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).