Covid 19 coronavirus : Students create billboards to support essential workers

A group of Auckland design students have utilised their artistic prowess to show appreciation for the country's essential workers.

With the help of digital billboard advertising network Lumo, 10 Auckland University of Technology students have designed billboards that are now on display throughout the country.

Ruby Spark came up with the idea to make the billboards after a conversation with her mother who works part-time as a new-born hearing tester.

"Not even just hospital people but truck drivers and stuff, and we were just talking about ways we can show our appreciation."

Lumo's Grey Lynn billboard showcasing one of the designs. Photo / Supplied

From there, the third-year design student thought about how people were still driving to work and how there were lots of empty billboards.

She put the message out to her friends to see who would want to create billboard designs and her mother contacted Lumo to see if they would back the student's plan.

"It's just a message of thanks and appreciation, like a little message before they go to work or at the end of a long day so they can see that we all support them."

NeedToKnow3

A lot of the displays were designed individually and then merged at the end.

"We are super grateful for what these people are doing and we just want to give them something that's just a little but special."

The billboards went up a week and a half ago, and will continue to run throughout the lockdown period.

One of the Lumo billboards featuring the artwork on Blenheim Rd in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied

Lumo Chief exec Phil Clemas said the designs resonate really well and their angle was really genuine.

Clemas said they'd had great feedback from the artwork and it had been shared on various social media threads.

Lumo Chief exec Phil Clemas said they'd had great feedback from the artwork. Photo / Supplied

He said they're on screens in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch.

"Hopefully these essential workers get to see this artwork when they're driving to work and when they're driving home.

"We will get through this, we just have to work through it."

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website