Biref - OUGD505, Studio Brief 02

Issue:

Social media and technology are such a huge part of society these days that it is key to understand the side effects misuse or overuse can have on a person. It is said that the amount of users of social media websites in the past 10 years has sky rocketed and will only continue to go up as developing countries start to go online. Use of these platforms have been linked to mental health issues but it is shown that many people are unaware of the symptoms let alone the causes of these issues.

Objectives/Aims:

Create a public awareness campaign linking to a charity showing the side effects of misuse and overuse of social media. The campaign should be light and give a personal feel to draw in the audience rather than using the standard tactic of being hard hitting and making the public feel guilty. Make the general public aware of mental health and how they can help to decrease the amount of users suffering from certain conditions. This should use social media to communicate the message as well as using real world applications such as posters or billboard advertisements as the aim of the campaign is to take people away from the technology and talk to one another more face to face rather than alone in a bedroom through a screen. 

Target Audience:

The public
Social Media Users
Children through to young adults

Deliverables:

A public awareness campaign showing the negative effects of social media on mental health and what we can do to change or decrease them. 

Supporting Resources/Info:

https://www.mind.org.uk/

https://twloha.com/

http://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/814465c5-404b-4c88-889f-45907ba1f402/mental-health

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robertwhitley/social-media-mental-health_b_11893462.html

https://www.encompassdorset.co.uk/Is_Social_Media_Impacting_Your_Mental_Health.html?gclid=CODhko2f5dMCFe297QodGz0JdQ

http://www.thebullyproject.com/

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/social-media-and-young-peoples-mental-health

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/online-safety-and-support/overview/#.WRhiiFMrI1h

http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748

Researching the Issue - OUGD505, Studio Brief 02

As feedback suggested the issue for the project had to be more honed in therefore more research would have to be made. Mind and TWLOHA sent over some very helpful information and much more has been looked into and bookmarked. Currently there are over 50 bookmarks taking information from different resources, online articles, campaigns, charities, research and publications. As it would be too much to include all the information key sites will be linked as sources and the information will be summarised to help figure out the project.

Nowadays many children, teenagers and young adults are fluent with using technology and the web, this means that it is often taken for granted. Things like bullying now no longer stop when school finishes and instead carries on through trolling and cyberbullying. Endorphins are released when we receive likes on social media and addiction is frequent throughout the internet, nomophobia is a proposed name for the phobia of being out of cellular phone contact. It is, however, arguable that the word "phobia" is misused and that in the majority of cases it is another form of anxiety disorder. It is incredible that these things can occur but anything is possible and this is why we must be aware of the side effects. 

Mind have information throughout their site and even have a guide to staying safe online. The Bully Project was brought to my attention by To Write Love on Her Arms when I contacted them, an online organisation to help stop cyber bullying. Time to Change is an organisation to end the stigma behind mental health this will provide excellent information for this project. 

Although it is hard to prove the correlation between social media and mental health through facts and figures it is still a modern issue we need to tackle. Many of the sites below discuss how the online world can affect your wellbeing through lack of communication, a sense of belonging, dissociation and much more. Often these things can be seen in the offline world and therefore is more common on the online world, often people feel lonely talking at or to a machine and would prefer to talk face to face with a human being, although this is not for everyone interaction with other life is still needed to maintain wellbeing. Throughout this project a public awareness campaign will be made to show this and teach people how to better maintain themselves through a healthy balance of online and offline interaction.

Sources:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/online-safety-and-support/overview/#.WRyoSBMrI1j
https://twloha.com/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/social-media-and-young-peoples-mental-health
https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/
http://www.thebullyproject.com/
http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/how-much-sleep-do-you-need.htm
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why
http://www.sane.org.uk/?gclid=CO38r6Sp09ICFcYp0wodQEcGHw
https://www.encompassdorset.co.uk/Is_Social_Media_Impacting_Your_Mental_Health.html?gclid=CNi2w8iq09ICFdQW0wodIV0G3A
http://brainblogger.com/2010/07/06/social-media-and-mental-health/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/088394179290028H
https://www.facebook.com/MTVAUSTRALIA/videos/10154938261678993/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED
https://www.blurtitout.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robertwhitley/social-media-mental-health_b_11893462.htmlhttp://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2683&context=honorstheses1990-2015
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/16/social-media-mental-health-teenagers-government-pshe-lessons
http://www.sternbergclinic.com.au/social-media-and-its-impact-on-mental-health/

