For COP in my dissertation I have been focusing on ethical practice within graphic design. As part of this I will be exploring ethical practice through my own design by contacting and engaging with a live brief. When thinking of a charity I wanted to work with I considered a variety of different options and contacted a number of children's charities to enquire if they were interested, unfortunately a large number felt as though design wouldn't help them. However from searching online I came across wildlife charities which seemed to struggle with promoting themselves and information to the public. At this time of year bonfire night and the coming of winter is a problem to many wildlife charities who are struggling. I spoke on the phone to several charities who specifically rescue hedgehogs. This is because as I saw in the news recently their numbers are lowering quite drastically.
From a Guardian report it was suggested;
'the threat of extinction in the near future was unlikely, but the rate of decline had wider implications for the state of the UK's ecosystems because hedgehogs, like butterflies, are seen as an 'indicator' species for the health of the natural world. "They're quite generalist, and feed on soil invertebrates, and they're not very fussy in habitat requirements, so if there is a big decline in hedgehogs, it raises concerns about the quality of the environment generally," he said.'
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/29/hedgehog-population-dramatic-decline
As a threat to the UK environment is important to me I felt as though it would be useful to engage with a live brief to use my graphic design skill set to be able to benefit the environment and help a charity who also follows the same ethical ethos of influencing environmental issues positively. Through emailing and phone calls to a variety of different hedgehog based charities I was asked to contact a lady called Lorna who runs Hogs Rest Hedgehog rescue. Here is her Facebook page:
This was the logo which she seemed to use for a while but hasn't done since:
From a Guardian report it was suggested;
'the threat of extinction in the near future was unlikely, but the rate of decline had wider implications for the state of the UK's ecosystems because hedgehogs, like butterflies, are seen as an 'indicator' species for the health of the natural world. "They're quite generalist, and feed on soil invertebrates, and they're not very fussy in habitat requirements, so if there is a big decline in hedgehogs, it raises concerns about the quality of the environment generally," he said.'
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/29/hedgehog-population-dramatic-decline
As a threat to the UK environment is important to me I felt as though it would be useful to engage with a live brief to use my graphic design skill set to be able to benefit the environment and help a charity who also follows the same ethical ethos of influencing environmental issues positively. Through emailing and phone calls to a variety of different hedgehog based charities I was asked to contact a lady called Lorna who runs Hogs Rest Hedgehog rescue. Here is her Facebook page:
I contacted her after being directed from another charity local to her. We discussed what would be helpful to her and the charity in the future and what I would create for her that would make it easier for her to convey information to the public.
'Hi Melissa, Jane (Willows) just got off the phone and was telling me, you are willing to help and Yes Please, that would be marvelous if you can.
I haven't got no graphics on my boards ect, it all got thrown away but that is a different story..'
'yes I do go to fundraiser events and yes with a tent!
To get an idea, for the boards, if you have a look on Willows website Charlie designs loads of graphics on hog awareness, information we, carers tell people nearly all the same awareness....
I did have a Hogs Rest logo, which I designed many years again, I will try find a pic of it...
On the page there is a pin post, About sick/injured 'On what to do' this can be use that for information leaflets'This was the logo which she seemed to use for a while but hasn't done since:
It was suggested that I could either keep the logo or perhaps give it a little revamp so that it would be more current as it was drawn quite a while ago.
'By all means please use for your university project Melissa. Many Thanks again and Good Luck creating artwork.
You're helping me for my charity and this is helping you with your university studies, All the best. '
After a few discussions I was able to identify the types of items that should be created and also what would be helpful for the charity. In basic terms Lorna asked for a new logo to be created so it could give her charity an identity with its name. Due to a low budget the best way of promoting the work she does would be through social media as paying for someone to code a website could be costly- however this could be something to consider in the future. The logo could be used across a variety of different formats including banners and stands for fundraising events. It would also be useful to have large posters with vital bite size information rather than long paragraphs of text- these posters could be displayed at the fundraising tents.
From these discussions I will be able to produce a set design brief for COP to ensure it is focused and through designing and discussions with Lorna I will be able to evaluate my own practice in response to ethical practice.
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