Better Safe than Syphy

DUREX + NEW ZEALAND AIDS FOUNDATION

When you think of syphilis, you’re more likely to think of Henry VIII and William Shakespeare than modern day New Zealand. But in 2019, rates of syphilis were the highest they’d been in centuries. And 70% of Kiwis affected were from the LGBTQ+ community.

To raise awareness and encourage safe sex and testing, we reimagined LGBTQ+ clubgoers as flirty Elizabethans, beckoning the viewer toward a casual sex encounter with modern-Shakespearean pick-up lines.

We created a sumptuous, harmonious clash of eras. I wanted the images to look like 16th century portraiture, with modern elements woven throughout. An elegant feast of texture and detail. 

Pose, expression, costume, set design, props, lighting, retouching, typography – and even facial hair – were painstakingly crafted to fulfil the vision of this concept.

Agency: FCB

Copywriter: David Shirley

Photographer: Ross Brown

Stylist: Lucy Jane Senior

Retoucher: Jason King

Designer: Josh O’Neill