Up Yer Sleeve, Research - OUGD503

William Onyeabor Nigerian Funk Legend. Created sounds completely different to anything ever heard before. The track the design will be for is Good Name, below are a look at some of the graphics used within the music video. Looking at the designs they are very basic but all use a similar aesthetic using highly saturated colours and bold block outlines. Above is the original design for the album artwork, again using quite basic design methods, I plan on using a similar design approach to pay homage to original with a modern twist on it.

Up Yer Sleeve - OUGD503

A new project set up by a 3rd Year Graphic Design Student at LCA. This project was set up to commemorate the musicians lost in the past few years as an alternative to the Secret 7" project that seems to be taking a break this year.

The track I received was: Good Name by William Onyeabor, a song and artist I have never heard of before. Onyeabor was the leader in Nigerian Funk Music and sadly past in January of this year.

Contacting Charities - OUGD505, Studio Brief 02

Mind:

Mind managed to reply to my email in less than 2 hours, not that it makes a difference how quick the replies were, it was just nice to gain a reply. This gave me such a great boost of confidence in the project as it seemed like they too were interested. If the reply had come a few days later or even weeks I would have been happy but I did this right at the start of the project to make sure I would have time to receive a reply. Mind were very interested and were glad I was interested in this topic, they sent over some very helpful information I will be using to push the project further and to influence the design for the campaign. I have since replied to Mind and asked if it would be okay to keep in contact, to which they said they would love to help out and to keep them posted. 

To Write Love on Her Arms:

The reply from TWLOHA wasn't as speedy as Mind's but still quick, within a few days I had received a reply with yet more helpful information. Since my sister was the one who made me aware of this charity a few years ago I thought it right to include her in the initial email. This meant the charity felt I was involved within the project and invested to make sure it is done right. The information given by TWLOHA was different to that of Mind but still very relevant, both charities seem to believe there is a definite correlation between social media and mental health issues. This has given me a lot more research to look into and means that I can hone in on the issue more, I have contacted other organisations but have yet to receive a reply, it would be great to combine all the information received to make sure that the project has a strong foundation.

Presentation Study Task 01 - OUGD505, Studio Brief 02

After conducting research a presentation was made to pitch our ideas to our peers. The presentation was kept simple and short to show off the information collected but not over complicate the idea. It was shown that much research has been conducted, charities have been contacted for information about the topic and online presences have been researched. The presentation was supposed to show off information conducted about the issue we are looking to help solve but I maybe had jumped too far ahead without explaining my issue as I wanted to show how excited I was for this brief.

Feedback from the session suggested this and it was made clear that I have to hone in more on the specific issue not just research or development. I feel I have researched an issue but this maybe has not come across through my work, this is helpful information and means I can develop the project further to really strengthen the idea.

OUGD505 SB02 by Josh Kevin Ezekiel Storey on Scribd

Royal Opera House, Evaluation - OUGD503

This brief was off to a slow start, we had many group meetings both in and out of university but ideas weren't flowing as we wanted them to. I think this is to be expected when it comes to working with new partners and with people from other subject disciplines. Once a few meetings were underway with ideas flowing and feedback sessions giving us critique on the ideas then we had no quarrels. Every idea was brought to the group, changes were always verified and there was no problems with group members falling behind, not attending sessions or not producing enough work. When the project really came together was after we had taken our trip to Manchester to do the photoshoot, this meant we had primary imagery to work from and it also got ideas moving forward at a rate we hadn't seen before. It was hard to consider everyones creative skills but it seemed that once we had tasks set it was easy for each person to go about their own tasks with their own specific skill set. Feedback on the work was very positive and very helpful to make sure the final product was a strong well rounded outcome. Mockups were provided to help showcase the project in reference giving the judges a clearer view. As a team we worked well together and managed to produce a really strong submission on time and with no worries at all. The costs of producing the projects were actually quite low, the only money spent was to get tickets to and from Manchester and to provide a Starbucks for the dancers overall it cost just over £30 between us. Everyone was happy to work within each area and help give feedback on each others work as we were developing. In the past collaborative projects have been hard and sometimes feel like your work may not be appreciated or be able to fit in as well with the final product but with James and Ben we have managed to break those barriers and include everyones skill set.

