BACKGROUND

Each graduating high school senior chose an individual project. The work showcased in this project is from 2012. I had a fantastic mentor who gave me art direction and guided me through creating this campaign. He taught me how to create an advertising brief, target a specific audience, and use words that speak to them.

At SSFHS, there was litter everywhere after lunchtime. Trash was left on tables, in grassy areas near the gym, and even placed right next to partially filled trash cans. Based on a survey with the two lunchtime janitors, they usually picked up 8 bags worth of litter which created an extra hour of work for them (15 minutes per bag created 2 hours of work split between the two janitors).

CHALLENGE

The main purpose of this campaign was to change a negative behavior. Changing behavior is one of the biggest challenges a communication campaign faces. Littering is a particularly difficult situation because there aren’t any visible consequences for littering. Additionally, high school students aren’t conscientious of how their actions affect others. Particularly, litter can have devastating consequences to marine life.

SOLUTION

In order to really make a difference with my campaign, I put 8 posters (two of each design) around campus in high traffic areas for 4 weeks. I surveyed the janitors at school to make sure I had data to back up my research. I took surveys before putting the posters up, while the posters were up, and one week after the posters came down.

SURVEY RESULTS

BEFORE - 8 BAGS OF LITTER

DURING - 4 BAGS OF LITTER

AFTER - 6 BAGS OF LITTER

There was a 50% decrease in litter while the campaign was up. The important fact is that after the posters were gone, there was still a 25% decrease of litter on campus. The conclusion is that the posters had a lasting effect on about 25% of students who were previously leaving litter unattended.

While the posters were up, I heard students walking around and telling others “Hey, pick it up” as a joke. There were conversations about how much trash there was, the school could use more garbage cans, and other environmental issues. Students in my class told me that they didn’t realize it was a student project because it was a timely, real issue that teachers and students kept bringing up. I know that the campaign had a lasting effect because the principal asked me to create another set of posters to keep on hand for the next year.