SWG3 – Be Sound Campaign

Against a backdrop of tragic drug deaths, iconic Glasgow venue SWG3 wanted to educate young club goers on how to have a safe night. We knew an outdated “just say no” message won’t land with this audience. We needed to speak their language while encouraging them to look after each other with no fear or shame.

Every group has that one friend who will step in and take action if need be. But we needed everyone to be more like that friend. ‘Be Sound’ surfaced as a campaign thought that was simple and authentic.

The idea being that if everyone was that bit more ‘sound’ then everyone would be that bit safer.

We developed a support line for the Be Sound campaign. ‘To yourself. To everyone.’ Which underlined the need for self-care and shared responsibility.

Under this banner, venues could share information in a non-judgemental way that acknowledged that everyone’s enjoyment and safety was top priority. And by providing honest, realistic information young people can make more informed decisions.

Playing in the world of bold club flyers, our design was bold and eye-catching spanning everything from venue posters to a highly targeted paid social campaign.

Up-to-date information about staying safe on a night out exists, covering everything from recreational drug use to getting home safe, the campaign is a means by which that can be collated.

Our design guidelines were used to create besound.club website with transparent and engaging crib sheets that highlight essential information on knowing the risks and the importance of having the correct information to guide decisions on drugs use.

The campaign was developed in partnership with SWG3 and with guidance from the Club Drugs Working Group - a team of experts from across relevant sectors including representatives from medical, legal, social justice, clubs industry and policing backgrounds.

The response to our campaign has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Huge respect for speaking out, education = progress”

Everyone from the general public to DJs themselves have recognised the importance of education in harm prevention. And if we’ve played even a small part in equipping young people with life-saving tools and information to create positive change which could save a life, then that’s something we are extremely proud of.