Made by Dyslexia, a charity led by dyslexics, is using its latest campaign – directed by Photoplay’s Dropbear – to advocate for the reshaping of global school systems to empower Dyslexic Thinking.
1 in 5 people are dyslexic: 1.55 billion people globally. And many of the world’s most influential thinkers are counted among that number, including Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Pablo Picasso, Keira Knightley, and Richard Branson.
But education systems across Australia, the US, and the UK aren’t designed to support the way dyslexic children learn, with the charity’s research finding that only 1 in 10 teachers globally have a good understanding of the strengths associated with dyslexia and Dyslexic Thinking.
The campaign is created by DDB Group Melbourne and voiced by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons (known for voicing Scar in The Lion King, among a slew of other renowned roles).
Commenting on his approach, Dropbear’s Jonathan Chong says: “Alongside my DOP Cesar Salmeron, we spent time in the studio and out in the city capturing a variety of interesting objects and scenes that represented the profound ‘hole’ the education system forces all students into.
“We wanted to be really graphic, in terms of the composition and colour tones, and the simplicity of the idea was a really great starting point to build out this conceptual library of visuals that we could edit together. The whole idea is that the visuals are pared back and focussed on the central ‘hole’ motif.
“The campaign is a great way to give people with dyslexia a voice. I have friends with dyslexia who struggled at school and then went on to launch very successful careers so I hope it will resonate with all neurodivergent thinkers.”
Made by Dyslexia Founder and CEO Kate Griggs said: “We want to make the biggest impact possible, and the Square Pegs film by DDB Group Melbourne has such a powerful message. It’s exactly the right time to tell governments globally that we need to reshape education to fit our most gifted thinkers. This film will kick off our short, sharp agitation campaign targeting all members of the UK government and shadow cabinet, as well as being used globally to get the important message across.”
DDB Group Melbourne Executive Creative Director Psembi Kinstan added: “We’re grateful for the team of square pegs that contributed to bring this to life, from Jeremy Irons to the incredibly talented team at Photoplay and the exceptional Kate Griggs at Made by Dyslexia. We are extremely excited about this campaign, and all of our future work with Made by Dyslexia, to change perceptions of Dyslexic Thinking around the world.”
