Hildrey Studio

ProxyAddress

In today’s world an address acts as a de facto form of identity and underpins everything from applying for a job to opening a bank account. The lack of an address can be a huge barrier to people experiencing homelessness receiving support and help.

The scrapbook

The challenge

To meet the brief set by Hildey Studio we had to explain how ProxyAddress worked, the importance of having an address and what this meant for people experiencing homelessness. Appealing to a primary audience of policy makers as well as the general public, our illustrations need a clear and concise feel. We needed to create an overall tone that was informative and optimistic.

The film

Our whiteboard animation for ProxyAddress was underpinned by a concise and considered approach. This was created visually through clear illustrations that explained the problems a lack of address could cause people experiencing homelessness when they tried to seek and the way ProxyAddress was able to solve these issues. Using the ProxyAddress logo as a centerpiece, we presented their narrative with clarity and incorporated realistic illustrations throughout such as characters and ID documents. Despite the pared back nature of the whiteboard video we used some imagery and metaphors to add richness to the information being presented. A chain and padlock communicated repossession while a broken heart reflected the impact of relationship breakdowns. The film balanced the serious consequences of not having an address with a gently optimistic tone, embodied in the onscreen journey of one character, the script and voiceover. The film was able to balance the serious nature of the content with the hope offered by ProxyAddress in a way that spoke to policy makers while also being accessible to the general public.

About the client

Founded by award-winning architect Chris Hildrey, ProxyAddress formed in 2017 in response to a RIBA competition. Based on the one word brief ‘support’, they developed their service providing people experiencing the homelessness with access to an address and all the benefits it brings. ProxyAddress are partnered with organisations such as the RSA, the BBC and the HM Land Registry. They can be accessed through NHS faculties, councils and the Shelter website. We worked with them to create a whiteboard explainer animation showing what ProxyAddress does and why it’s so important to have an address.

The context

For more on ProxyAddress and what having an address means to someone who is experiencing homelessness, visit the ProxyAddress website.