Graphic

Daylight 20 DPMC: A Brief History of Misinformation

Finalist
2022 Design Craft
Credits
  • Pou Auaha / Creative Directors
    Charlie Godinet, Toby Morris
  • Ngā Kaimahi / Team Members
    Ezra Whittaker, Annabel Hawkins, Lee Lowndes, Claire Choe, Chris Callus, Lauren Maree Stewart, Renee Jacobi, Sophie Tse, Antalya Atkinson
  • Kaitautoko / Contributors
    Francis Kora, Glen Cleaver, Henry Beasley
  • Client
    Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Description:

One of the related challenges to managing the Covid-19 pandemic in Aotearoa (and practically everywhere else in the world) has been addressing the sharp rise in false and misleading information. In a time of huge social distress, the dissemination of ‘fake news’ and warped truths began rampantly, causing rising unrest and unease, particularly online.

Many of these narratives are woven into larger themes centred around mistrust of government, international businesses (often in the form of conspiracy theories) or concerns about side effects, medical safety, and long-term effects of the vaccine. This false information can be spread through a range of different channels, making it extremely difficult to determine what is true and what is false. And during a time when the truth couldn’t be more essential, its growing presence became increasingly harmful and impacts even more alarming.

So, at the height of the pandemic, The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet briefed us to create an educational film addressing this issue.

‘A Brief History of Misinformation’ is a character-led animated short film designed to drive awareness around the origins, spread and strategies to combat misinformation. With such a sensitive topic, our illustration style needed to be warm, friendly and reflect the diverse cultures of Aotearoa.

Set in a museum inspired by Te Papa, the viewer is taken on a guided tour through engaging exhibitions that break down and simplify the concept of how information has been shared over time. Drawing analogies from ancient storytelling techniques and ways in which truth has been captured and disseminated throughout history, the film highlights how we can collectively find the facts and find the best sources to trust.

A primary colour palette is complemented by using various textures to create depth, along with focal shifts to help create elegant transitions. The final output was tonally right for the moment in time, delicately addressing an issue that had a huge portion of Aotearoa divided.