After creating educational materials for hospitals across Europe earlier this year, Spot the Dot is taking a bolder approach this summer. Together with Barcelona-based Branca Studio, the organisation has created the Fuck the Sun bandana and fan to bring skin cancer awareness to festival season.

Following their collaboration at Sonic Blast Festival in Portugal in 2025, Spot the Dot and Branca Studio wanted to create something people would actually wear, use, and talk about on the heavier music events around Europe. More than just festival merch, these items are designed to be conversation starters. The bold message catches people’s attention and opens the door to talking about something that affects more people every year: skin cancer.

The message is simple. Fuck the Sun. Fuck Skin Cancer. Protect your skin by wearing sunscreen, seeking shade, and covering up with protective clothing such as a bandana, cap, or long sleeves. Spot the Dot. Check your skin from head to toe every month. If you notice a new or changing spot, have it checked by your doctor.

Every Fuck the Sun bandana and fan comes with a Spot the Dot information flyer and sticker, helping spread awareness long after the festival is over.

Get yours

→ Order the Fuck the Sun bandana and fan via www.brancastudio.com.

→ In Austria or the Netherlands? Email Spot the Dot to see if we can arrange a local pickup

Why this collaboration?

By purchasing a Fuck the Sun bandana or fan, you’re doing more than buying festival merch. You’re helping start conversations about skin cancer, encouraging people to protect their skin and check it regularly, and supporting future awareness projects. Thank you for your support. Whether you buy a bandana, share this project, or simply remind someone to check their skin, every action helps raise awareness and encourages early detection.

Der Beitrag Spot the Dot x Branca Studio erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

To raise skin cancer awareness within the surf community, Spot the Dot partnered with California-based Vampire Surf Club on a special awareness project focused on early detection and self skin checks. Surfers spend long hours in intense sun exposure, making skin cancer awareness especially relevant. Together, we developed a compact ABCDE guide for self skin checks, created specifically for the surf community, practical, accessible, and easy to share among surf buddies.

As part of this collaboration, Spot the Dot founder Marije Kruis wrote a personal article for Vampire Surf Club, connecting lived experience with education and prevention.

Read the full article Spot the Dot: A Surfer’s Guide to Skin Cancer Checks, here: 
https://vampiresurfclub.com/blogs/news/spot-the-dot-a-surfer-s-guide-to-skin-cancer-checks

Download the ABCDE guide as a PDF here

More interesting reads:
Cold Water, Warm Advice: a conversation with Dr. Sissy Waschkowski 
Beyond Sunscreen: A Dermatologist’s Guide to Sun Protection for Surfers

This project is part of Spot the Dot’s mission to bring skin cancer awareness into real-life communities and cultures. More to come.

Feature photo by Aljaz Babnik / Vampire Surf Club

Der Beitrag Spot the Dot x Vampire Surf Club erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

Ready to test your mole-checking skills in Norwegian? Game on!
[Play Sjekk Flekken now ➜ www.spotthedot.org/game

“As a melanoma patient, I know firsthand how critical early detection can be. My mission is to help others recognize potential warning signs before it’s too late. Together with dermatologists, I developed Sjekk Flekken, a free browser-based educational game that introduces the ABCDE method in a positive and interactive way. But beyond education, I hope it sparks conversations, at home, among friends, and in schools. Because when more people learn to spot the dots and speak up about changes in their skin, we increase the chances of catching melanoma early, when it is most treatable.” Marije Kruis, melanoma patient advocate and founder of Spot the Dot

Learn the ABCDE method of recognizing skin cancer

As Dr. Katarina Zak Stangeland puts it: « Sjekk flekken offers a fun and captivating way to raise awareness about malignant melanoma. With the interactive way of combining entertainment and education, essential information becomes easier to understand- and its easily shared with others”. Dr. Katarina Zak Stangeland is a specialist in dermatology and venereology and works at Aleris, Norway’s largest private healthcare provider, in Stavanger

Thanks to the support of Cosmica and Cliniderm

Cosmica and Cliniderm are leading skincare brands within suncare in Norway, sold in the pharmacy channel

Der Beitrag Spot the Dot in Norway! erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

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UV light is the most preventable risk factor for all skin cancers so she is showing how she protects her skin from harmful UV light:
– Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 or higher
– Wear protective clothing
– Seek the shade

Stay spooky and stay sun safe🖤 ⁠
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Campaign by Spot the Dot
Illustrations by DMTR
Video
Script | Direction: Samira Ghahremani
Cinematography: Max Kienreich
Actress: Marie Noel

Der Beitrag Draculina erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

Quand la musique est forte, le message ne devrait-il pas l’être aussi ?

Sonic Blast n’est pas un festival de plage comme les autres. Sa programmation vibre au rythme du stoner rock, du post-punk, de la synth et du doom, des genres connus pour leur énergie brute et leur son immersif. Les visuels sont audacieux, le public assume son côté alternatif et l’ambiance exige une approche tout aussi intrépide. Spot the Dot a relevé le défi.

Au lieu de rappels discrets, l’équipe a opté pour une déclaration impossible à ignorer : « Fuck the Sun ». Le slogan s’est décliné sur du merchandising, des flyers, des autocollants, des éventails et des tatouages temporaires. Le design n’était pas une provocation gratuite : il a été soigneusement pensé pour s’harmoniser avec l’esthétique du festival tout en martelant un message urgent de protection solaire.

