This campaign was part of a school assignment for the Branding course, in which we were asked to develop a fictional campaign for the brand Ecoline. Although we weren’t working with the brand directly, we treated the assignment as if we were designing for a real client.
Our research showed that young creatives — the intended target audience — were already familiar with Ecoline and often had fond memories of using it at school. Despite this, they were hesitant to return to it, mainly because they remembered it as messy and impractical. Instead of hiding this negative association, I decided to embrace it.
I based the campaign on the “Negative to Positive” strategy, a concept I learned about in The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry. The idea is to flip a perceived weakness into a strength — in this case, presenting messiness not as a drawback, but as proof of genuine creativity. That led to the concept Proof of Creativity, which celebrates the colourful chaos that comes with making art.
My first visual iteration was very literal: a stained T-shirt, inky hands, and a paint-covered table, all on a clean white background. The message was clear, and the visuals were bold and simple. However, after receiving feedback, I decided to iterate further. I created a new series of visuals that were more subtle, with neatly composed objects and hidden splatters, inviting the viewer to look more closely. The tagline “Find the Creative” became the hook that tied it all together.
Looking back on this project, I’ve learned a lot about iteration, thinking outside the box, and exploring directions I wouldn’t normally consider. I really had to push myself not to settle for the most obvious choice. It was also a valuable exercise in crafting a strong proposition and expressing it as simply and clearly as possible — both visually and through copy.
In retrospect, I believe the first (presentable) iteration — with the white backgrounds and messy shirts, hands, and table — communicated the idea more effectively. These visuals were simpler and, as a result, more powerful. Still, I’m glad I made the extra round of iterations, if only to practise resisting the temptation to go with the first idea or design.
Interested in working with me? Want to know what I can do for you and your brand? Or just want to have a little chat? Please don't hesitate to shoot me a message and I'll try to respond ASAP :)
