OUGD403: Brief 5- Research & Work Direction

After the interim critique I have decided that for my poster designs I will focus on the idea of ignorance about shark finning. 

Quotes for inspiration:

“It is a myth that people in Asia don't care about wildlife. Consumption is based on 
ignorance rather than malice."

“China can be the savior of wildlife or it can be the demise of it.”

Shark fin soup photographs:

This particular dish in as many as 145 countries is still seen as a extravagant dish and a form of showing wealth within families and society. However many are either not aware or not educated with what is actually done to produce this dish. The reality is somewhat very different and is affecting several species of sharks. 

Facts that stood out to me: 73 million sharks are killed each year, 145 countries engage with shark finning, fins are worth unto $181 per lb, over 80% of oceanic shark species are threatened, 1/3 are threatened with extinction, 3 sharks are killed per second, sharks are killed for 2% of their body weight. 

From looking at my own research from Brief 4 I have concluded that I want to look at the idea of ignorance in my poster designs by making the viewer/ audience think about their own choices, by both asking a question and telling them shocking facts. 

Within the brief there is a limit of two colour plus stock. Choices and research into colour:

Positive keywords include: action, energy and speed, attention-getting, assertive and confident, energizing, stimulating, exciting, powerful, passionate, stimulating and driven, courageous and strong, spontaneous and determined.

Negative keywords include: aggressive and domineering, over-bearing, tiring, angry and quick-tempered, ruthless, fearful and intolerant, rebellious and obstinate, resentful, violent and brutal.

In terms of shark finning, red could represent; passion, determination, aggression, intolerance, violence and brutality.

Attention-getting: it demands you to take notice, alerting you to danger. This is why we have red traffic lights and stop signs – it is the universal color for danger.

Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.

Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, 'black death'). Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes). In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.

Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. A black suit or dress can make you look thinner. When designing for a gallery of art or photography, you can use a black or gray background to make the other colors stand out. Black contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color scheme.

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

OUGD403- Brief 5: Campaign Research

Poster Campaign Research

http://www.wwf.org.uk

I have found that in conservation posters in particular (linked to my brief based on shark finning) that charities such as the WWF use both facts and bold statements to make the viewer think and react to the imagery. Their advertisements often use red when based on animals and are extremely successful because their type used is usually a simple sans serif font (invisible and simple design) this makes the actual statement or fact stand out and because these are shocking and memorable the campaign's often help receive donations and educate the viewer. In particular I like the use of type to create imagery such as the tiger above, I have used this technique before to create type as image and this could work within my own designs with facts that I have collected about shark finning. 

I have also found that campaigns and posters often use simple imagery which include vector graphics (used on adobe illustrator and similar programs) this is because images can be scaled to any size without fear of pixelation, the image keeps its original quality of line. Both these posters use red and I found that this colour was incredibly common when researching campaign posters online, when I also researched the need for colour I also found that red contains connotations which include violence and assertiveness which is why it brings attention to the eye as the most important parts of the poster. 

This poster shows the simplicity that a meaning can be portrayed effectively, such images forces the viewer to create their own meaning and think as to what the designer intended. This image in particular represents the lack of water in poverty. This simplistic vector graphic forms as inspiration for my own designs as I could experiment with symbolism and parts of a shark such as the fin. 

"SOME PEOPLE ARE GAY. GET OVER IT"

This poster campaign when it was released by stonewall was very successful simply because of its minimalistic approach to such a complex social issue. (The misunderstanding and lack of education about same sex couples). The use of red, white and black is commonly used within campaigns because they all contrast each other and therefore the words in white stand out to the audience first ("some people are gay"). WIthin my own designs I want to concentrate on the idea of high impact and simplicity because I feel for poster designs, especially billboards the viewer may only look for thirty seconds, and the message needs to be understood instantly. The use of a simple typeface enhances this because it does not distract from the image, its context is important also due to the fact that its target audience is everyone- to get a message across to everyone it needs to be viewed in public (public transport such as buses and trains). 

OUGD403- Brief 4: Further Research & Interim Critique

Further Research & Interim Critique 

Within my interim critique I received mainly positive feedback which reinforced my ideas. It was said that my research was incredibly in-depth and as a result showed my passion for the subject which therefore was portrayed in my presentation. The feedback I did receive to move forward with this project and into Brief 5 was that I should chose an angle to look at the news story based on shark finning. Out of all the quotes from the newspaper they felt that this one in particular best suited my attitudes and research towards the subject:

“It is a myth that people in Asia don't care about wildlife. Consumption is based on 

ignorance rather than malice."

As my research previously, I have looked into already existing campaigns which 

show how educating people can have a positive affect because they simply were not 

informed that what they were doing is wrong. This form of ignorance is based on what is 

socially and culturally accepted. 

The "Washington Post" stated: 

"The dramatic expansion in China’s middle and upper classes has transformed the country into a major driver of global wildlife trafficking. The Obama administration is so concerned about Chinese demand for endangered wildlife that it made the subject an important part of its bilateral dialogue this year."

"Lavish spending by China’s wealthy has also sent demand for ivory skyrocketing, fueling a massive expansion in elephant poaching in Africa.

The consequences of the traffic go beyond a crisis for wildlife. The illegal ivory trade has financed global crime networks and local insurgents, including Somalia’s al-Shabab — responsible for last month’s attack on a Nairobi shopping mall.“Conservation is more about China now than it is about Africa,” said Knights.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-china-victory-for-wildlife-conservation-as-citizens-persuaded-to-give-up-shark-fin-soup/2013/10/19/e8181326-3646-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html

 “China can be the savior of wildlife or it can be the demise of it.” - This quote in particularly attracted my attention as it does highlight the fact that conservation campaigns and educating the people of china could save many forms of wildlife and improve people's perceptions and stereotypes. 

I researched what these words actually mean in a dictionary in terms of official definitions because these words in particular show the problems that need to be communicated. Graphic Design is the idea that there are problems that need to be communicated to an audience through image and text which translates to this brief. Brief 4 highlights the problem (ignorance in consumption of shark finning) whilst brief 5 gives an opportunity to resolve this issue. 

Brief 5: