette all had to stay. The Samaritans team also wanted to include elements of non-judgemental advice for users as well as their freephone number on each card - Spades would represent "Dig Yourself Out"; Hearts were ideas on "How To Love Yourself", Clubs encouraged community engagement as "Defence In Numbers" and Diamonds offered "Gems Of Information". These constraints only left how to deploy the mandated branding element, the face cards and the suit pips as my scope for creativity...
Like many parents, I was asked to be involved in Schools' Science Week, and I was happy to oblige. However, upon discovering I could bring extra skills to the party, I was asked to create a takehome sheet for an experiment that families could do together. It needed to appeal to kindergarten children and be easy for parents to do without needing anything that they wouldn't already have in their cupboards.
Like many parents, I was asked to be involved in Schools' Science Week, and I was happy to oblige. However, upon discovering I could bring extra skills to the party, I was asked to create a takehome sheet for an experiment that families could do together. It needed to appeal to kindergarten children and be easy for parents to do without needing anything that they wouldn't already have in their cupboards.
Biddy's Joy is part of the Aboriginal Children's Service Redfern (ACSR ), that was established with the assistance of Paddington Children’s Centre to provided family support for inner Sydney's indigenous community. Although the job was not complicated, given that the basic logo had already been designed by a five-year-old, ACSR still needed all the graphic elements brought together. Stakeholders and suppliers would need the the artwork available in all sizes and formats for anything from print and signage to websites, media outlets and promotional material.
Biddy's Joy is part of the Aboriginal Children's Service Redfern (ACSR ), that was established with the assistance of Paddington Children’s Centre to provided family support for inner Sydney's indigenous community. Although the job was not complicated, given that the basic logo had already been designed by a five-year-old, ACSR still needed all the graphic elements brought together. Stakeholders and suppliers would need the the artwork available in all sizes and formats for anything from print and signage to websites, media outlets and promotional material.
The 2017 Samaritans Christmas card campaign was one of the most rewarding projects that I have been involved with. Not only did it give me another chance to work with a few of my rock star pals, but it has since made a real contribution to saving lives. "Samaritans’ save lives from suicide. They do this mainly by answering ‘phone calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year, from people struggling to cope. Some people call when they are literally at the edge. Seconds can make the difference between life or death. A person desperately reaching out needs help immediately. But up on the White Cliffs of Dover, distressed people who call Samaritans’ UK Freephone number often connect to a French 'phone provider. Instead of Samaritans’ greeting, ‘Samaritans… can I help you?’ they get a provider message, then silence, or just 'no service'. A local 'phone system to reach people at high risk is urgently needed. As a famously beautiful coastline, there are costs involved in placing or disguising additional phone masts – extra costs a commercial operator will not cover. We want to ensure that anyone in trouble on the White Cliffs of Dover can connect directly via a UK operator when they use their phone to find help. This project will save real lives! Getting help in an emergency ought to be a right. In the White Cliffs area of Dover, however, it is less a right than a random, circuitous and potentially life-threatening process."
The 2017 Samaritans Christmas card campaign was one of the most rewarding projects that I have been involved with. Not only did it give me another chance to work with a few of my rock star pals, but it has since made a real contribution to saving lives. "Samaritans’ save lives from suicide. They do this mainly by answering ‘phone calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year, from people struggling to cope. Some people call when they are literally at the edge. Seconds can make the difference between life or death. A person desperately reaching out needs help immediately. But up on the White Cliffs of Dover, distressed people who call Samaritans’ UK Freephone number often connect to a French 'phone provider. Instead of Samaritans’ greeting, ‘Samaritans… can I help you?’ they get a provider message, then silence, or just 'no service'. A local 'phone system to reach people at high risk is urgently needed. As a famously beautiful coastline, there are costs involved in placing or disguising additional phone masts – extra costs a commercial operator will not cover. We want to ensure that anyone in trouble on the White Cliffs of Dover can connect directly via a UK operator when they use their phone to find help. This project will save real lives! Getting help in an emergency ought to be a right. In the White Cliffs area of Dover, however, it is less a right than a random, circuitous and potentially life-threatening process."

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