Project Management

Timeline for Project

WEEK 9: 21/09/11

Project introduction
Research
Choose Theme

WEEK 10: 28/09/11

Concept sketches


WEEK 11: 05/10/11


Developments
Start planning presentation of cards

Holidays 08/10/11-24/10/11

Week 12: 26/10/11

Experimentation
Build Designs

Week 13: 02/11/11

Have designs completed

Week 14: 09/11/11

Printing
Physical prototypes made

Week 15: 16/11/11

Complete presentation
Designs finished

Week 16: 23/11/11

PROJECT DUE

The Design Process

Its time to put all of my ideas into action. Here is a great way to look at the design process I'll be following...

Anti-Consumerism

This is a cause that has been on my mind all year. There are so many things that disturb me in the world of consumerism. Things that need to be regulated, made public knowledge and just all together need to put a stop to.

Researching this movement (starting with wikipedia) lead me through a whole bunch of topics. It's great to see how people are taking action for these causes just to get the knowledge out there. One movement I really liked was the slow movement which involves many sub categories. The movement pretty much aims to get people to slow down! Slow down the food process, fastfood is not the answer. Slow parenting, we need to spend more time with our children. Slow travel, instead of using high pollution travel options, opt for a slower bike ride, public transport etc.

Research then lead me to a great website called "Story of Stuff". The website involves a collection of really creative, easy to follow, well researched videos about consumerist subjects including bottled water, cosmetics and electronics. Annie Leonard is presenting all the information that she has thoroughly researched through the entire life-cycle of these products.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.php

There is so much shocking information and great tips of how we can make a difference. I want to concentrate on one topic: cosmetics, as this is a topic that effects me and a lot of my peers directly. I am confident that I can make a series of cards that will make a difference and get some awareness out there for safe cosmetics.

Temperance - Anti Alcohol Campaign

The Temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. I was initially attracted to this social movement because of the imagery that was being presented to me.

 I found this image humorous and educational at the same time. The imagery is really well done and thought provoking to the intended audience. The poster is all in French. Here is the write up I found to go with it...

“An extraordinary large double sided anti-alcohol poster (measuring 118cm x 97cm), illustrating graphically the alleged dangers of industrial alcohol and absinthe, and praising the healthy effects of wine, cider and beer.
Designed for display in schools, it clearly shows the influence of the wine lobby as the force behind the French temperance movement, because the use of wine is not just not condemned, it’s almost actively encouraged. Particularly noteworthy are the two contrasting guinea pig experiments: in the one the animal is fed industrial alcohol and has the usual epileptic fit and then dies a horrible death; in the other the guinea pig is fed wine and has nothing worse than a pleasant sleep, before waking up with presumably only a mild hangover…

Absinthe is singled out for special opprobrium on the reverse side: L’Absinthe est un poison plus redoutable que la morphine et la belladone - Absinthe is a more fearsome poison than morphine or deadly nightshade.

The poster was designed by Dr Galtier-Boissière, curator of the scientific collections at the Musée Pédagogique de l’État, and printed in 1898 by Armand Colin et Cie in Paris.”

Here is a similar message and use of imagery. I do like this idea, not much of an emphasis on typography though.

"This Independent Order of Rechabites poster-calendar from 1913 includes portraits of temperance leaders W. A. Platt and W. Johnson. Christian temperance groups adopted the name 'Rechabites' from the Biblical descendants of Rechab through Jonadab or Jehonadab; the latter forbade his descendants from drinking wine."

The style of these posters are so different to anything we see now days. The concept would not be taken on board as easily I don't think. We don't really look up to political or social leaders like they did back then. The idea has evolved to looking up to celebrities as the role models. For example the smokefree campaign in New Zealand uses high profile New Zealander celebrities expressing their distaste for smoking and smokers.

This poster is so epic I can't help but smile at it. So much symbolism! I had to chuck that in there.

I was interested in a particular website I came across, covering all the old silent films that had a strong anti-alcohol message. There was a French movement of all these movies mostly about the downfall of man through the addiction of absinthe.

The still images sparked a lot of ideas of having the silent film theme with the black and white quotes that they have. And ideas sprung to have a story on my cards like a comic or a story board for a movie.

Ideas for packaging and presenting also kept my mind pretty occupied...

• a short movie (presenting my cards as stills) flickering, clicking and dissolving with loud reel sounds
• have the cards attatched to a physical film reel in the form of film
• use an old slide projector
• A view master would be awesome but hard to attain

The challenge now lies in presenting the message to an audience. How can I bring the Temperance movement into the present day to be looked at and taken in by Kiwis? (youth and older role model figures: grandparents parents, teachers etc.)

Anti-Bullying Love is Louder

The Anti-Jock thing got me thinking more about bullying in schools and bullying specifically to do with sexual orientation.