Royal Opera House, Submission - OUGD503

The project has now been submitted to YCN awaiting judgement. Below are the presentation boards showcasing the work. My teammates trusted me with the design of the presentation boards but before submission we all managed to check through and make sure all wording was up to standard with the designs all fitting together to show them off in the best way possible.

Research for Presentation - OUGD505, Studio Brief 02

This project has many interesting articles and topics to look into and luckily they often appear on my social media or on sites I visit frequently meaning I can bookmark pages and look into these things whenever I need. The hope is that these bookmarks are all useful and that more sites are put into the folder as the project goes along. This already feels like one of my most organised projects because I have done things like this and because I am interested in the topics discussed meaning I can get a lot more out of the final outcome.

This is one campaign I looked into, an illustrator teamed up with the World Health Organisation for mental health day in 2012. The video showed the struggle of depression and how it can affect people in different ways. This video was amazing as it showed that Mental Health shouldn't be put under this umbrella category, physical health is not labeled as such, this is why awareness is key to the public to help everyones understanding. It isn't just a video to show an illness it shows how illness affects everyone in different ways that some people may not have realised prior to watching. This is something to take away for the project to express in the best way possible all the things discussed above. 

Many articles are written on mental health and two that are personal to myself are from my sister and from an old friend. It is sometimes amazing to read about what people can write let alone to realise that they care for the same issues as you do without even knowing. The two pieces are great examples of how social media can be used to express good and understanding rather than to cause mental illness.

As I included a blog and article from people close to me I also wanted to show that people are able to share information through social media and able to reach strangers. The piece above is something I came across by chance, the articles is touching and moving to spread awareness of someone's experience with mental health. They speak about their illness in such a good light that it was almost refreshing to hear to know that someone has been able to conquer this illness and come out the other side a better person. Articles like these should be used to express the importance of public awareness and keep the talk alive. Things like this I would like to include in the project it is just finding out how.

Charlie McDonald is a very famous YouTuber, he mainly vlogs about his life but recently opened up and expressed himself in a way that shocked many of his audience including me. This is the thing mental illness is quite often invisible and is hard to see in people so awareness of the illness is so important. Charlie is someone very open to new projects and helping the world in whatever way he can, he is just a genuine person. If possible it would be great to get in contact with a social media star such as Charlie who is willing to help spread this awareness and push the campaign further. Using celebrities to help advertise campaigns is often a great way to get people on board and look further into the campaign meaning more people would be willing to help as they may not have ever realised any of the information or found it on their own.

Royal Opera House, Distribution Consideration - OUGD503

As a lot of the designs will be for printed media print costs will need to be considered. There are five different poster designs, three illustrative designs 3 gifs and one advert. The gifs will be put online which will cost to display but will hit the target market. The advert will be aired on TV and also online, as it is only short it does not require much attention or air time which will not cost as much and will grab awareness of viewers rather than dragging out and boring them. As for the printing costs, the stock does not need to be anything too pricey as nearly all the printed elements will not be making any direct income. Tickets will obviously costs to attend but you are not specifically paying for the design. As a quick research estimate I have found a printing company that quote £800 for 100 A0 This would be the maximum size and this price seems quite steep, as I cannot find any other trusted sites who will give an online quote I do not feel the need to waste the time of companies asking for an estimate purely for research purposes. £800 for 100 A0 prints seems pricey but in bulk up 1000 posters which, will leave some spare after being featured in major cities, means that you could receive a discount for ordering in a large quantity. Flyers will be double sided and do not require as expensive printing methods, stock etc. Programmes can be printed in house or with the others but this will cost on delivery.

