American Cancer Society

Fighting against the tobacco industry with a compelling publication

Illustration of a pack of cigarettes with tentacles

Presenting the facts about tobacco in a way that can't be ignored.

Every year tobacco takes millions of lives and costs trillions of dollars globally. In an effort to raise awareness and influence public policy, every few years The American Cancer Society (ACS) publishes the Tobacco Atlas. This report outlines the effects of tobacco on everything from health to politics and corporate behavior.

While the previous editions of the Tobacco Atlas have been well received, at times, the data in the book could be excessively dense and overwhelming for readers.

The ACS trusted us to design a new companion website along with the print edition, with the objective of providing a more accessible and engaging experience for their readers.

Crafting an engaging visual narrative that educates

Through collaboration with the ACS and their partner, Vital Strategies, we transformed complex data into a captivating story.

We commissioned Daniel Stolle to create illustrations in a beautiful visual language that speaks to the seriousness of the subject matter, while also serving as a guide for users through key issues and solutions regarding tobacco.

    The print edition illustrates the most poignant data, while the companion website offers supplemental research, as well as graphs and data that are kept up-to-date by the ACS team.

      Makes complex research accessible and easy to understand and paints a clear picture of the facts through story and illustration.

      Creating an interactive journey for broad exposure

      With an online platform, ACS can now deliver their message to more audiences, in a way that involves the reader.

      The same narrative structure and powerful illustrations used in the print edition were carried over to the digital version, and the addition of interactive elements drives user engagement. Users can navigate easily through the site’s intuitive hierarchy to find out more.

      Anyone can understand the message. Not just industry professionals.

      The old static maps are now dynamic so users can easily interact with them. We built a tool and trained ACS staff to create these dynamic visuals without our assistance.

      Navigation is not only intuitive, but compelling. Carefully placed CTAs draw action while intentional UX guides users through key data points and encourages thoughtful engagement with the message.

      The site was implemented in six languages to expand beyond the English-speaking market.

      Implementation and support

      We continue to tweak the website, optimize the pages for search, and iron out small glitches for the ACS. We made a tool to create dynamic data visualizations. Staff were trained on how to use this tool and upload new languages to the website.

      The process

      Research

      Understanding the data.

      Organize

      Making the data understandable through story and design.

      Design

      Combining story with interactive visuals. Crafting a powerful narrative and accessible web experience.

      Support

      Providing on-going support with website optimizations.
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      (RED)
      We are so proud of and grateful for our collaboration with Radish Lab on Wings' brand refresh and website overhaul project. From day one, the Radishes approached this project with extreme care, compassion, creativity, and reverence for the needs of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. They brought what is intrinsic in their DNA as a company to this effort, which fully aligned with all aspects of trauma informed care – and partnered with us to achieve a beautiful, resilient, impactful outcome. This project exceeded our expectations and sets Wings on a powerful trajectory going forward.
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      Family Online Safety Institute
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