EpilepsieNL

Stretching it

“Suddenly, I felt ‘detached’ from the world. I heard my friend say something to me, but I couldn’t answer. An hour later, it felt as though nothing had happened.” This is typical of the stories that epilepsy patients tell, and it resulted in the graphic imagery that we have developed for EpilepsieNL. It’s far removed from all the clichéd images that pop up in our minds when we think of epilepsy. The central theme is the use of graphics to create empathy for the impact of epilepsy. It disrupts lives. It makes time stand still. It is unpredictable, which is what makes it so frightening. The stretch is recognisable to patients and evokes empathy among people who don’t have epilepsy.

A disruptive double whammy
We use the graphic representation of what epilepsy means in both the campaign images and in the EpilepsieNL logo. We went for a range of everyday situations to illustrate the unpredictable nature of the disorder. We have taken this unpredictability to extremes by not giving the ‘disruption’ a fixed position in the logo. It is in a different position in every manifestation. This creates a unique, ever-changing logo that is still immediately recognisable.

The unity of form and function
Throughout the campaign, form and function are inextricably linked. It is easy to translate this to literally any situation, both in terms of the images we use and the media. Advertisements, banners, billboards, commercials, campaign marketing – the unique graphic imagery does its work everywhere. And even without campaign images, the logo shows exactly what the impact of epilepsy is. The choice of the main colour purple is also very important, providing a direct reference to Purple Day on 26 March, the International Epilepsy Day. It is the colour of lavender, which research has shown to have a positive effect on people with epilepsy. Each element contributes to a deepening and widening of the message: epilepsy disrupts lives.