The Kirby Institute Act Up PNG

The Kirby Institute at UNSW and the PNG Institute of Medical Research needed a campaign that could shift how people think about HIV treatment. ACT-UP PNG was built around one clear message: U=U. Undetectable equals Untransmittable. We created a complete design system to carry that message, grounded in culture, colour and compassion, and flexible enough to roll out across education materials, print and community settings.

We developed a custom illustration suite in-house, built to lead every piece of communication. The characters are deliberate: warm, recognisable, and culturally grounded. No caricature. No clinical detachment. Each one was crafted to bring clarity to complex health topics, from viral load testing to treatment adherence, making difficult conversations feel approachable and real. Clear messaging sat at the heart of the campaign. Headlines like "HIV drug resistance is on the rise in PNG" were paired with simple calls to action, translating medical urgency into language people connect with. The tone is direct but never cold. Every piece was written and designed to encourage ongoing treatment, not through fear, but through understanding.

A bold palette of orange, yellow, blue and navy replaced the sterile tones typical of medical campaigns. We paired this with Kit Rounded, a soft yet confident sans serif that balances friendliness with authority. Together, the colour and type create a system that feels warm and welcoming, not institutional. It gave the campaign an invigorated voice, one that invites people to talk openly about HIV without shame or hesitation.