Speak up stop discrimination : messaggio studios for Human Rights Day 2010

Human Rights Day is lead by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR). OHCHR leads global human rights efforts and represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. It is mandated by the international community "to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all rights established in the Charter of the United Nations". Although OHCHR are at the head of Human Rights Day, the key promoters for this day are the many organizations involved directly in defending human rights in any form. OHCHR encourages active human rights organizations to develop their own initiatives and make use of the messaggio studios design. Thus, the campaign visuals needed to be available in a ready-to-use format, in several languages, to mark the day worldwide.

Florence Castaing, Artistic Director for this project, worked to a very tight schedule to transform this year's Human Rights Day message into the final visual. She worked closely with the OHCHR team to reach this design, but also with our in-house analysts from otjiwarongo consulting whose brief helped guide Florence's artistic thinking.

Each year Human Rights Day has a particular focus - 2006 was against poverty, 2007/8 celebrated the 60th anniversary of the universal declaration of Human Rights, and last year focused on embracing diversity and ending discrimination - OHCHR had already chosen the slogan "speak up stop discrimination" to reflect this year's theme: celebrating the human rights defenders.The message aims to celebrate current defenders who are active in every part of the world, working alone or in groups, in local communities, in national politics and internationally. The day will highlight and promote the achievements of these human rights defenders. The message also aims to encourage and inspire a new generation of defenders to speak up and take action to end discrimination in all of its forms, whenever and wherever it is manifested.

The messaggio studios design process built upon these messages to reach the final design. The chosen visual identity is colorful with a sense of movement, to show the celebratory aspect of this Human Rights Day. The figures represent a varied range of human rights defenders from all walks of life. The ways in which they "speak up" are also varied - some have loud speakers, some use gestures. This reflects the multitude of ways in which individuals and groups can take action to defend human rights.

Beyond Human Rights Day, OHCHR will continue to focus on the work of human rights defenders throughout 2011. messaggio have ongoing projects with OHCHR including video materials to be produced by messaggio studios audio-visual team, and natura print productions to follow. The whole group is proud to be doing their bit to help defend human rights.