Humanizing the Guardian
Concept Design

Project Type Intermediate Creative Concepts
course at the University of Colorado Boulder
Role Art Director/Designer, Concept Design

Unfortunately, the news media is under attack. It is a crucial time for news outlets to gain back credibility and the trust of the American public. There are reliable news outlets out there, but people don’t know which one to trust. The Guardian stepped up to be the outlet we need right now.

Insights

TRUST AT AN ALL-TIME LOW

There is misinformation everywhere, and trust in our institutions is at an all-time low. How can we use this as an opportunity for The Guardian to enhance its credibility?

PART-TIME WRITERS

Several news outlets hire part-time writers that have other responsibilities that impact their values and work for The Guardian. How can we use this insight to build reader trust?

The Solution
Humanizing the Guardian

Trustworthiness comes from reliability and humanization; therefore, the goal of the campaign is to humanize The Guardian by being transparent with readers. To enhance the credibility of The Guardian, readers need to understand where their news is coming from, what credentials The Guardian’s editorial team has, and trust the editorial team.

EXECUTION 1 - OOH ADVERTISEMENTS

The outdoor advertisements portray The Guardian as approachable, relatable, and reachable through humanization. During the research phase, we discovered several writers have part-time jobs or interests that influence their values and work at The Guardian. We wanted to show that The Guardian’s writers are real people, just like you, who need the news. To trust The Guardian, we want you to trust Ben Jacobs and Sam Levor.