PROJECT
Amnesty International:
#NOVACANCIES
ROLE
Creative Direction,
Campaign Identity,
Print & Digital Design
Awards
Creative Conscience
Human Rights Category
DATE
2023
The #NOVACANCIES campaign for Amnesty International confronts Ireland’s escalating housing crisis, where over 10,000 people are homeless despite thousands of vacant properties nationwide.
The concept reframes homelessness as a systemic crime, holding the government accountable rather than individuals.The visual language draws from crime scene aesthetics: Amnesty’s signature yellow transforms into crime scene tape reading “Homelessness is a Crime Committed by the State”. A solitary figure wrapped in a yellow blanket becomes the campaign’s central image — both victim and protest symbol — while chalk outlines, disrupted tricolour motifs, and flashing police lights evoke urgency and national failure.
Moving beyond awareness, the campaign invited direct activism. Supporters received an action kit with branded tape to mark vacant properties and share images online using #NOVACANCIES, creating viral visibility and grassroots protest.
By merging graphic protest aesthetics with participatory strategy, the campaign reframed homelessness as a violation of human rights and demanded state accountability to end the crisis.
