Billboard Survival Guide — Self-initiated project, Royal College of Art
Scope: Concept development, editorial design, print production, and visual system adaptation.
The Billboard Survival Guide was a self-initiated project developed at the Royal College of Art, responding to the proliferation of billboards in urban environments.
The guide, designed to feel functional and utilitarian, featured a series of screen-printed vinyl stickers, designed to be ripped out and applied to billboards. The sticker text was curated from marketing and press materials of billboard and outdoor media companies, revealing the often cynical and manipulative language used to refer to audiences — units, modes, lifestyle types — and highlighting the hidden strategies behind seemingly benign advertising.
Alongside the stickers, the guide included carefully researched information on the sociological methods of audience targeting and legal considerations for those interacting with billboards.
The guide was produced in a limited run of five, combining screen printing, lithography, and staple binding, creating a tactile and collectible object.
The visual style and conceptual approach of the Billboard Survival Guide were later adapted for the album campaign and artwork of electro artist FC Kahuna’s Machine Says Yes on City Rockers Records, demonstrating the versatility of the identity system across different media.
