Wheels4Water

Events and Campaigns

When did you last reach for a glass of clean water? For millions of people around the world, the answer to that question is shocking.

Capabilities Used

Research & Strategy

Brand, Logo & Identity Development

Web Design & Development

Video

Digital & Social

Environments

Making an Impact

Since 2014, Wheels4Water has fought against the global water crisis using only bicycles, a passionate community, storytelling, and heart for doing good. To date, we have raised more than $950,000—helping more than 18,500 people receive safe water, sanitation, and hygiene training!

Why We Ride

During our time in Eastern and Sub-Saharan Africa, we saw the harrowing effects of unsafe drinking water on individuals, families, and communities. Entire generations were affected by waterborne diseases and infection, with little support from the local government. The faces and stories stuck with us. When we came home, we started to imagine how we, a branding and design firm, could use our abilities, network, and interests to fight the global water crisis in tangible, lasting ways.

The Wheels4Water logo and overall brand was created to adapt to each years theme of the ride and specific area it is was supporting. This allowed flexibility and freshness to each new ride's promotion and story.

Recognition

Our work for Wheels4Water has been recognized by a number of publications and design organizations including the Webby Awards, Communication Arts, HOW Design, and Fast Company Design.

THE POWER OF VIDEO

We use videos to show potential donors and advocates the reality of the world water crisis and ask for their support. For more videos from our journey, click here

We decided to create Wheels4Water – a yearly cycling event that would serve as a fundraising effort to fight the global water crisis. Why cycling? Well, we are cyclists ourselves, and communities in sub-Saharan Africa rely heavily on bicycles to travel, work, and most importantly, gather water. Rule29 quickly partnered with Wonderkind Studios and O'Neil Printing, and aligned our efforts with longtime client, Lifewater International, an established safe water development nonprofit working in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Digital media has been an integral component of Wheels4Water's storytelling from the very beginning, providing an opportunity to share a consistent message with key audiences. We designed a flexible website experience that could be customized and adjusted to reflect each year's branding, while maintaining a visually aligned look from year to year.

We designed a custom jersey for every ride that would ensure the riders' safety on the road while promoting the cause.

Social Media

We also created over 100 social media assets to educate and inspire audiences to get involved, as part of a larger communication strategy.

We brought an immersive look at one girl's journey to find water through pop-up banners and a 360º video experience.

The returning “Official Cause” of HOW Design Live, Wheels4Water invited conference attendees to join the mission of making a life-changing impact in the lives of people in the Kaliro District of Uganda, using hands-on experiences and exclusive merchandise. The goal? Raise support to help several hundred Ugandans get safe water and sanitation for life, and create the most memorable HOW conference to date.

A gallery show highlighted a sampling of the work and messaging created for the cause. Viewers would walk away with an understanding and education on how they can make an impact and gain a new perspective on the need for clean water.