Invisible Crimes

The intention of this project was to create a campaign in the heart of downtown Athens that would help raise awareness of the largely unspoken issues of sexual assault and rape culture surrounding the bar scene that has become such an integral part of student life at the University of Georgia.

1. Initiation

Upon coming in contact with the chalk outlines positioned in the middle of various crosswalks throughout the downtown district, viewers see the iconography and think of its association with a crime scene. Because of the serious nature of this imagery, the viewer’s mind races with questions (what happened here? when did it occur? why haven’t I heard about it?) By also having to decide whether to walk over or around the outline, the viewer is forced to engage with the outline even more, further cementing it in their mind and heightening their curiosity.

2. Interaction

Near every outline and throughout the district, accompanying posters are put up. Now that initial interest is peaked, the viewer is provided with access to the next piece of the puzzle, but the minimal content on the poster ensures there is still plenty of mystery to incite further interaction via the QR code. By delivering the bulk of the campaign’s information through the smartphone instead of the poster, the viewer is far more likely to read it, as it doesn’t require them to stop what they were doing.

3. Information

On the website, the information is given in small pieces instead of all at once in order to make the content as accessible as possible. Each piece of information is also given a title and an icon to help the viewer process it and commit it to memory. Once all the content has been delivered, the viewer is then given a call to action and an ability to share with their friends, furthering awareness of the campaign (and thus the issue) across campus.