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'We're humanity's best friend': campaign seeks new level of respect for designers

As creative professionals, we all know design is important for humanity, but other people don't always see it like that.

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Street scene showing pedestrians outside shops including an eyediology storefront, with Design Museum campaign posters displayed on a building above

So to make things a little clearer, creative agency Leo Burnett London has teamed up with London's Design Museum to launch a campaign called Design: Humanity’s Best Friend. It aims to show how design is integral to everyday life, as well as highlighting the museum as a must-see destination.

The outdoor advertising campaign consists of posters hosted around creative hotspots in London, targeted London Underground stations in Kensington, and digital display formats. Each features iconic design objects, such as an instant camera, an impeccably cut suit, the Pride flag and a replica spacesuit.

The campaign aims to reframe the way people view design: that it's about much more than how things look: it is a problem-solving attitude, a process and a method that can help tackle any challenge, from small usability issues to complex global problems.

Chaka Sobhani, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett London said: “Design is one of the most important tools we have for understanding and changing the world we live in. This campaign hopefully brings the wonder and ubiquity of design to the forefront of people’s minds, where it should always be.”

This year marks 30 years since the Design Museum first opened to the public. Following an exhibition on Stanley Kubrick this autumn, the museum will invite visitors to travel to Mars in the 'Moving to Mars' exhibition. Visitors can also explore the permanent display ‘Designer Maker User’ and view objects like the original Pride flag.

"The purpose of the Design Museum is to make the impact of design visible," says its chairman Lord Mandelson. "Design excellence is one of Britain’s chief competitive advantages and we need to invest more in it. The museum tells this story every day within its walls and we needed a new message to make everyone outside notice.”

Learn more about the exhibition on the Design Museum website.

A man jogging past a street billboard displaying the Design: Humanity's Best Friend campaign featuring iconic design objects and the tagline "Design Humanity's Best Friend
Person with dramatic makeup and styled hair wrapped in a rainbow Pride flag, featuring the Design Museum campaign text overlaid
Person cycling past a blue shipping container and striped wall advertising the Design Museum's "Design: Humanity's Best Friend" campaign featuring portraits and design objects
Person in bright yellow raincoat holding an instant camera in front of a yellow taxi on a rainy London street, promoting the Design Museum campaign
Cyclist riding past a London street corner displaying Design: Humanity's Best Friend campaign posters on a brick building, with pedestrians and urban architecture visible
Smartly dressed man in burgundy blazer and Panama hat standing against a vibrant turquoise wall, part of the Design Museum's "Design: Humanity's Best Friend" campaign
Woman in white top and blue jeans walks past an orange wall displaying the Design Museum's "Design. Humanity's Best Friend." campaign poster featuring a yellow taxi cab and driver.
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