#RelationshipGoals: Designing with Oxfam Canada

By the Loop Team | February 14, 2020

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At loop, we are so lucky to work with those who push for positive progress and make the world a better place each day. We count ourselves doubly lucky when those projects transform into lasting relationships that allow us to continue pushing the boundaries of design and watch causes grow and evolve. 

In this new #RelationshipGoals series, we are excited to go behind the scenes and share some of the projects and insight we’ve picked up in our journey with Oxfam Canada over the years.  

Our partnership with Oxfam Canada kicked off in 2017 when we reimagined their website, during which time we took a deep dive into their global mission to end poverty and inequality. By focusing on storytelling and streamlining the donation process, we achieved amazing results. In the first year, Oxfam saw traffic to the new website increase by 17%, and online donations increase by an incredible 86%.  

With this momentum, our partnership has continued, and we’re always exploring new ways to use Oxfam’s website as a platform to raise awareness and rally action around poverty and inequality. What we love about working with Oxfam is how human-centred and data-driven they are, and that our entire team stands as advocates and allies for the critical work they do. 

With that said, let’s dive into the good stuff:

An informed vote is a vote that counts, so we were very excited to design and develop Oxfam Canada’s 2019 Election Guide. The resource puts women at the centre of the political debate, covering topics like International Aid & Foreign Policy, Climate Change, Poverty, and Indigenous Peoples from the perspective of women and girls. The easy-to-navigate guide includes changes Oxfam Canada demands to see and proposes questions for candidates – so visitors can get all the info they need to make their vote count.

The campaign directs visitors to take action by signing a pledge to vote, send an e-mail to an MP, or have a conversation with an MP, and provides toolkits and resources for making every vote count.

This multi-sensory online narrative platform captures Oxfam’s recent work in Bangladesh as they help in the fight to end violence against women. Using a combination of photography, text, video and soundscapes, the platform walks visitors through the lives of those affected by violence, and the steps that are being taken to overcome it.

Full-screen photographs and videos of real people complete with soundscapes create an immersive experience that transports visitors as they navigate through their stories of bravery. The six-minute journey shares the stories of a community youth leader and activist, a lawyer, a brother, and a wife who are all combatting different forms of violence against women in different ways.

Building empathy through design has been a cornerstone of our work with Oxfam since day one, and experiences like this help visitors connect to humanity on a deeper level. Through immersive stories, we can generate urgency, but also hope, and compel people to contribute and support the important work to overcome these injustices.

Oxfam’s 1% Calculator campaign encourages people to consider the impact that 1% of their income could have on women who face economic inequality. Visitors enter their monthly income into the calculator and 1% is calculated. Based on their 1%, a compelling story is generated to demonstrate the impact that 1% could have – from helping women in Kenya fight against sexual abuse in the workplace, to helping advocate for equal rights for migrant workers in Vietnam.

With one click, visitors can pledge their 1% through Oxfam’s monthly giving program, which is helping generate long-term donor relationships.  

In January 2020, we were thrilled to launch Oxfam’s first digital annual report. This innovative digital report is a single-page experience that has been thoughtfully divided into manageable half or full-width sections which tell the stories of Oxfam’s key successes in 2018/2019. These sections are scroll-activated, and seamlessly highlight videos, text, images and infographics as you move down the page.

The design enables us to punctuate text and statistics with big, beautiful photos that remind us who Oxfam is working for.

We are so grateful to be able to continue our partnership with Oxfam Canada, and to be able to help them share the lasting impact they are having in the global fight for equality. 

Look out for more #RelationshipGoals posts as we keep spreading the client love!