STEVEN LAO
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The News Literacy Project

See all the angles

Print placement (appearing in The Wall Street Journal)

Print placement (appearing in The Wall Street Journal)

Client

The News Literacy Project

Role

Senior designer, type designer

Description

In an era rife with fake news, the News Literacy Project empowers educators to teach students how to discern fact from fiction.

Our agency collaborated with them to develop a visually compelling campaign anchored by a custom designed sideways font. This font acts as a visual metaphor, urging readers to dig deeper into headlines and seek hidden perspectives. Designed to slow down comprehension, it mirrors the careful analysis required in today’s digital information landscape.

The campaign was deployed on multiple platforms, including targeted ads on both left and right-leaning news outlets like CNN and Fox News, as well as a mobile app, poster series, and apparel.

 
 

Case study video

Web banner placements (appearing on CNN and Fox News)

Web banner placements (appearing on CNN and Fox News)

 

Results

Despite a zero-dollar media budget, the campaign resonated deeply with news organizations, who donated media placements, leading to nearly 6 million impressions.

This enthusiasm translated into exceptional results, with a .12% click-through rate, doubling industry averages.

The campaigns innovative approach also captured the attention of advertising media, leading to coverage in AdAge, AdWeek, and the Digital Agency Network.

 

Recognition

Communication Arts, poster design
London International, typography design

 
 
Custom font: “Alt News”

Custom font: “Alt News”

Poster, alphabet series

Poster, alphabet series

Poster, messaging series

Poster, messaging series

Mobile app for creating content with the custom font

Mobile app for creating content with the custom font

Instagram post by AdWeek

Instagram post by AdWeek

A few social media responses about the campaign

A few social media responses about the campaign

 

Credits

Aaron Padin, design director
Jessica Toye, art director/writer
Greg Erdelyi, executive creative director
Brent Choi, chief creative officer
Jake Lavenberg/Victor Sima, WFT Productions LLC, developers
Halle Biggar, MetaVision Media/Mike Manzi, Kargo/Nicholas Puglisi, GroupM/Joseph Tam, MetaVision Media, managers of media services
Ray Cruz, Cruz Type Design, typographer
Catalina Condon, project manager
Andrew Magrini, strategist
J. Walter Thompson New York, ad agency
Erika Hobbs/Alan Miller/Darragh Worland, News Literacy Project, clients