The big challenge was to design an appealing, easy-to-understand creative way to present a lot of information in a way that would attract the public’s attention, while conveying various messages about phasing out the coin.

The goal: Find a creative way to highlight all the information of public interest that the Royal Canadian Mint had to share with Canadians that may not have been mentioned had it been issued as a press release.

The Royal Canadian Mint had to announce to Canadians that it would be phasing out the penny from circulation. This announcement was accompanied by key messages from the Government of Canada regarding various aspects of the phase-out. Although it is a matter of public interest, it wasn’t the most exciting news to announce. Therefore, our client asked us to develop creative support that could be used on the Royal Canadian Mint’s Facebook page to attract the attention of bloggers, influencers, as well as traditional media, following the official exit of the penny from circulation on February 4, 2013.

We decided to tell the story of the penny using an infographic with illustrations that highlighted the various stages in the penny’s journey, several fun facts, and of course, the Government of Canada’s key messages.

Not only did it consist of an easy, fun-to-read format that appealed to bloggers and influencers, it also allowed us to present the entire story of the penny—a national symbol that is leaving us— in a chronological, creative way.

The infographic appeared in the market, in blogs and social media, as well as in mass media, providing Canadians with all the information necessary to understand how to deal with phasing out the penny.