Comensha & VNG
Year: 2020
The longread as a full replacement of a magazine
This longread on human trafficking contains experience stories of both victims and professionals and is meant to make administrators, professionals and citizens aware of the signs of human trafficking. Zeppa developed this longread together with journalist Jessica Maas and photographer Bas Losekoot, commissioned by CoMensha (Coordination Centre against Human Trafficking) and the VNG (Association of Netherlands Municipalities).
A design with a signal function
Municipal employees can pick up on signals of human trafficking even if it is not part of their job. Human trafficking is not a faraway dream, but it happens in the Netherlands. To bring this message loud and clear to the attention, we chose a design in black, white and yellow. Signal colours to wake up all parties involved.
Clear typography
For the headlines we chose a super bold font, which supports the signal function. The other typography is placed in an easily readable serif font, making the longer texts easy to read.
Clear texts
Journalist Jessica Maas wrote all the texts and kept the story short and to the point. We placed the stories of the victims on black and alternated them with short interviews with the professionals on white, keeping the story easy to read.
Striking photography
Bas Losekoot photographed beautiful images of this difficult subject. Because in many cases the victims did not want to be in the picture, this makes photography extra challenging. Bas succeeded in shooting exciting and speaking images even without heads.
“Zeppa’s first design for the longread was an instant hit. This was exactly the look we were looking for. I look back with pleasure on the fine cooperation with Zeppa! It is worth repeating.”
Jessica Maas, journalist
Supporting graphics and video
The texts are supported by video and graphics, making the overall image varied.
Longread received enthusiastically
The longread was received enthusiastically and is an excellent example of how a good design, clear texts and powerful photography can reinforce each other. This longread shows that it is a fully-fledged replacement for a magazine.