Adaptable Formats: Marches/Protests: Increasing Your Individual Impact

We've noticed, when we're dutifully plodding or standing about at marches or protests, and even more so later when we see the media coverage, how people who've made the effort to prepare something creative in advance have had so much more impact.

It can be as simple as a hand made placard .

You'll notice that those are the ones noticed and photographed both by onlookers and the media, rather than (surprise!) the thousands of identical ones that the rest of us are carrying. Seeing them inspires fellow demonstrators too.

The message could be:

Personal

A clever pun

A powerful fact

A visual image

Costumes

If you're willing to spend a bit longer and have some basic craft/needlework skills (or have a friend who does) you can wear a costume, which both makes an impact and gets your message across.

Or, several of you could wear complementary/identical outfits (e.g. pirates)

If you lack time or confidence but have some money you can always try fancy dress shops, adapting what you find.

If you have a clear idea for an outfit, draw it roughly and get a friend to look at it and tell you what they think the 'message' is. Like some artwork, it may make perfect sense to the creator but be unclear to the onlooker.

Then, if you need to, adapt it or add an explanatory placard (which could be held over your head by a companion)

Here are just a few examples of costumes which we've noticed when we had a camera ready.

Do send us more.

Be inspired!

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