Pablo London designs UV-reactive gear to tackle skin cancer
This self-generated project came about after the ad agency’s joint managing partner Hannah Penn was diagnosed with skin cancer, which she has since recovered from.
Penn became determined to raise awareness of the dangers of UV, particularly in the construction industry.
In the UK, construction workers comprise 8% of the workforce, but account for 44% of occupational melanoma skin cancer deaths, according to research published by the National Library of Medicine.
However, unlike most cancers, skin cancer is preventable. “So with the right interventions and awareness, we can save hundreds if not thousands of lives,” says Penn. According to Statista, there are 2.14m people employed in the construction sector in the UK.
The agency started to explore ways of communicating this. Posters weren’t going to work for workers up on a roof, says Dan Norris, who joined Pablo London along with Ray Shaughnessy as joint managing creative directors 18 months ago.
Instead, the team developed the idea of making the mandatory safety vest responsive to UV (ultraviolet) radiation, so that it would warn the wearer when UV levels got dangerously high.
Early ideas included applying UV stickers that change colour, but their quality deteriorates quickly. LEDs lights were also considered, but they are heavy and would need to be recharged.
Pablo London’s then hit upon the idea of a logo made of wearable tech. The jackets’ breast pocket have a silicon logo filled with a long-lasting UV-sensitive material. As the sun’s UV level intensifies, the logo changes from white to pink to red, alerting the wearer and fellow workers to apply sunscreen and take precautions.
This tech needed a brand that would engage the target audience. Young builders are into grooming and looking after themselves, says Norris. “The big problem is awareness, if you talk about it, what are you asking them to do?”
“We deliberately communicated everything towards the construction industry,” says Shaughnessy. “At the heart of it, is the idea that you are deserving of this level of protection.”
Pablo London came up with UV-U-SEE, an initials-heavy name which informed the tone of the communications.
Stylistically, the brand sits between the iconography of safety signage typically found on a building site, and a cool, design-conscious brand, says Norris. “The look also borrows from the world of 1960s trademarks.”
“If it’s too much in a health space it feels like a real turn-off,” Shaughnessy says.
The logo design captures the simple idea of making the unseen, seen, Norris says. “Drawing on the graphic language of informative symbols, the design uses a triangle warning shape and a simple inverse masking effect to reveal something hidden in the sun’s rays,” he adds. Pablo London designer, Rodrigo Castellari, worked on the visuals.
The idea of making the invisible visible is articulated on the website as the utilitarian symbols disappear to be replaced by letters and words. The symbols were designed in-house from a Helvetica base.
The Higher-Vis vests can be bought with bespoke logos through the UV-U-SEE website. Also on sale is UV-U-SEE branded sunscreen dispensers and sunscreen made by LifeJacket, which produces high-performance non-greasy sunscreen for the army.
The brand is supported by The National Federation of Builders and Considerate Constructors Scheme. But Penn’s vision is for it to have a life beyond the construction industry, suggesting it could even be applied to prams or children’s hats.
While this is not intended as a money-making scheme for Pablo London, it has a value for the agency.
“When we talk to our paying clients we can show them there’s more ways to solve a problem that to write an ad,” Norris says.