Domestic violence is one of those topics – we know we should talk about it, but we simply just don’t. We feel too uncomfortable around it and we would rather sweep it under the rug than being confronted with it.
DVNSW wanted to change this stigma by raising awareness and get people talking. So a day used to celebrate love all over the world, Valentines Day 2016, was turned into an opportunity to discuss the issue and start the conversation. But how do you get the word out on Valentines Day? By creating a series of Valentines Day cards of course!
Using some of Australia’s top female typographers the collection was created. Looking like regular cheesy V-Day cards with cute metaphors of love, a closer look would reveal that these cards had a very different message – they weren’t metaphors but statements about domestic violence.
“For one in three Australian women, the statement on this card isn’t a metaphor. They experience physical violence at the hands of someone they know”
The cards were printed by Melbourne letterpress studio Saint Gertrude, and were available in five designs by Australian female typographers Kate Pullen, Carla Hacket, Magda Ksiezak, Lyn Tran and Eliza Svikulis.
Impact:
As the cards circulated, they started a conversation across Australia about an issue too often ignored.