Brand & Editorial Designer
RGD Creative Earners
Team:
- Adam Lalama Creative Director, Writing
- Jennifer Gagnon RGD Art Director
- Meleana Conquer Designer
- Ysabella Ocampo Designer
- Bita Pourvahidi Account Manager
The challenge was to create a compelling experience around the data. Salary surveys are easy to skip, especially in a year of survey fatigue, and the existing campaign system didn't give people a reason to lean in. Creative Currency was brought on to refresh the visual identity and build a campaign that would treat participation as something worth showing up for.
Discovery surfaced a clear theme. Respondents wanted to see themselves in the data and in the campaign. That pointed us toward "Leave Your Mark," a concept built around customizable thumbprint characters, each one a playful stand-in for the individuals that make up the industry. We paired it with an interactive builder that let participants mix professional roles with personal traits and walk away with a custom avatar they could share.
The campaign ran across a full system: a microsite with the character builder, social content, animated assets, email, sticker stations at the DesignThinkers conference, and print ads. Tone stayed conversational and accessible. The builder was structured as an on-ramp to the survey, with messaging woven through to reinforce the value of participating and the incentives behind it.
The results landed. We collected 3,416 responses, up from 3,343 in 2023 against an industry-wide drop in survey engagement. Social performance was strong: over 5,100 views on the first Instagram post, 3,200+ LinkedIn impressions, and more than 100 unique users sharing their custom avatars organically. The campaign repositioned Creative Earners as something closer to a celebration than a form, and gave Canadian creatives a way to see themselves reflected in the industry data they help build.