“Tankers are Loonie” Project

March 30th, 2009

Design: Rethink Communications, Vancouver BC
Client: Dogwood Initiative, Victoria, BC
Date: 2009

The “Tankers are Loonie” Project is intended to raise public awareness about Enbridge’s Northern Gateway, which will see twin pipelines connecting Alberta’s oil sands to Kitimat, BC. Tankers would then carry the oil through sensitive coastal waters on route to Asia.

The Loonie project consists of tiny decals that alter the appearance of the Canadian dollar coin to look like an oil spill. Dogwood Initiative initially distributed 200,000 of these oil slick decals – a relatively tiny number – but thanks to threats of legal action by the Royal Canadian Mint (for defacing currency), this project has already reached millions. Not surprisingly, the Mint’s cease and desist letter was followed by a storm of media attention. Capitalizing on this momentum, Dogwood has actually ramped up the project, producing an additional 250,000 decals and hosting dozen’s of well publicized events to promote their cause.

I’m not sure why the Mint chose to fight this particular project (especially since these labels are easily removed and leave no residue), but I’m glad they did… or I might not have seen these.

Entry Filed under: Best of the CDR,Currency,Graphics,Green