The Challenge
We call girls "bossy" and boys "leaders". Gorwn-ups tell her she looks pretty and tell him he's clever. Nobody means any harm, which is exactly the problem. Children hear all of it, and they file it away as what they're allowed to be.

The idea
Festival of The Girl wanted to call this out with Watch Your Language, a UK-wide campaign launching at their London festival in October 2026 and running for a whole year around the country. So the identity had to work hard: festival stages, animations, billboards, a podcast, school assemblies, activity sheets, posters, workplace training, merch and social, all while nudging parents, carers and teachers to rethink their vocabulary without wagging a finger.

The Work
My answer was to put the words back in the children's mouths, quite literally. Speech bubbles let kids take the labels thrown at them and flip them into something they'd happily wear. "Bossy" became "Bossing it". Similar word, new swagger. The grown-ups get a gentle lesson, and the children get the last word, which, let's face it, they were always going to have anyway.

The Impact
Festival of the Girl continues to make waves across the nation with this campaign well into next year. And watch out for the new book!