Signal For Help
Award: Yellow Pencil
Yellow Pencil / PR / Established Campaigns / 2022
Award: Graphite Pencil
Graphite Pencil / Impact / Sustained Solution
When disaster strikes, domestic violence increases, and the Canadian Women’s Foundation was bracing for a surge as Covid-19 made its way through Canada. There needed to be a way for victims to communicate during lockdown without being detected, and the answer came in the form of Signal For Help – a discreet one-handed gesture designed as a single continuous hand movement that's visible over video call. It involves holding your hand up to the camera with your thumb tucked into your palm, folding your fingers down and trapping your thumb in your fingers. The signal means 'reach out to me safely'.
What did the judges have to say?
"A truly timeless idea which uses a medium available to everyone for a lifetime, at no cost – the human hand – to find a proven effective solution to a major societal problem. A spellbinding proof of the power of creativity."
Mihai Gongu, Executive Creative Director, Cheil Southeast Europe
Are you credited on this winning entry?
If you've been awarded Wood Pencil or above, drop us your details for further information about how you can order your D&AD Pencil. If you've previously won In Book or a Nomination and would like to celebrate your achievement with a Wood or Graphite Pencil, please let us know.