When someone enters their name in the registry, their body someday will save six lives. So we decided to show that your name can literally save six people—by showing six first names within common American full names. We poured through hundreds of names to find the most interesting hidden names—like “Abe” within “Elizabeth”, or “Liam” within “William,” while at the same time, keeping the full name as short as possible.

The simple ad, with a call to visit registerme.org, raised awareness to show how easy it is to use your name to register and make a real difference for people on the organ waiting list.

While the execution is extremely simple, it was crafted with many details to strengthen its visual impact. Rather than typing the names with a font or using CGI, we 3D printed alphabets in 3cm letters, then assembled, kerned, and photographed them. The end result is a simple, readable image with rich details and interesting imperfections visible upon closer examination. The dramatic lighting highlighted the depth of the letters and the importance of the message.

To ensure we found the shortest and most interesting common full names, we coded an app from scratch that instantly analyzed full names and compared it to the 500 most common American names.

To help broaden the reach of the campaign, we found individuals with influence in print media who were organ transplant recipients themselves. Thus, with a budget of virtually nothing, we were able to reach a large audience.

In April, the campaign was recognized by President Obama for its ability to creatively and effectively help shorten the organ recipient waiting list. Donate Life has been exceedingly pleased and is preparing to have us launch an integrated campaign this summer to continue this progress. While the campaign is still in its infancy, it has already reached more than 7 million people in print and outdoor, boosting the number of registrations at registerme.org.