Fentanyl Project

What is the problem:
According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, provisional data shows that 441 overdose deaths occurred in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Although overall overdose deaths have decreased from peak years, fentanyl remains a central driver of these fatalities. The continued presence of overdose deaths within just a three-month period highlights how immediate and ongoing the risk still is. Fentanyl is particularly dangerous because it is often mixed into other substances without the user’s knowledge. Individuals may believe they are taking a familiar drug or a single pill, with no visible indication that it contains fentanyl, making the risk both hidden and unpredictable.

Target Audience:
The campaign is aimed at adults aged 18–40 in NYC who are most likely to encounter drugs that may be unknowingly contaminated.

Why I chose this:
For this campaign, I selected fentanyl as the central focus because fentanyl continues to be a leading factor in overdose deaths in New York City, even as overall numbers begin to decline. The first quarter 2025 data shows that deaths are still occurring at a steady rate, reinforcing that the crisis is not over. My goal is for this campaign to focus on fentanyl because the danger is not always intentional misuse, but unknowing exposure. The inability to detect fentanyl visually or physically creates a critical need for messaging that communicates how hidden and immediate the risk is.


Solution:
For this campaign I wanted the typography to carry the entire message of this campaign. Rather than relying on graphic image I wanted the words themselves construct the visual. Three posters were created, each addressing a different way people can be unknowingly exposed to fentanyl: through injection, pills, and powder. In each poster, text is shaped into the corresponding form so that the message and the image become the same thing. Key words are emphasized through scale, weight, and placement so the most critical ideas land immediately, while the overall composition reinforces the subject matter. The result is a design that feels direct and intentional, communicating how hidden and immediate the danger is without sensationalizing it.