Changing Behavior Through Unexpected Visual Storytelling
ART DIRECTION | GRAPHIC DESIGN | CAMPAIGN | GOVERNMENT
The Project
Encourage Arizona residents to rethink littering by increasing awareness of its environmental impact and inspiring lasting behavior change along the state's highways.
The Challenge
Research identified males ages 18–34 as the audience most likely to litter on Arizona freeways. Beyond simply reminding people not to litter, the campaign needed to challenge common misconceptions about what constitutes litter while motivating people to change deeply ingrained habits.
The challenge wasn't a lack of awareness—it was overcoming indifference.
The Strategy
Traditional anti-litter campaigns often relied on guilt or statistics, but awareness alone wasn't enough to change behavior. Instead, the strategy focused on creating an unexpected moment that prompted people to stop, look more closely, and reconsider the impact of littering.
Familiar Maricopa County landmarks, including Camelback Mountain, Papago Park, and Tempe Town Lake, were recreated entirely from discarded trash. From a distance, the imagery celebrated Arizona's natural beauty. Up close, viewers discovered the landscapes were constructed from litter, transforming a recognizable scene into a powerful reminder of what was at stake.
By connecting environmental responsibility to places people already valued, the campaign shifted the conversation from "someone else's problem" to "the places we all share."
The Solution
Created an integrated out-of-home and social media campaign that transformed Arizona's most recognizable landscapes into scenes constructed entirely from litter.
The unexpected visuals turned familiar landmarks into conversation starters, using large-format advertising and digital media to deliver a memorable message that encouraged viewers to reconsider the impact of littering on the places they value most.
Impact.
Impact.
92,000
bags of litter were collected from Valley freeways in 2019.
115%
increase in campaign engagement on Facebook