Do the Green Thing: Saving the world... with a bit of flair

From a photograph of the late North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il with "devil eyes", to a picture showing a depressed Chris Huhne with the slogan "Should have walked!", these are not your typical "save the world" posters.

There is no exotic wildlife or scenes of a planet in peril. What designer Patrick Cox dubs "the earnest do-goodery of the green movement" is discarded in favour of a more creative approach. "A dig, joke or nudge is way more effective than another photo of a polar bear," says Cox, creator of the London 2012 Olympic logo.

He is among 23 designers, creative directors and photographers in a new campaign by the charity Do the Green Thing. It aims to have images that make an impression, and it keeps its messages simple: use less electricity; eat less meat; avoid waste; recycle; and walk more.

A different poster is released on dothegreenthing.com every day this month in the run-up to the World Wide Fund for Nature's Earth Hour at 8.30pm next Saturday, when millions of people switch off lights for an hour in a show of global solidarity.