4 Generations
2025 · Young Lions Finland · Print Gold · Creative & Art Director
The brief
The human suffering caused by war and conflict is immense, and conflicts are a major barrier to sustainable development in societies. CMI seeks new, sustainable solutions to advance peace processes through dialogue and informal negotiation.
Create a print ad that raises awareness and drives donations for CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation.
The idea
Visualising the mental scars of war as a bullet wound passed from a veteran to a child across generations.
Print description
War trauma lingers for generations, shaping lives long after the last battle. The scars of war are not only physical—they are passed down through generations in both visible and invisible ways.
In Finland, we are only now, after four generations, breaking free from this vicious cycle. How are we going to ensure that we do not fall back into it?
Mediation, the work CMI does, prevents conflicts before they start—stopping the cycle of generational wounds before they are formed. In a world overwhelmed by news of conflicts, people often become desensitized to suffering.
A powerful print ad that visually connects war trauma across generations captures attention and evokes empathy. Simultaneously, the ad is done with good taste – it does not take advantage of suffering. CMI’s most pressing challenge is that most people do not fundamentally know what it does or that they can donate to this cause. That is why the message of preventing war takes center stage here. By highlighting the long-term impact of war and the importance of mediation, this ad effectively communicates CMI's mission.
The ad features a war veteran and a child, both with the same scar. The veteran carries a physical bullet scar, while the child bears the same scar as a visual metaphor for trauma passed through generations.