Tote bag, 'The Curve Crusher'

This tote bag is part of a range of merchandise by Dunedin design studio The Bold depicting Dr Ashley Bloomfield as ‘The Curve Crusher.’ It was created during the Covid-19 pandemic, and money raised from the sale of the merchandise was donated to Women’s Refuge New Zealand. In two weeks the campaign raised $146,410.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield

Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health, was widely praised for his calm and clear communication during the national lockdown. In the first two months of the Covid-19 crisis Bloomfield fronted more than 40 press conferences, becoming a familiar and comforting figure to many New Zealanders. Songs were written in his honour and thousands of people called for him to be nominated as New Zealander of the Year.

This adoration of Bloomfield was reported on nationally and internationally, although some commentators were concerned that the ‘deification’ of Bloomfield left little room for necessary scepticism and scrutiny of the Ministry of Health’s performance. Bloomfield himself called for several reviews of the response to the pandemic.

Crushing the Curve

The idea of the epidemic curve, referenced on ‘The Curve Crusher’ merchandise, became part of the vernacular of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially New Zealand’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak, in line with many other countries around the world, was to take measures to ‘flatten the curve,’ slowing the spread of the virus so as not to overwhelm the health system. However, in March 2020 the New Zealand government shifted its strategy from flattening the curve to eliminating the virus, imposing a four-week lockdown that required everyone except essential workers to stay at home and eliminate contact with people outside of their ‘bubble.’ Designers at The Bold were inspired by media stories praising the strategy and its implementation. New Zealand seemed to be not just flattening the curve, but crushing it.

The Bold sold their ‘Curve Crusher’ merchandise on The Print Room website as part of the ‘Keep a Good Thing Going’ campaign. The campaign started at the beginning of the Level-4 lockdown. The Print Room offered free online stores to businesses so that they could market and sell branded merchandise while their physical stores were closed. Rather than keeping the profits from their merchandise The Bold donated them to Women’s Refuge, paying for safe nights for victims of domestic violence. Women’s Refuge saw high demand for its services during the lockdown.