VDH COVIDWISE

While at Madison+Main, I served as the Senior Graphic Designer for the COVIDWISE campaign, a vital public health initiative for the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). This project launched the first-in-the-nation exposure notifications app, utilizing Google and Apple’s Bluetooth Low Energy technology. I was responsible for the full lifecycle of the COVIDWISE landing page—from design and development to building and ongoing maintenance. Additionally, I assisted in creating and organizing all digital and collateral assets that supported the app’s advertising, marketing, and PR launch.

Our overall goal was to gain as many app downloads as possible from August 5, 2020 through December 30, 2020. We worked to raise awareness of the app across the Commonwealth of Virginia and, most importantly, ensure its widespread adoption so it could be effective in the fight against COVID-19 and stopping the spread through exposure notifications. The challenge was encouraging app downloads to an audience that values privacy in the digital age.

When COVIDWISE was launched in August 2020, our goal was simple yet audacious: encourage as many Virginians as possible to download and use the app to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Over the next 22 months, we unleashed an omnipresent awareness campaign that was pervasive yet always welcoming, informative, and actionable, effectively reaching every corner of the Commonwealth. Our strategic messaging assured the public that the app did not collect location data or any personally identifiable information. We targeted potential COVIDWISE users through all channels, including Digital Media, Printed Materials, Outdoor (Billboard, Bus, and Transit) Partnership, Public Relations, and Traditional Media (Print, TV, Radio), followed by a continued digital presence to promote app downloads and usage.

Prior to COVID-19, Exposure Notification (EN) apps were non-existent. Our team streamlined the key messaging about this new technology, including what COVIDWISE is, its importance, and how it functions. The results were incredible. COVIDWISE gained more than 3.6 million Exposure Notifications users, with 84% of Virginians using it to stop the spread of COVID-19, with an incredible average of 5,605 downloads per day and 78,492 downloads per month. With more than 10,922 media mentions and a broadcast reach of 32.6 million, COVIDWISE saw national coverage on outlets like the Washington Post, NPR, and CNN.

SKILLS NEEDED

HTML/CSS

WEB DESIGN

UX/UI

ART DIRECTION

DIGITAL DESIGN

CATEGORIES

WEB

DIGITAL

BRANDING

VDH COVIDWISE Bus Ad
Virginia Department of Health COVIDWISE Newspaper
Virginia Department of Health COVIDWISE Newspaper