An eye-catching campaign created by University of the Arts London student Agota Rencsenyi, is the winner for the 2021Re:act international road safety behaviour change programme in London.
Re:act challenges university students to create a campaign that raises awareness among 18 to 25-year-old road users of a critical road safety issue.
An initiative of strategic behaviour change agency Hard Edge, it is the second year the international programme has been conducted in London.
The brief for Re:act London 2021 was ‘vulnerable road users and drivers: shared responsibility’. A vulnerable road user(VRU) is a pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist who uses or interacts with the road system.
Agota’s winning ‘Shells’ concept combines humour with humanity, using a collection of delightful shellfish and marine characters to illustrate the fragility of cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists on London’s busy roads and the need for us to look out for each other.
Her road safety campaign will now appear on Ocean’s roadside and retail assets across London next month.
The branding designer said her aim was to create a positive campaign that promoted empathy and shared responsibility among young VRUs and drivers.
“My campaign highlighted that not everyone has the same ‘shell’ or protection on the road, and that we are all fragile regardless of how we choose to travel.
“Working on this brief with Re:act was an incredible experience. Re:act not only made me realise how important it is to talk about road safety but also challenged me to think about my own biases and the part I have to play as a designer and a road user. I no longer presume that the responsibility of road safety lies with others, rather it all begins with me as an individual. It is extremely rewarding knowing that I can prompt change through my work.”
Re:act founder Andrew Hardwick said: “In 2021, Re:act London aimed to build understanding and empathy among all road user groups to highlight our shared responsibility for safety on and around our roads,”
“Agota’s ‘Shells’ campaign is a brilliant execution of that idea, building a sense of community by highlighting that we are all ‘fragile’ and we all play a part in keeping each other safe.”
Ocean’s chief revenue officer Nick Shaw said: “Road safety continues to be an incredibly important issue and we are pleased to support this campaign which will reach thousands of London road users where it matters most – on the streets themselves.
“Congratulations to Agota. We all need to be more considerate of each other and her outdoor campaign gets right to the point.”
Re:act is supported by the FIA Foundation, Transport for London and Zurich Resilience Solutions.
