Creators vs Destroyers
We collaborated with Creators vs Destroyers and offered to design several product collections that in one way or another convey the experience of millions of Ukrainians. Destruction, pain, loss, hope, resistance, and fearlessness — stories of real people told in designs.
All proceeds from the products sales will be returned to Volonterska, a non-profit organization delivering direct aid to the people of Ukraine, by the people of Ukraine.
Task
Initially, Creators vs Destroyers was focused on selling t-shirts, but we suggested expanding and diversifying product line to attract new customers and create opportunities for cross-selling.
Creators vs Destroyers was designed to empower Ukrainian creators, offer the access to work, and provide an opportunity to support others. Their story began with a request to share some freelance work with Ukrainians, supporting creators who were forced to hide in basements, stay without electricity for days, and were left without work when the full-scale invasion began.
What seemed like a simple inquiry turned into an international partnership, a bigger support system than just a few freelance jobs. They expanded the effort into a creative collective where ad agencies and other businesses around the world can also hire designers and artists in Ukraine to work on various creative projects.
It’s a great luxury to be able to just swipe the content that could be upsetting. What for the whole world has become just the “sensitive content”, for Ukrainians has become an ordinary day that cannot be swiped, turned off, or unfollowed. It’s such a terrible picture that not a single platform allows it to pass without warning.
The voices of people who ask for help are drowned out by a warning message and a blurred picture. War is disturbing, it’s insulting, and obscene. But what is more upsetting, seeing the whole picture as it is or ignoring the offensive that is happening around us?
War destroys everything. We know a lot about people’s suffering, about the buildings hit by the missiles. We’ve heard many stories about rescuing animals from burning houses, flooded villages, and occupied areas. But we know almost nothing about the harm war causes to nature. It’s impossible to estimate the total environmental damage until the war ends.
It may take more than 15 years for Ukraine’s nature to recover, but the consequences can be seen for centuries. War caused irreparable damage to the ecosystem, covering valuable natural areas of Ukraine. Many rare endemic plants and wild animals can and will become extinct, because their home became an active fighting zone.
In occupied areas of Ukraine, the letter “Ї” has become a powerful symbol of resistance. This unique letter, not found in other Slavic languages, was painted by guerrillas on various surfaces like fences, sidewalks, monuments, and building walls.
Despite the risks to their freedom and safety, they use it to express their cultural identity, hope, and opposition to the occupation. The widespread presence of “Ї” reflects a unified defiance against oppression and a determination to maintain Ukrainian heritage.
Currently, Ukraine is one of the most mined countries in the world. Thousands of explosive objects are being defused every day. Zones of active hostilities and occupied territories pose the greatest danger.
Thousands of hectares need to be demined. Minefields, residential buildings… Sappers, who were among the first to enter the newly de-occupied territories, found mines in the most unexpected places, such as toys.
