The Civility Squad Earns ADDY Award

The Civility Squad, our cast of animated characters created to promote civil discourse and civic participation in the region, received a Silver ADDY in AdFed Suncoast’s 2018 American Advertising Awards competition. The Civility Squad campaign was honored in the Integrated Media Public Service Campaign category.

The Civility Squad was designed in support of our regional civility initiative, Because It Matters. Campaign elements include online animations, social media content, print collateral, and promotional materials such as T-shirts, pins, and trading cards that feature the Civility Squad characters modeling and messaging civil behavior in fun, memorable ways. (Go here to browse Civility Squad materials and order your favorite!)

The characters were designed to appeal to all ages. For example, Sarasota County school students are a primary audience of the campaign, and several Civility Squad grants were awarded for school-based activities. Meanwhile, the positive messages also target adults and promote programs like Gulf Coast’s “civil workplace” training workshops.

The creative team that designed the Civility Squad campaign for Gulf Coast consisted of Ringling College of Art and Design faculty and alumni. Design Center associate director Holly Antoszewski served as creative director and advertising design faculty member Vivian Owen was the copywriter, while recent graduates Robson Tan and Philip Gleichauf handled design and motion design, respectively. (In the spirit of The Civility Squad, thank you for your amazing creative work!)

To learn more about Because It Matters, go here.