- Award-Winning Campaign Activates Handwriting to Highlight Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease
- Part of Monotype's Global Brief on Freedom, Law & Order and the Role of Type in Society, Silent Shake Demonstrates How Type Can Foster Dialogue and Connection in Public Health
WOBURN, Mass., July 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its Freedom, Law & Order: Re:Vision initiative, Monotype Imaging Inc. is celebrating Silent Shake, the top Pencil winner at the 2025 D&AD New Blood Awards, showcasing how typography can elevate social issues, provoke emotional responses, and shape global discourse.
The award-winning Silent Shake campaign was developed in response to Monotype's sponsored brief, which challenged emerging creatives to explore how type design navigates moments of freedom, conflict, and control.
Created by student designers, Silent Shake uses real handwriting from individuals living with Parkinson's disease to draw attention to early signs of the condition - subtle shifts in motor control and handwriting that often go unnoticed. By transforming these changes into visual storytelling, the campaign turns typography into a tool for empathy, diagnosis, and awareness.
Silent Shake team, Hollie Spooner, Lizzie Day, and Katie May Charlesworth: "Monotype's brief stood out for its purpose-driven focus and call for meaningful change around the powerful theme of Freedom, Law & Order. As a team, we thrive in creating work that has the potential to genuinely impact lives for the better. Everything aligned perfectly with the Monotype brief, giving us inspiration to create Silent Shake. We couldn't be more pleased with how naturally it came together."
"This wasn't just design. It was emotional resonance through type," said Sue Daun, Creative Director at Interbrand and D&AD New Blood Awards judge. "Silent Shake reframed the brief by connecting deeply with audiences. It wasn't about shouting - it was about showing."
Part of Re:Vision: A Global Call to Rethink Typography's Role in Society
Monotype sponsored the Freedom, Law & Order brief for the 2025 D&AD New Blood Awards, inviting students worldwide to reflect on how typography mediates power, agency, and voice. The response was significant:
- 13,651 brief downloads
- 216 submissions from around the world
- 13 shortlisted finalists
- 1 winning campaign: Silent Shake
"Typography is essentially history represented through letters," said Laurène Girbal, Type Designer at Monotype and D&AD New Blood Awards judge. "When it comes from a place of empathy and exploration, type can move culture forward."
"We wanted students to confront the tensions they feel most deeply - just like in real commercial work," added Sammi Vaughan, Partnerships Director at D&AD and New Blood Awards judge. "The most impactful entries used typography as a voice, not just as a visual."
Why Silent Shake Matters
Parkinson's disease is the world's fastest-growing neurological disorder, and early symptoms are frequently overlooked. Silent Shake taps into the power of typography - specifically handwriting - as a visual and emotional signal, showing how type can help translate invisible struggles into visible stories. It reflects the Re:Vision ethos: design that informs and activates.
Re:Vision and the Role of Typography in Global Discourse
Monotype's Re:Vision initiative is a long-term exploration of how typography influences the way societies understand rights, resistance, and responsibility. From street signs to screen-based content, type is not only a tool of communication. It is a tool for expressive freedom.
- Type as Activism
Typography can confront taboos, evoke empathy, and push social dialogue beyond design. - Type as Advocacy
From civic signage to protest art, type serves as a voice for collective expression. - Type + Technology
Designers are experimenting with geolocation, motion, and variable fonts to deliver adaptive, context-aware storytelling. - Type in the Age of AI
While AI tools enable speed and scale, typography rooted in human insight remains essential.
Explore More
Explore how typography shapes culture and sparks conversations around Freedom, Law & Order.
Learn more about the full 2025 New Blood Award Winners.
About Monotype
Monotype brings brands to life through type and technology that consumers engage with every day. We offer a library of over 250,000 fonts from over 4,500 talented designers and foundries across the world. We work with the biggest global brands and individual creatives, offering a wide selection of solutions that make it easier for them to do what they do best: design beautiful brand experiences.
Further information is available at www.monotype.com. Follow Monotype on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
Charlotte Simcock
Head Corporate Communications & PR for Monotype - Global
charlotte.simcock@monotype.com
Alice Broughton
ThoughtLDR for Monotype - UK
alice@thoughtldr.com
Stephanie Hernandez
ThoughtLDR for Monotype - US
stephanie.hernandez@thoughtldr.com
Tanja Koschade
KOSCHADE PR for Monotype - DACH
tanja@koschadepr.de
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