In 1944, delegates from the world’s nations gathered in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to create a new framework for international financial cooperation out of the wreckage of World War II. Today known as the Bretton Woods Conference, this pivotal meeting led to the creation of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the global financial relationship system we know today. 

80 years on, that system is due for an upgrade. In the face of climate change, Covid-19, and growing economic inequality, now is the time to take a fresh look at how these systems are fairly serving all countries and ensuring the world is on a sustainable path to prosperity. Timed to the Spring 2024 meetings of the World Bank and IMF, Pentagram has designed a new campaign called “Dear G20 Leaders" calling for global financial reform and a “new Bretton Woods moment.”

Commissioned by Project Everyone, the not-for-profit communications agency founded by Richard Curtis, the campaign targets leaders of G20 countries with the plea to “Triple the investment. Deal with debt. Make polluters pay.” Pentagram’s visual framework explicitly recalls the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference, implying a stack of paperwork or a signed contract. An open letter, signed by over 100 former leaders, activists, academics and artists, takes pride of place on top. Additional data visualizations continue the historical motif with elements of antique stamps and collaged paper.

The campaign debuted in a full-page ad in the Washington Post, with additional placements in The Economist and the Brazilian newspaper Valor Econômico. 

Pentagram previously collaborated with Project Everyone on the “Global Goals Day of Factivism” campaign.