Sleep apnea at second glance
The Numéro 10 poster shows a man wearing a tie—only upon a second glance do you realize that the tie could be interpreted as a face. Just like sleep apnea, which isn’t noticed by everyone who has it.
Over 120,000 Swiss people suffer from sleep apnoea without knowing it, reads the headline on one of the posters. The disease, which causes breathing difficulties at night and makes patients feel tired during the day, has recently been advertised by the Bern-based agency Numéro 10. In keeping with the grey January, two bright contrasting colors were chosen to make the motifs by English artist Noma Bar stand out. In classic fashion, a poster campaign was again launched to ensure that the Lung League's target group was addressed. However, Numéro 10 - which prevailed in a pitch against two other competitors - wanted to deliberately separate itself from the photographic world and graphically translate the suffering of those affected. In collaboration with Noma Bar, several subjects were created that shine through their ambiguity. At first glance, the viewer only sees a man with a tie, but only on closer inspection does one realize that the tie can also be seen as a face. The ambiguity can also be found in the cushion and moon motifs. At second glance, silhouettes can be seen in both motifs, sleeping and snoring. These are intended to represent daytime sleepiness and snoring as two side effects of sleep apnea. With these previous motifs, the Lung League wants to draw attention to its online test. With just a few questions, sufferers can find out whether they belong to the risk group and what they can do about it.
The aim of Numéro 10 was to choose an independent graphic language to differentiate it from other posters. They are intended to appeal not only to sufferers, but also to many people who are not yet aware that they suffer from the condition, as it occurs during sleep. Sleep apnoea can lead to up to a hundred breathing stops at night, and sufferers are often tired during the day as a result. The headline figure of 120,000 Swiss people affected is intended to draw attention to the need for help from the Lung League.
So that people suffering from the disease are not confronted with their suffering in an unpleasant way, Numéro 10 is happy to draw attention to the disease in a playful way without forgetting the seriousness of the situation. This conceptual mix led to the agency being commissioned with the sleep apnea campaign.
Monica Danuser
