giovanna dabner
CREATIVE + ART DIRECTION
Brand:
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Campaign
A Campaign That Transformed a Brand into a Movement for Self-Expression
Project Overview
The "Dare to Be Yourself" campaign was launched by IGNITE to welcome new and returning students at Humber Polytechnic and University of Guelph-Humber. The initiative aimed to create an inviting and empowering space that champions authenticity, encouraging students to embrace their individuality through community, support, and advocacy.
Team:
Giovanna Dabner, Director/Producer + Art Direction + Graphic Designer
Mariane Pacaanas, Production Assistant
Karthik Reddy, Videography
Gianmarc Cole, Audio
Housseni Sylla, Boom
Elle Galindo, Video Editor
The Challenge:
The primary challenge was to develop a campaign that resonated with a diverse student body, ensuring that the messaging was both inclusive and inspiring. The campaign needed to effectively communicate IGNITE's supportive offerings while fostering a sense of belonging among students.
total Budget:
$7,000​
Equipment used:
Canon R6 Mark II
DJI Ronin Gimbal
Sennheiser Lavalier Microphones
Rode Microphone​
24-70 MM Canon RF Lens​​
50 MM Canon RF Lens
Software used:
Digital, Print + OOH Advertising
Creative Process
Concept Development
The campaign emphasized three core benefits IGNITE provides:
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Community: Clubs and social events for student connection.
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Support: Financial aid and well-being resources.
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Advocacy: Leadership opportunities to amplify student voices.
Production details:
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Filming: Spanned three days across Humber’s North, Lakeshore, and International Graduate School campuses (now Humber Downtown).
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Cast: Featured IGNITE’s student board members and advocates to ensure authenticity and resonate with the student audience.
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In-House Production: Filmed by IGNITE’s in-house video team, ensuring high-quality production while maintaining cost efficiency.
Direction + Inspiration
The opening scene, inspired by "Accepted" (directed by Steve Pink), captures the film's playful and empowering tone to instantly engage viewers. It ties into the challenges students face at school, highlighting how IGNITE addresses these issues. The script was crafted to emphasize IGNITE’s core values—community, support, and advocacy—while showcasing the real-life benefits students can experience.
The design inspiration was Nirvana’s song "Come as You Are" and 90s grunge culture. The campaign adopted a daring, gritty aesthetic. This bold style reflected IGNITE’s "student's first" mission and served as a strong invitation for students to show up authentically and confidently.
First Iteration
The concept started off following the grid style, accompanied by diverse imagery as shown in the original mood board. However, our marketing team felt that although the imagery was strong, the message was getting lost. To make the message clearer, we decided to separate the billboards into the 3 key messages:
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Community
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Support
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and Advocacy.
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We also came up with the tagline "there is more to you than grades" to tie in the overall message of IGNITE being a partner in students’ journeys to self-discovery. By placing the students head in place of the "o" in you, the new direction aimed to make the campaign feel personal, inclusive, and daring.
Branding + Visual Identity
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#00A3E0
#6CC24A
#333F48
Outcome + Take aways
The campaign video demonstrated the power of authentic storytelling, leveraging relatable student experiences to connect deeply with the target audience. By blending creativity with strategic production, it became a cornerstone of the "Dare to Be Yourself" campaign.
Results
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YouTube Views: 600+ views to date.
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Instagram Performance: 16.2k likes, driving significant engagement.
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Subscribers and followers increased on both Instagram and YouTube
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Impact: Amplified the campaign’s reach and reinforced IGNITE’s message of inclusivity and support.
Comments + Responses
Other Work
