Bester Burke creatives concept raises awareness of AIDS/HIV on children

Back in January, Campaign, UNICEF and Clear Channel launched a poster challenge in an effort to raise global awareness of the impact of AIDS/HIV on children. A brief was provided and resulted in over 300 entries. Today the campaign launched at same-day events in New York, London and Johannesburg.

The winning creative, by Bester Burke, an agency in Cape Town, South Africa was the work of Stuart McCreadie and Graeme Taylor. In Novemeber, the campaign will begin running in over 50 countires.

The designers won $5,000 (about R33 000) in prize money.

Taylor, who lives in Observatory, said: "My daughter is two years old and when I was thinking about the brief I was also thinking, 'How would she cope without her parents?'

"Coming from Africa, we understand that Aids is such a massive problem and we wanted the poster to disarm people.

"We wanted them to look at the child-like drawing and to realise the significance and to feel a sense of anguish for the child."

Bester Burke managing director Dave Bester said: "The ad works because it is so simple and so direct. It brings home the message because it is seen through a child's eyes."