Red Thumb challenges people to mark their thumbs as a reminder to put their phones down while driving. Our challenge was to create a visual identity that would convey the character of the program, as well as serve as a cautionary symbol in the battle against distracted driving.

Cross two thumbs and you’ve got an ‘x’ proclaiming “hell no” to incoming pings, texts, and calls. With both the clarity of a road sign and the stickiness of a logo, the Red Thumb ‘X’ is a flag, call to arms, and a blocking mechanism. The result is a symbol that actively gets in between you and your distractions and gives "the finger" to distracted driving.

The message needed to give consumers a call to action. We avoided scary stats and used a motivational treatment. Using pop culture helped break through the clutter and get consumers to take action. Social media made it less of an obligation, more fun and provided an easy way to spread the word. The solution is a depiction of thumbs, which we use to engage with our devices. We’ve placed them in a mark that illustrates a blocking gesture, which can also be communicated in real life.

After the Website launch and announcement of Red Thumb on The Voice, within 72 hours, over 25K people posted through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram about Red Thumb. The Red Thumb symbol was everywhere online. It became the mark that meant you stood up for safe driving.

Red Thumb posts are represented in a real-time feed at www.redthumb.org and the number continues to grow. Notable tweets came from: Ashton Kutcher, The LAPD, Sally Hansen, The Voice, Paula Abdul, Maroon 5, Edmunds, SocialMedia.org, NISMO Global. Over 50K visitors came to the page in the first week. Dozens of companies and schools have contacted Nissan asking to be involved with Red Thumb. Everyone wants a way to show the sign.