This Love is Louder campaign caught my attention because of the creative use of typography. This way anyone can show their support. A celebrity photographer Tyler Sheilds has got all these awesome images for the campaign. http://www.tylershields.com/2010/10/14/love-is-louder/

The basic campaign:

"Love is Louder was started by actress Brittany Snow, The Jed Foundation and MTV to build on the outpouring of support online after the lives of multiple teenagers were lost to suicide in September 2010. This movement strives to amplify the momentum of other inspiring online campaigns and invite anyone who has felt mistreated, misunderstood or isolated into the conversation. We are here to raise the volume around a critical message -- that love and support is more powerful than the external and internal voices that bring us down, cause us pain and make us feel hopeless.

The more voices that join the movement, the louder the message becomes. #LoveisLouder."

 http://www.loveislouder.com/about.html

I found the writing on the bodies a fun refreshing way to experiment with typography.

Anti-Jock movement

This movement got my attention... in fact I found it quite humorous. I totally get why this movement started. Wikipedia has a great explanation:

The anti-jock movement is a loosely organized cyber-movement consisting of similarly themed websites, whose goal is to challenge the perceived cultural dominance of institutionalized competitive sports and to raise issues of the perceived detrimental effects of such a dominance. In this regard, the term "jock" is used in its the sense of "stereotypical athlete," although websites constituent of the Anti-jock Movement often use the term to distinguish negative or excessive interest in sports, from common or positive athletic endeavor. In the decade following the year 2000, increasing recognition has been given to the existence of a movement consisting of "a group of self‐described marginalized youth [who] constructed and sustained anti‐jock websites, where they articulated 'dissatisfaction with and anger toward institutions that uncritically adulate hyper‐masculine/high contact sport culture and the athletes who are part of this culture (i.e., the ‘jocks’)'” ^[1] Such has been cited as an act of resistance against the dominant media and cultural paradigm.^[1]

 

http://www.sportssuck.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1093

^{After looking at a few of the websites wikipedia suggested I was not impressed at all with the design aspect.. how do they expect to get a good following? It just looks like somewhere teenage boys go to get out all there frustrations. I would aim to change this If I were to represent this movement. The look would be professional and the content would be pro active for the cause!} 

^{For this movement there is a lot of fonts available to me and imagery that is related to a stereo typical high school scene. I think I’d be more interested in focusing in on the dominance, bullying and peer pressure side of things. http://sports.glsen.org/  is a website that I found that is actually fighting for equality in the PE sector which is a whole lot more productive than putting it down altogether. Physical activity is important for everyone!}

Brainstorm how I can creatively use “a series of cards” to portray a theme.

How would you intend the cards to be used?

They would be pieces of design work that people would want to keep or display.

Target Market

This depend obviously on which movement I end up going with but just say I was going with Temperance, the anti alcohol movement, my audience could be a variety of people: heavy drinkers, sellers of alcoholic products, politicians who put laws in place around the buying and selling of alcoholic beverages.

Would they be created as a package  or "sold separately"?

A package is definitely more interesting to me. I think I would rather own a collection of works rather than just one. The same goes for fashion labels, art work etc.

Would they be released all at once?

I think the anticipation of releasing something one by one would keep my audience more involved and interested in the subject.

What are some interesting ways to distribute the cards?

You could get the postcard after purchasing a certain product
Comes with free bees (everyone love free bees)
Handed out at an event eg. Temperance could be appropriate for the Rugby World cup yet it wouldn't have a warm welcome.
Treasure Hunt
Placed in unsuspecting places

Should they be collectable?

Yes! Something that people want to keep! Need to have enticing packaging also, so they can be protected together as a collection.

People like collecting things.

Is there a reason to have the cards in a set? or an incentive?

Could be put together to form a puzzle or a bigger picture
Creates a bigger message
Might have a different character on each one that need to be together as a set.

How could my card tell a story or several stories?

Convey a different message or story on each card all relevant to the movement
Follow one characters story
Make a comic or comic style
Cover a time period in each card, work like a timeline

What organisations might want to work with me on this project?

Research into the "doers" of the campaigns and see what they are doing for the course and how I can assist.

Research "Political movement" and "Social Movement"

Social and Political Movements

Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals and/or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change. (wikipedia)

Here are just a few examples that appealed to me

-Feminism

-Human Rights

-Fair Trade

-Free Love

-Animal Rights

-Anti-Jock Movement

-Anti-Consumerism

-Environmental Movement

-Suffrage

-Conservation

-Disability Rights

-Anti-Violence (it’s not ok)

-LGBT

-Anti-Nuke

-Smokefree

-Temperance Movement (reduce use of alcohol)

-Peace

-Biculturalism, gender and critical social movements