Subtract The Noise: Koto's campaign for The Washington Post brings clarity to our biggest health questions

Titled Subtract The Noise, the campaign is rather apt given its prime placement in Times Square and the modern phenomena that is mis-information and confusion when it comes to even the most seemingly trivial queries about health.

Centred around the questions we might type into Google or DuckDuckGo on anything from recurring dreams to feeling less anxious, the idea for the advertisement came from The Washington Post team and shows that "even in the epicentre of sensory overload, there is a way to cut through the noise and get relief from the answers we seek," explains Koto's Creative Director Arthur Foliard.

"The Washington Post gave us free reign to amplify the same reader-submitted questions that ground their articles – questions that illustrate the noise within at a time when life is riddled with so many curiosities in regards to health, fitness, parenting, and so much more," he says. These questions might be 'Why am I hangry?' or 'Is work-life balance real? or even 'Can stress damage my brain?'

Underscored with a pastel-coloured palette, liberal use of classic emojis and range of speech bubbles and browser windows, the designs have a touch of nostalgia – perhaps adding to the sense of trust and authority The Washington Post's new health section seeks to evoke – while remaining friendly and approachable.

To add further interest and bring the campaign to life, Koto appointed Manchester-based animator and motion designer James Huson to make the creative move. The campaign has since been rolled out to bus shelters in Washington DC and San Francisco.