World AIDS Day – Barcelona’s AIDS prevention center turns 25

25th anniversary poster for Stop Sida

Today is World AIDS day. Special awareness events are held all over the world. In Barcelona, the nonprofit AIDS help organization Stop Sida is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. 
Together with Oscar García Ortega I had the chance to develop the ad campaign for this occasion. We did the photo session on October 15 in less than three hours. Many volunteers from Stop Sida’s different commissions showed up in order to take part in our testimonial shooting for the campaign.

Stop Sida campaign: This ad is about what the organization offers and asks at the same time for a small financial support

The campaign’s claim is “Cuidarse es cuidarte” which means “Taking care for oneself is taking care for you”. This motto adapts to the campaign’s different sub messages.

One was to find more financial support, another one was to attract new volunteers, and one will be directed especially to gay and bisexual men from Latinamerica.

Visually we focused on a very warm and positive attitude to address to the viewer. Reaching out a hand towards the person who looks at the ad symbolizes several things at the same time: “Come and join us, you’re welcome because we need you” and “Come on board, you won’t feel lonely with us/ You will feel good doing something useful and you will find new friends who fight for the same thing.”

Stop Sida campaign - This ad is to attract new volunteers to join the organization's different commissions

The ads will be launched in December issues of Shangay, NOIS, GayBarcelona and other magazines. Posters and flyers will be distributed to several simular institutions and bars in Barcelona.

I think you can tell from the result how much fun we all had doing the shooting.

Congratulations to
Stop Sida for their 25th anniversary!

Stop Sida campaign - This ad will be launched in January 2012 and will address directly to gay and bisexual men from Latinamerica

Folders to find new volunteers who are willing to subscribe for the training programme starting early next year

Vitamin D for the Spanish Revolution

Top notch designer badge... looking a bit scruffy the day after

Even if you don’t live in Spain, you probably have heard by now of the “Spanish revolution” that started taking place in the Plaza del Sol of Madrid and which after a few days extended to many other cities of Spain. It’s a peaceful protest, iniciatively kicked off by twitter messages of young people who are fed up with the current shortages decided by the Spanish government and of course, by the alarmlingly high rate of unemployment in Spain. What could be a more peaceful way to say “Give us REAL DEMOCRACY!” than just camping together with tents on local squares where they get the biggest attention?

As we have local elections today on Sunday, these demonstrations actually are illegal, due to the period of reflection. Many people who didn’t take part actively in the protest before, showed their sympathy and solidarity by joing during the last days and bringing along some self cooked food or water bottles. A great part of the people who showed up yesterday at the Plaza del Sol in Madrid or here, at the Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona were afraid the peaceful camp sit-in might be cancelled by the police during the day. But fortunately, that didn’t happen.

Plaza Catalunya, Barcelona - Saturday, May 21, 21:00 CET

Ok, what’s that got to do with me personally? Well, I’ve been living and working in Barcelona for more than 13 years now and was always so lucky to be with work. But still I think it’s important to give at least a little gesture to show solidarity to the millions of unemployed  people in Spain because it could affect anyone of us tomorrow.

Team Vitamina D: Anne Laure, me, Filipe and Ana (taking the shaky pic). Hence the funky "apple mobile"!

So together with some friends we filled a shopping cart with apples and took them to Plaza Catalunya. Why apples? Well yes, first I thought, water bottles were the most useful idea but none of us owns a car (What for in a big city like BCN?) and how much could we carry through the crowds? So the idea of apples came up – they are cheap (in bags of 6 or 8 pieces), they’re a healthy refreshment and they’re sustainable since there’s hardly no garbage left. So we cut us quickly  some apple-shaped badges with the slogan “Vitamina D* *Democracia (Vitamin D* *Democracy) and then we hit the crowds at the Plaza.

Team Vitamina D: Anne Laure, me, Ana and Filipe (talking another shaky pic)

We weren’t the first who supported the people with food and drinks but still the reactions were very warm and grateful. The demonstrations still continue  today. It’s local election day. Let’s hope everybody votes wisely.

Nice Sunday everyone and remember: An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Hello from Barcelona!

Welcome to my blog!

This is the place where I’d like to show you my drawings, designs, ideas, opinions and thoughts.
I guess, the mixture will appear a bit odd, at first – It’s basically about me, a German graphic designer and illustrator, and my work in Barcelona.
But I will also blog about social topics that move me and that I’d like to share with you (volunteering in social organisations, sustainability, ethics in advertising…). And I will talk about pop music I like (basically from Sweden, but not exclusively), such as anything else I like about the Scandinavian lifestyle. I can see you smirk how you say “Well, looks like nothing is off topic here!” but please hang on- I’ll show that it works as I make this going.

Thanks and hasta pronto,

Per