Today, more than 800 million people still live in the dark. They lack access to the electricity grid. Social structures are disrupted. Basic needs are not met. Yet, we are all connected. Did you know? Be enlightened.
#BeEnlightened - Get to know our journey! Where are the off-grid communities today? How much of our total energy are we generating from renewables? What is our progress toward universal access to affordable, reliable. sustainable and modern energy? Who is the ‘Little Sun’? What do they do? Am I able to contribute? Follow us on our social media accounts (‘Little Sun’) and subscribe to our newsletter you will find your way through these questions. Hey, we understand the frustrations of spams and sieving through paragraphs of information - we are committed to keeping them short. Learn on-the-go, and grow your knowledge on-the-go. Feed your curiosity! (Psst. We know you don’t like to be left hanging, so here are some answers: Only a mere 17.5% of our total energy consumption is derived from renewables; And the answer is yes - yes, you can contribute. Swipe through to find out more!)
Artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen had a goal. They wanted to bring clean, reliable and affordable energy to people living without electrcity. They had a shared ambition, a common goal, a collective drive. In 2012, they founded LIttle Sun. How about you? Rise up to this cause.
#RiseUp - Pave your journey with others! Don’t worry about the FOMO (fear of missing out). If you believe in this cause, reach out! You will find people who do too. Go onto Instagram (or any other social media site) and post a photo with the Sun using the hashtag #RisewithLittleSun. Get in touch with people on there - like their photos, “slide” into DMs (direct messages), give them a follow, send them emails - build the network and support one another. We’d say, great minds think alike. Browse through our projects through the hashtag #ConnectedByTheSun. Look at our partner projects #santashoebox,#energyforhealth, #sdg7 and others. Be in touch with our progress and be part of it too! We hope to see you around, we need more hearts like you. P.S. Please do not look directly into the sun while taking the photo. Safety first.
Little Sun has distributed more than 1.1 million solar lamps worldwide. Little Sun has granted 37 million more study hours to children. We can do more. We can do better. Are you ready to join us? Let’s work hand in hand.
#HandinHand - Embark on the journey with us! Now that you are geared up with the knowledge and have found your fellow pals, join us on our various projects around the world! We have projects running in Burkina Faso, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria and other parts of Africa. While we have made progress so far, we are still far from our mission to achieve universal access to energy, and we need your help to empower more people with the power of light. Let’s work together to make more lives brighter. Get in contact with us and sign up for our volunteering opportunities through the online form on our site. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to us on there. We will get back to you as soon as possible - we always attempt to do so, at the speed of light! It’s what we do, anyway.
Light is for everyone - it determines what we do and how we do it. We are all one - we are learning and growing. We are all one - we are loving and sharing. We are all one - past, present and future. We are all one, living under the same Sun. We are #ConnectedbytheSun.
#Connected by the Sun - Pass it on! Whether you are starting this journey or are already on it, we hope that we can all continue to share - not just knowledge, but also the desire to serve and learn. Speak your truth, invite others on your journey and guide one another. Let’s strive to be innovative, compassionate and supportive on this ever-evolving journey - we are still, ultimately, connected by the Sun.
This campaign aims to encourage individuals to collaborate with Little Sun and participate in service learning activities, thereby communicating their learning and encouraging the desire to serve amongst the following agents of change.
#BeEnlightened
Objective: The first tier promotes awareness – individuals to be informed about Little Sun and its projects, and to be educated on the context and areas of impact to which these projects are implemented. Call-To-Action: This encourages individuals to follow Little Sun’s social media pages and subscribe to their newsletter, keeping up-to-date on projects and the latest developments on current affairs, including those aiming to achieve other Sustainable Development Goals.
#RiseUp
Objective: The second tier is to invite them to recognise themselves as leaders of change. This refers to the spread of general knowledge, particularly in the progress of humanitarian projects, and ensuring the “access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”. Call-To-Action: Following that, these individuals can seek to find like-minded others and gather to form self-initiated groups, encouraging one another to develop their understanding of global issues and collective will to take action. The aim is to evoke curiosity and zeal to connect with people - not merely from communities similar to theirs but also those outside their boundaries.
