Published: 31 May 2024
Father's Day Redesign: Interview with The Or and CALM
The Auction Collective is proud to be hosting The Or London’s ‘Father's Day Redesign: Auction in aid of Campaign Against Living Miserably’. 30+ designs will be up for online auction via the TAC platform. You can bid for your favourite artworks and receive the card in time for Father’s Day, with all proceeds going to CALM. Bid here.
We sat down with The Or and CALM to discuss their unique project Father's Day Redesign.
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Image courtesy of The Or.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a suicide prevention charity fighting to reduce the devastating impact of suicide in the UK. They run a life-saving helpline for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts. It’s free, anonymous and open from 5 pm to midnight every day.
The Or is an independent creative company launched by Mother in 2020. Working with brands such as Taco Bell UK, Harry’s and Bloom & Wild, The Or was formed around a shared mission - to be a home for brands and minds who see things from a different perspective.
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How did the charity start?
CALM: CALM’s been shouting about suicide prevention since 1997, when our life-saving helpline launched. Originally set up as an NHS pilot, the helpline started out in Merseyside as a male focussed initiative. CALM became a national charity in 2006, meaning we could support people who needed us across the country. Since then we have been campaigning, raising awareness, starting conversations and answering life saving calls. In 2018 we also made the decision to be Open to all - to ensure our services support everybody no matter what, regardless of gender, background or age.
Image courtesy of CALM.
How will the proceeds from the auction support CALM and their campaigns?
CALM: The proceeds from this auction will help to answer calls to our suicide prevention helpline. Demand for our services have increased by 94% since 2019, with more people needing us than ever. Alongside this increase in demand, costs have increased with the average cost of a call now at £12.20. So every starting bid in this auction could help us answer 2 life saving calls.
Image courtesy of CALM.
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Tell us more about The Or and how the agency started?
The Or: The Or is an independent creative company started by Mother London in 2020. We work with a range of brands such as Taco Bell UK, Harry’s and Bloom & Wild. The Or was formed around a shared mission - to be a home for brands and minds who see things from a different perspective.
Previous Campaign by The Or for Taco Bell; Image courtesy The Or.
We also dedicate time to pro-bono projects that are born from personal passions or creative ambitions. The Father’s Day Redesign is our latest pro-bono project. In the past, we’ve created work for The Vagina Museum and Friends of the Earth.
Previous Campaign by The Or; Image courtesy The Or.
What inspired the Father's Day Redesign Concept?
The Or: Father’s Day cards are notoriously pretty crap. They’re filled with stereotypes and insults; sheds, beers, farts, golf etc.
In comparison to Mother’s Day, the only cards we have to choose from are incredibly generic and lacking of the loving attitude that dads deserve. We thought it was high time that dads received a card on Father’s Day that encouraged a more emotionally open discourse that highlighted just how much they’re loved and appreciated!
So we took a range of generic designs and asked 33 artists to transform them, and we couldn’t be happier with the result.
Lot 5. Murugiah, Story Time. Bid here.
Why did you choose an auction for this campaign?
The Or: An auction felt like the best way to reach a large and varied audience. Due to the range of artworks we have, we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to browse the work and read the descriptions. This will hopefully allow the messaging to reach a broad range of people and raise money and awareness for Campaign Against Living Miserably.
Lot 8. HRC Illustrates, You're Blooming Brilliant, Dad. Bid here.
Find out more:
Campaign Against Living Miserably:
The Or:
Featured artists:
Oli Frape
Maya Mitten
Adam Bridgland
Hattie Stewart
Murugiah
Ryan Hawaii
Absolute Felter
HRC Illustrates
Marylou Faure
Tina Crawford
Jim Brook
Alex Egan
Jennifer Hayashi
Jack Mears
Paul Davis
Matt Munday
Zoey Kim
Dorny Sunday
Katy Welsh
Maggie Williams
Marla Morris
Benjamin Thomas Taylor
Shuturp
Eynon Jones
Bob & Eve
Damien Weighill
Andy Goodman
Harry Zeederberg
Ceal Warnants
RUDE
Tony Green
Oli Fowler
Jason Ford
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Father's Day Redesign is currently open as a Timed Auction via The Auction Collective.
Bidding ends at 1:00 PM (UK Time)
Starting Bids: £25
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