Campaigning for compassion and survival

The Mercy Campaign was an extraordinary project, in a legal case which would divide the Australian public. The brief was to develop a campaign brand to help save the lives of two Australian members of the 'Bali 9', Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were on death row for trafficking drugs from Bali. The objective of the campaign was to urge the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, to grant clemency.

The theme for the brand was driven by the inescapable fact that the President had the final word, and that this word could only be one of mercy. An identity was developed which invited activism, enabling the organisers and public to write their pleas of compassion into the identity system. The typography and colour of the brand linked directly to the paintwork of Kerobokan prison, where they were being held.

The project was a collaboration with Reprieve Australia, and acclaimed Barrister Julian McMahon, who in 2016 was awarded Victorian Australian of the Year. It also garnered the support of notable Australian identities such as Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pierce, Sam Worthington, Bryan Brown and David Wenham. The campaign aired across world media but was regrettably unsuccessful in saving Andrew and Myuran, who were subsequently executed.