Make Your Direct-mail Design Mean Something

There’s something to be said for creating a mailing around a theme that uses both words and graphics to convey a clear message, and this mailing from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission does it well.

The organization’s mission is to secure human rights for all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation or expression, gender identity or expression, and/or HIV status. The message of this mailing is that LGBT people around the world face persecution and that by speaking out against this persecution and donating to the organization, individuals can help ensure the rights of all people, globally. IGLHRC combines this message with passport graphics. All of the mailing’s elements — from the white No. 10 outer, to the reply device, to the four-page letter and double-sided, 8.5-inch-by-11-inch insert — feature background images of faux passport stamps from locations all over the globe. It’s a subtle touch that adds a nice, thematic design throughout the package while also conveying the mailing’s message: IGLHRC seeks to create a world where all people can expect equal rights.