#HandinHand
Objective: The third tier is to motivate these groups to volunteer with Little Sun - as part of the organisation, or as part of their own self-initiated projects. The latter requires them to be independent throughout their project, from researching on communities they hope to serve, executing the project itself, to evaluating the success of the project and its long-term sustainability. Call-To-Action: This stage advocates the notion of volunteering. This is most crucial in allowing individuals to serve and learn, having them to engage in activities outside their comfort zones. They must be reminded that they should listen to the communities’ needs from the people themselves, without assuming them. Communication could be done in means besides spoken language, such as the use of art, especially when language poses as a barrier.
#ConnectedByTheSun
Objective: The final tier emphasises continuity. This is articulated in two ways. Firstly, that we are all connected by the basis of humanity - that we are all people, and will always wish to expand our empathy and compassion for one another. That ultimately, we live under the same Sun. Next, showcasing the projects themselves and highlighting the importance of making sure that they are not a one-off measure. Every iteration can be led by new individuals who are passionate in the cause. This aids in the project’s continuous progress. Call-To-Action: It calls for individuals to actively promote Little Sun and its cause - whether through social media or word-of-mouth.
Target Audience
This campaign targets people aged 18 to 251, who may be interested in personal growth and expanding their world views. For this campaign, the digital world - particularly Instagram2, is an effective way to communicate with these individuals by bringing them through the narrative using the swiping function, effectively and efficiently relaying information. Because they are the first generation users of the Internet, which became widely accessible and popular in the 1990s, they are well versed on the Internet and are confident in their skills to navigate through it. Individuals who partake in these projects should be curious and enthusiastic about knowledge - particularly the exchange of knowledge. This means that they are receptive to and introspective in learning outside the classroom, and from people from less-advantaged societies. Volunteers are also well-educated, who can think critically and empathise with others. They can take on such projects as part of their personal growth during this time of their lives.
Design
The four panels were designed using the principles of minimalism3,4. Three main components were emphasised: balance, colour and typography.
Balance
was achieved through the use of negative space and the positioning of elements within each panel. These were important in ensuring that there is little cluttering to achieve a sense of vastness yet importance in the messages that each panel carries. As a rule of thumb, visuals were placed along the central y-axis, while texts alternate between being placed in the same axis or mirrored within it. This gives a small degree of diversity in the panels.
Dark tones of colour
were used to create the background setting. Contrasted with the brighter elements, this creates a sense of illumination, which aligns with Little Sun’s vision to bring light to off-grid communities. A blue line symbolises(5) a life line - as blue represents health, stability and understanding - carried throughout all panels.
Sans serif font
was used to convey friendliness. The rounded edges evoke a feeling of inclusiveness and light-heartedness. Small font sizes were used to bring focus to the visuals over text. Because millennials are more akin to logic and not just pathos, facts are summarised and written.
Gestalt principles6
such as reification (law of closure) and continuation (law of continuity) were also used. They take advantage of the human brain to fill in the gaps and connect the dots, thus bringing forth more impactful images. In general, the use of minimalistic design and symbolism7 is crucial in conveying information in a simple and straightforward yet powerful manner. It aims to achieve consistency, with purpose in every element.
References 1. Moran, K. (2016). Young Adults/Millenials as Web Users (Ages 18-25). Nielson Norman Group. https://www. nngroup.com/articles/young-adults-ux/. 2. Business Insider. (2018). Top Social Media Platform by Age Group 2018. Business Insider. https://www. businessinsider.com/top-social-media-platform by-age-group-2018-8?IR=T 3. Zell, J. (2020). 5 Principles for Minimalism in UX/UI. Medium: UX Collective. https://uxdesign.cc/ minimalist-web-design-5-principles-for-minimal ism-in-web-design-4a7d4be5d93f 4. New York Film Academy. (2016). Mastering the Art of Minimalist Graphic Design. New York Film Academy: Student Resources. https://www.nyfa. edu/student-resources/mastering-the-art-of-mini malist-graphic-design/ 5. Color Wheel Pro. (NA). Color Meaning. Color Wheel Pro. http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-mean ing.html 6. Chapman, C. (2018). Exploring the Gestalt Principles of Design. Toptal Designers: UX Design. https://www. toptal.com/designers/ui/gestalt-principles-of-de sign 7. Van Toorn, J. (1994). Design and Reflexivity. Design and Theory Files. https://designandtheory.files.word press.com/2017/01/van-toorn-design-and-reflexiv ity.pdf
I would like to thank our unit coordinator, Clare Cooper, my tutor, Ella Cutler, my family and friends, and all others who have guided me in this journey thus far.