This project features a comprehensive PSA campaign addressing the risks of buy now, pay later programs when used irresponsibly. Centered around the original campaign theme, “Buy Now, Pay Forever,” the system includes a campaign logo, print poster, Instagram carousel ad, web landing page, and a guerrilla advertising tactic designed for high-impact public visibility. Each component was developed to maintain a unified visual identity and message, creating a cohesive and effective campaign aimed at raising awareness and encouraging more informed consumer behavior.
Programs Used:
Adobe Illustrator | Adobe Photoshop
Buy Now Pay Forever PSA Campaign
Advertising Design, George Mason University
The campaign identity began with a series of digitally sketched logo concepts focused on visualizing the hidden risks of buy now, pay later programs. Early explorations centered on symbols suggesting financial danger, delayed consequences, and unseen costs that follow consumers beyond the point of purchase. Through iteration, these ideas evolved into a phone–price tag symbol, reinforcing the campaign’s message of hidden costs that follow you wherever you go through a bold and provocative visual identity.
Initial Campaign Logo Sketches
The campaign logo was finalized by introducing a high-contrast black-and-green palette with a bold, all-caps logotype and a refined version of the phone–price tag symbol. These elements work together to create a visually striking identity that feels both minimal and confrontational, reflecting the lasting impact and hidden cost behind the campaign’s message.
Campaign Logo
The print poster depicts a young adult overwhelmed by low account balances and mounting overdue payments, paired with the headline, “Four payments sounded easy. A lifetime of debt did not.” The design contrasts the appealing promise of buy now, pay later programs with the emotional reality of financial stress, illustrating how quickly convenience can give way to long-term consequences.
The call to action, “Peel back the mask on Buy Now, Pay Later purchases,” is reinforced through subtle tear marks in the composition, suggesting the act of revealing what’s hidden beneath the surface. This ripping effect introduces a visual motif that carries throughout the campaign, symbolizing the uncovering of the true cost behind “easy” purchases.
Print Poster
The Instagram carousel expands on the campaign’s core concept through a sequence of “tears” that reveal the financial aftermath of buy now, pay later purchases. A dotted path guides viewers between key facts about buyer regret and debt, encouraging continued engagement with each slide. The headline, “Buy now, pay later sounds easy, until you peel back the mask,” reinforces the contrast between promise and reality, while the interactive format turns awareness into an unfolding narrative that exposes the hidden cost behind convenience.
Instagram Carousel Ad
The campaign website extends the visual identity through the bold black, green, and white color palette and consistent typography, utilizing effective hierarchy to create a unified and easily navigable experience. The homepage is anchored by a striking hero visual, a variation of the print poster, showing a young woman facing low balances and overdue payments through a torn overlay. Paired with the headline, “Buy Now Pay Later sounds easy… until you peel back the mask,” the layout clearly communicates the campaign’s message while guiding visitors toward a concise explanation of its goal: to expose the long-term impact of buy now, pay later purchases and promote informed financial decision-making.
Website Landing Page
The campaign’s guerrilla tactic takes the form of a redesigned dollar bill intended to stop viewers in their tracks. Styled like U.S. currency, the bill features Benjamin Franklin wearing exaggerated disguise glasses and replaces traditional monetary text with cautionary phrases such as “This is financial advice. Know the costs. Avoid surprise late fees.” Paired with the message “Things aren’t always as they seem” and a QR code linking to the campaign website, the piece uses humor and subversion to deliver a serious message, challenging assumptions and prompting audiences to question the true cost of “easy” money.
