MDX students launch ‘reflective’ campaign against misogyny and sexism

University partners with local authority to recruit Stop VAWG ‘ambassadors’ to raise awareness and change attitudes 

An awareness campaign designed by Middlesex University students went on display today at London Borough of Barnet’s Street Scene Depot, encouraging staff to recognise and reflect on the impact of ‘banter’ and to feel confident in challenging it.

Staff arriving at work were met with a pop-up stand with information leaflets as well as mirrors in the locker rooms, tablemats in the recreation area, and floor stickers around the depot with messages highlighting misogynistic language and how to tackle it.

Four second-year BA Graphic Design students created the ‘Reflect Before You Speak’ campaign after Barnet Council selected their concept as the winning entry to a live brief.

The Council challenged students to design an awareness campaign that would help Street Scene’s predominantly male workforce recognise behaviour or language that could be offensive, intimidating or disrespectful to women and girls, and to empower staff to become positive role models and ‘ambassadors’ for change.

Launched to coincide with 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a United Nations annual international initiative against violence against women and girls (VAWG) from 25 November to 10 December, the installation is visible across the depot which employs 500 staff in frontline environmental and street-based services in Barnet. Items include mirrored acrylic wall pieces, reflective floor graphics, table mats, and an information stand with leaflets, all designed to prompt staff to pause and reflect.

Middlesex students worked in teams to develop campaign concepts, pitch their ideas to Council representatives, refine their designs based on feedback and cost the campaign to fit a fixed budget. The winning team – Miranda Best, Jack Kennedy, Mia Mason, and JJ Williamson, working together as team JM2 – anchored their idea around mirrored surfaces to symbolise self-reflection.

JJ, who conceived the original idea, said: “I was inspired by security mirrors and how they make people feel observed. That evolved into using reflective props to encourage people to reflect on their own language and behaviour.”

Miranda said: “We hope campaigns like ours help to shift social attitudes and create a safer environment for women and girls. Our goal was to encourage people to reflect before they speak or act in a certain way, and hopefully our campaign achieves that.”

Jack added: “We’re very pleased with our campaign and grateful to Barnet Council for the opportunity to work on a live brief, which will help us get the most out of our course and benefit our future careers.”

Mia commented that it was fantastic a partnership between the University and the Council gave students such opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. “It was a great learning experience, and something that will strengthen our CVs and career prospects,” she said. 
Students used the University’s partner CDS Print Services and its own specialist digital manufacturing and 3D workshops to produce the campaign materials. All the items, as well as 300 biscuits in reflective wrappers, carried examples of inappropriate comments such as “Cheer up love”, “Give us a smile” or “Look at that body”, with campaign information on the back. 

 “The point of the campaign was around re-education and awareness. Our students had to think carefully about the messaging, how to engage their audience, and how to communicate effectively to bring about change in attitudes and behaviour."

Claire Lewis, Director of Creative Media and Communication Programmes at Middlesex University

“It was a brilliant experience for our students to work with a real client; they had to pitch ideas, take on feedback, refine their campaigns and work to a budget. They were able to use our excellent workshop facilities at Middlesex and learned valuable skills. It was also a worthwhile exercise, working with our community to challenge sexism and misogyny, and promote respect for all, which very much aligns with our values at Middlesex," said Claire Lewis. 

Cllr Sara Conway, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Community Cohesion and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls at London Borough of Barnet, said: “As a Council we are keen to focus on practical steps to challenge the root causes of violence against women and girls, and create a culture of active allies. We gave students a challenging brief to spark meaningful engagement with a predominantly male workforce on the issue of violence against women and girls. 

“This is part of our ongoing ‘Hear My Voice’ partnership with Middlesex University that has been running for several years, with the creative approach of their students bringing fresh ideas to this sensitive topic. JM2’s concept stood out by moving away from a traditional ‘present-to-the-staff’ style approach and instead used familiar everyday items in the workplace, such as mirrors in locker rooms or tablemats, to introduce the message subtly and encourage reflection.

“This is part of our wider work to make Barnet safer, including targeted interventions such as our Step In campaign, evidence-led patrols and pop-up hubs, and an upgraded CCTV network.”

Find out more about studying BA Graphic Design at Middlesex University.