Responses by Luc Du Sault, partner/vice president/executive creative director, lg2
Background: Since marijuana will soon be legal in Québec, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) approached us wanting to inform and educate the population about the consequences of driving under the influence of weed. One of weed’s effects is a slower response time, so we created a set of prints and outdoor ads that physically demonstrate this effect.
Reasoning: We wanted to create a set of outdoor ads that would present the consequences visually, without showing a car crash. We needed something simple and memorable. Hence the road signs, which are impossible to miss and clearly communicate the message. The drama happens in the mind rather than in front of the eyes.
Challenges: We ended up shooting this project last winter, so it was a huge challenge to photograph sections of dry road and find summer scenery.
Favorite details: Creating the same look for all three executions. We had so many different images to bring together that it was insane.
Anything new: It’s incredible what a team of talented and dedicated people can accomplish. Plus, the power of print ads to connect with people is greater than we realize.
Visual influences: Year after year, Volkswagen produces incredibly smart print ads to promote one of its car’s features and the brand’s style has always been a great source of inspiration for us. When we created the marijuana campaign, we aimed for the same kind of wit and simplicity.
Time constraints: For the stop sign print ad, we virtually had no time—maybe around a week. Our amazing photographer, Olivier Staub, took the shots in two days; and he took everything perfectly with all the right angles. Meanwhile, the Mac artists worked with him on retouching while an art director was trying to find the right stock photos for the scenery at the same time. Thanks to team effort, we delivered on time.
Specific demands: Two demands actually. First, it had to look like summer even though it was winter! Extremely tough to do. Second, it had to look like any region in Québec —or Montréal, Gaspé, Québec City, just to name a few.