War Child supports children whose lives have been affected by conflict. Our challenge was to make that work feel personal and give people a clear reason to help. The campaign needed to communicate the seriousness of its subject while leaving room for hope, with an invitation to donate that could carry across different channels.
We built the concept around light as a symbol of hope, safety and a future. The film idea centres on War Child staff and creators sharing a child’s story, giving people a moment to listen and understand. A shift from black and white into colour marks the turn towards hope, followed by a direct invitation to donate.
We extended the same seated portraits and personal storytelling into print and static ads, with QR codes leading to the stories online. Website header concepts brought the visual approach into War Child’s digital presence. For Advent, we proposed “24 Lights – 24 Stories”: a daily social activation bringing a new story into the light through staff, partners and creators.
The result is a connected campaign concept with a clear role for each format. Film creates space to listen. Print and static ads introduce individual stories and invite people to explore them online. The Advent activation gives the campaign a daily rhythm, creating opportunities to engage throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas.
A consistent visual language holds the work together, while each story gives the message a personal meaning. We developed a framework that War Child could adapt across contributors and channels, keeping the focus on children and the support they need. Every expression returns to the same invitation: leave a little light on.
The project in numbers:
Days in the Advent concept
Campaign formats
Visual states
Shared CTA
Olaf Haarsma
