Each year, the Samaritans hold a street appeal to raise donations for their mental health crisis line. In 2020, the appeal took place soon after the COVID-19 lockdowns, when public awareness of isolation and loneliness was especially high. The Samaritans wanted to connect with this heightened focus on mental health.

The idea was simple: instead of showing what mental health challenges look like, we showed what they feel like. Blurred portraits became a visual metaphor for the confusion, anxiety, and isolation often linked to these struggles, making the experience immediate and personal. This helped audiences empathise and imagine themselves in the frame. The messaging was a direct call to action: ‘Don’t let isolation become your new normal.’ The wording deliberately subverted the term ‘New Normal,’ which was commonly used directly after COVID to describe how the world had changed. That emotional connection strengthened the donation appeal by showing why support matters.