L’impact a été immédiat. Les festivaliers ont souri, engagé des conversations et partagé de vrais moments de connexion autour de cette campagne audacieuse. Il ne s’agissait pas seulement d’attirer l’attention, mais de transmettre un message qui sauve des vies, en phase avec l’environnement et son public.

Cette campagne marque un nouveau chapitre dans les 10 ans d’engagement de Spot the Dot pour sensibiliser au cancer de la peau, à travers des expositions d’art, des fresques urbaines, des conférences éducatives et des projets collaboratifs et non conventionnels.

La conclusion ? La sensibilisation n’a pas toujours besoin de murmurer. Parfois, les messages les plus puissants sont ceux que l’on crie au-dessus de la musique. Spot the Dot prouve qu’en osant être fort, audacieux et un peu inattendu, on peut créer un impact qui dure bien après le dernier rappel.

Der Beitrag Sensibilisation au festival Sonic Blast au Portugal erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

Grâce au formidable soutien d’ACO et du professeur John Paoli de l’hôpital universitaire Sahlgrenska, notre jeu éducatif gratuit basé sur navigateur aide désormais les gens dans toute la Suède à identifier des grains de beauté suspects à l’aide de la règle ABCDE, de manière ludique, simple et interactive.

Comme le dit le professeur Paoli :
« Checka fläcken est une façon intelligente et attrayante de sensibiliser au cancer de la peau. Lorsque l’éducation rencontre le divertissement, l’information importante est plus facile à assimiler – et à transmettre. »

C’est parti ! ➜ www.spotthedot.org/game

ACO est une marque leader dans les soins de la peau dans les pays nordiques, née dans les pharmacies suédoises et forte de plus de 85 ans d’expérience dans les soins cutanés.

Der Beitrag Premier projet Spot the Dot en Suède erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

Get Your Temporary Tattoos

We partnered up with the lovely people behind Young & Smitten and made a set of 3 Spot the Dot themed temporary tattoos! We hope these fake tattoos remind you and your loved ones to spot your dots! Even though we hope you love our designs as much as we do they will wear off again after a few days…

You can buy the temporary tattoo in a set of 3 via www.youngandsmitten.com or send us an email via contact@spotthedot.org

Calling All Photographers, Influencers, and Tattoo Studios

We believe in the power of community and storytelling. If you’re a photographer or influencer, we’d love for you to help spread awareness by showcasing our tattoos and sharing their message. Likewise, if you run a tattoo studio, we’d be happy to send you some of these temporary tattoos, along with other giveaways, to help educate your clients on the importance of skin cancer prevention. Why tattoo artists, you ask? Well, who better to champion this cause than those who work intimately with skin every single day? Their keen eye and understanding of skin’s intricacies make them perfect advocates for skin cancer prevention.

More Than Just Ink

These tattoos aren’t just about aesthetics—they’re conversation starters. Whether seen in a tattoo parlor or shared online, they create an opportunity to talk about the importance of early detection and sun safety. After all, who better to highlight the significance of skin health than those who work with skin every day?

Safe to use

The tattoos are printed with a special combination of offset and serigraphy print technology. They are conform with the strict European standard EN 71T3 and all colours and glues are scientifically developed ingredients for the use on skin. As such, they are 100% skin friendly and safe. Read more about our quality standards as well as the ingredients of our temporary tattoos here

Young & Smitten support Spot the Dot

« At Young & Smitten, we’ve been creating temporary tattoos for various purposes for quite some time. But a tattoo as a reminder for regular skin checks? That’s a first! We love that our medium can also be used to raise awareness about health-related topics. After all, healthy skin is the canvas for our creative work. That’s why we’re thrilled to support Marije’s important initiative, which promotes prevention and education in the fight against skin cancer. » – Team Young&Smitten

Together, let’s use creativity to shine a light on melanoma awareness—one tattoo at a time.Spot your dots. Protect your skin. Make a difference.

Der Beitrag Ink to Think: Spot the Dot Temporary Tattoos erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

What Kind of Images Stand Out to You in Health Awareness?

« For me, changing the look of skin cancer awareness is essential. At Spot the Dot I aim to create visuals that break the mold—moving beyond the typical beach scenes of blonde women applying sunscreen and images of doctors in white coats looking at moles. I want bold, memorable images that represent the diversity of people impacted by skin cancer. Showing people of all backgrounds in these campaigns isn’t just refreshing—it’s necessary to truly connect with everyone at risk. Skin cancer does not discriminate. » – Marije, founder of Spot the Dot

Skatedeck made by Gentlemen Skateboards, designed by DeDonLeon

Spot the Dot had developed a limited edition skate deck in 2023 along with a few pieces of merchandise, providing chosen skaters to spread the message of sun safety and skin health within the skating community. Unfortunately these skate decks are currently sold out. If you want to have a piece of merchandising or if you are a skater, photographer or filmmaker who wants to help our cause, you can send an email to contact@spotthedot.org

Photos by Manuel Peric

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Der Beitrag Skate against skin cancer erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.

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Fotografías de Monika Ciepłucha

Der Beitrag Spot the Dot en Pologne erschien zuerst auf Spot The Dot.