Vindkraft i Dalstorp
the brief
A massive wind energy project was being planned right in our backyard here in the Dalstorp and Grönahög areas.
The proposal outlined giant wind turbines reaching up to an industrial scale of 250 meters.
If approved, these structures would completely alter the mostly untouched landscape, introduce constant noise pollution, create an invasive flashing light disturbance at night, and trigger an estimated 40% drop in local property values.
Our friend and neighbor approached me to see if I could help the local grassroots movement by designing a poster and an informational brochure to drive a petition campaign.
The creative challenge was layered.
The print materials needed to cut through the usual clutter of standard local notice boards and community advertisements.
Also we needed something instantly legible and meaningful for the 60+ demographic, who make up a massive portion of our local population, while keeping it visually engaging enough so younger residents wouldn’t just walk past it.
To top it all off, this was an entirely self-funded community initiative, meaning the design had to be incredibly budget-friendly to print in high volumes.
the solution
To make the looming threat as visible as possible, I took raw local landscape photos and added the proposed 250-meter turbines perfectly to scale, placing them right next to existing 65-meter masts. This gave everyone an instant reality check regarding their true, staggering size.
Instead of using realistic photos that would just blend into the forest background, I went with a bold, high-contrast retro look. This turned the graphics into an universal eyecatcher,
speaking to the older generation, as they have actually experienced this kind of style and at the same time attracting the younger audience, that knows this look as „retro“ or „vintage“.
I designed the artwork to look like a halftone screenprint, which held printing costs low due to only few colors used.The flyers were printed solid black ink onto vibrant orange paper, which kept production costs to an absolute minimum while making sure the flyers grabbed immediate attention at high-traffic spots like the local ICA supermarket.
In the end, combining clear visual proof, cross-generational appeal, and cost-effective mass distribution did exactly what we hoped for: it completely mobilized the community. We gathered far more than enough signatures to be noticed by the local government, leading the municipality to officially cancel the entire wind farm project and successfully saving our beautiful countryside as a protected quiet area.