In 2016, the Refugee Trauma Initiative was founded, when some 13,000 refugees were stranded on the border between Greece and North Macedonia. Today, the refugee healing network has been renamed Amna. The initiative aims to support the mental well-being of displaced communities and in doing so, “does invaluable work enabling refugees to rediscover ‘feelings of joy and belonging'”, explains the London branding studio. Blast. The most recent Blast project revolves around thinking about this transformational aspect – “to shift the focus from the negative aspects of trauma” to the “more positive benefits” of Amna’s work. Taking an interesting hand-drawn route, the studio seeks to emphasize self-expression and play with brand refreshment.
As part of this new positioning, the initiative has been renamed Amna — which means “safe and caring in Arabic,” Paul Tunnicliffe, creative director at Blast tells us — to better reflect the initiatives and communities it serves. While Paul stressed the need to keep the design concept relevant, “as it’s a serious subject”, it was imperative to leave room for creativity. Illustrator Polly Lindsey ensures that this side of the project is realized through use by creating custom paper cut artwork.
Artwork began as Blast drafts, digitally simulated after the studio agreed on suitable subjects and scenes with Amna. Polly then hand cut and photographed the final versions – a process that took around three to four weeks. On the Amna site, the illustrations appear with a “subtle shadow” to suggest dimensionality, retaining the sense of the analog process behind the work. These bespoke illustrations were also turned into simple animations by Blast for use on social media.