The challenge
Cancer is often reduced to numbers and statistics, making it feel distant and impersonal. The 1 in 2 campaign aimed to humanize the reality that 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Instead of focusing on clinical messaging, the goal was to create a campaign that felt raw, intimate, and deeply personal—one that made people see themselves and their loved ones in the story.
“What does 1 in 2 really mean? It means cancer will touch half of us in our lifetime. That’s too many. We need to change the status quo.”
My role
I led the art direction and creative execution for the 1 in 2 campaign, ensuring the final outcome was emotionally impactful and visually striking.
Concept Development
Crafted the overarching creative vision and emotional storytelling approach.
Talent Sourcing
Identified and selected individuals whose stories reflected the campaign’s raw authenticity.
Photography Oversight
Co-directed the shoot to capture natural, unscripted moments, ensuring real emotion and connection.
Visual Strategy & Execution
Developed key visuals across print, digital, and out-of-home (OOH) placements.
Creative direction
Tone & Look
Stripped-back, raw, deeply personal.
No makeup, no artificial staging—just real people and real emotions.
Photography Approach
Close-up portraits that bring out the vulnerability of each individual.
Natural light, intimate framing, and authentic body language.
Capturing real-life moments between people, reinforcing connection.
Typography & Design Choices
Minimalist design to let the stories take center stage.
Dark backgrounds with bold, high-contrast messaging for maximum impact.
Text lockups positioned strategically to guide the viewer’s eye while keeping the focus on the imagery.
The creative process
The creative process file for this project is available upon request. Please note that it contains images for which I do not hold the rights. These images were used solely for communication and prototyping purposes.
Challenges & Adaptations
Organic social
Stakeholder Challenges
The paid social media execution was outsourced, leading to inconsistencies in storytelling. The original authentic talent stories were altered, diluting the intended impact.
What Worked
The OOH and print campaign retained its raw, emotional essence, with strong engagement from audiences. Deep emotional connection with audiences, proving that real, human stories resonate far more than statistics alone.
The strategy behind this organic social campaign was to naturally weave Cancer Council Victoria’s key services, support, cancer research, prevention and early detection into real stories of people at every stage of their cancer experience: the beginning, during, end, and after. By centring authentic voices, the aim was to create an emotional connection while gently reinforcing the breadth of CCV’s impact without overt messaging.
