Duolingo - Binge a Language
Description
Created for the Young Ones 2025 Brief, this campaign aimed to re-engage lapsed Duolingo users. By tapping into Gen Z’s habit of doomscrolling, we invited them to binge something better—a new language. Art Director – Tasnimah Ahmed Copywriter – Swarnarekha Pandey
Date
2025
Areas
Graphic design OOH Advertising Social Media
PROBLEM #1
INSIGHT
SOLUTION
Canada wastes over 50 million tonnes of food each year. In Toronto, grocery stores and restaurants cause about 19% of that waste. But most people don’t realize how big the issue is—because throwing food out feels normal. Even though “upcycling” is a smart way to prevent waste, many people think it means reusing old or unsafe food, which makes them avoid it.
People are more inclined to change their behavior when the solution is easy, fun, and emotionally rewarding. If sustainability feels good and looks good, they’ll want to be part of it. But when the terminology is confusing—like “upcycling”—they tune out.
Create an app that makes learning to upcycle fun through games, points, and friendly competition.
PROBLEM
INSIGHT
SOLUTION
Gen Z struggles to stay consistent with their Duolingo lessons, often losing motivation quickly.
They're constantly binging mindless, short-form content on their phones. But what if we interrupted that habit at its source?
We hijacked their scroll—and reframed learning as the ultimate binge. Instead of binging brain rot, we convinced them to binge a language.
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PROBLEM
INSIGHT
SOLUTION
Acoustic music stores like Cosmo Music and The Acoustic Room are struggling to stay relevant in the digital age, especially among younger, tech-savvy audiences who are more familiar with digital music production and streaming than with traditional instruments.
Despite the dominance of digital music, many modern techniques (e.g., DJing, beat-making) still trace back to acoustic foundations. When people—especially youth—are reintroduced to acoustic instruments through an engaging, interactive format, they can rediscover the tactile, expressive joy of real sound-making.
An immersive pop-up installation that uses a Makey Makey-powered ukulele connected to Max/MSP software to trigger dynamic visuals and sound. The experience blends acoustic music with interactive technology—reviving interest in traditional instruments through motion-reactive DJ-style visuals. This modern storytelling format repositions acoustic instruments as both relevant and inspiring for a new generation.
The QR code in the park ads will lead to the website, where they’ll be able to access the petition or download the pdf if they want.
The pdf is a more detailed explanation of the relation between games and escapism and what are the exact changes we are asking for.
The pdf will also be sent by MediaSmarts to schools to be printed out and handed to parents. The QR code to the petition is also in the back of the book.
PROBLEM #2
People confuse upcycling with just reusing leftovers, which sounds unappetizing or unsafe.
INSIGHT
People are more open to sustainable habits when they’re made tangible, fun, and visually appealing — especially younger audiences who love experiences and aesthetics. People care about sustainability, but aesthetics, taste, and hygiene still matter more. So unless the idea of upcycling is presented as desirable, delicious, and safe, it won’t stick.
SOLUTION
Launch a pop-up café in Kensington (the highest food-waste area in Toronto). The café uses verified unsold ingredients from local businesses to create fresh, delicious, and fusion Bengali meals, showing people what upcycled food really looks and tastes like.
BRANDING
GRADEX 2025
GradEx is OCAD University’s annual Graduate Exhibition—Toronto’s largest free art and design showcase—held each May on campus and online to present the work of graduating students across all creative disciplines. This year, we saw over 42,000 visitors at its recent GradEx, marking the highest attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic.