Development - OUGD505, Studio Brief 01

From the feedback gained the design was taken through to the both the logotype and the target in one design to avoid confusion. The black background was added based on feedback also as this would help to highlight the text as your eyes are lead to the lightest point, it also mean that the target design could be even more subtly incorporated. Originally the target would be centered around the logotype and not off to the side but as stated previously the point is to give a refreshed look to an older design whilst not changing it too drastically. After asking around about this and previous designs it seems that this design speaks to people more than any other background colour so this will be the design taken through to print. The design in the bottom left will be the one taken through as it made sense for the target to be completely off centre with the rest ot the design making it slightly more quirky and unconventional from a usual poster design as there is enough to lead the eye away from the centre.

Royal Opera House, Putting into Context - OUGD503

The posters will be printed for large scale production up to A0 and be placed around cities within the UK, in public spaces and on main high streets. The posters will all fit a standard design so that consistency is seen throughout. The stock used will be a coated 200gsm stock. 

All gifs and moving images are to be put online on social media and on  website advertisements. 

All illustrative posters designs are set to be used as flyers, tickets and programmes. printed on matte 300gsm stock. These designs will also be available in large format as souvenirs.

Royal Opera House, Bringing Ideas Together - OUGD503

Once all the designs had been finalised we brought them together to make sure that they can be used together, the posters to go on billboards or about a city, the gifs to be used online, the illustrative posters to be used as flyer, tickets or programmes and finally the advert to be used online or for TV.

Posters:

The posters all incorporated typography to express the theme of the campaign.

Gifs:

Ben added type to the gif designs to tie design to the posters, he stuck to the same colour scheme as ben.

  

Flyers/Tickets/Programmes:

We decided that Ben's designs would be best used as flyers, tickets or programmes for events.

Advert:


Advert from Joshua Storey on Vimeo.

Royal Opera House, Second Poster Designs - OUGD503

I had a go at designing some posters using the imagery we required from the photoshoot, this made it easier to work with typography as there wasn't as much going on within the rest of the poster. The type was based around the imagery to describe what was going on within and a filter was added to each to give different feels to each design whether it be a warm filter of cool one. Type was decided after looking through the brand guidelines provided within the project pack, this also gave us an idea of how to position the logo in the top left corner. I posted the designs into our group chat to show another idea we could use for the poster designs, the idea seem to work for the group and instead of getting rid of Ben's incredible designs we would repurpose them for another use.

Feedback - OUGD505, Studio Brief 01

From the initial designs the feedback was quite complimentary. The designs seem to work for the simplicity aspect and to convey the relevant information. People who did not know The Who or about Mod Rockers did not understand the relevance of the target but after explanation could understand why the target audience would be able to see this. It was still said that adding the logotype would make more sense to attract the eye, if it was to redesign the event online with a description and not to advertise or celebrate the event going so simple would make sense but it is hard to tell what the event is for from just the target design. Suggestions were made about experimenting with a black background to see how the type could come through on this meaning that it may be highlighted a bit more and it would take inspiration from the bands previous poster designs.

Royal Opera House, Feedback - OUGD503

The feedback session went really well, unfortunately James could not attend as he was at a student rep meeting but we were able to put our ideas across without him as we had all discussed ideas as a group. We explained that we were planning on producing an ad campaign using the photoshoot for reference imagery and creating an ad on TV. The main idea would be based around showing the misconceptions of ballet and convincing the target audience that these are not true. We were told to look into more existing campaigns like the one above but the main consensus was that our idea was definitely on the right track to producing a strong outcome.

Initial Designs - OUGD505, Studio Brief 01

As the idea was to keep the design simple only holding relevant information it was best to just work with the bands logo and try to make it work. This would attract the eye of fans as they would instantly get the logo, the target being a sign of Mod Rockers not just for The Who would make sense to work with their typographic logo but could have the potential to be used on it's own. The designs in the bottom right are influenced by that of the album artwork for this event, again the relevance is clear but would it be effective and striking enough on a poster. The addition of colour would be something quite interesting but would mean that costs go up and would mean the printing processeswould have to be considered around this.

  

Royal Opera House, Gifs - OUGD503

James managed to create amazing gifs based around a similar style to Bens design. These have been created with a social media or online presence in mind to advertise to the younger audience through the web.

70s Design - OUGD505, Studio Brief 01

Looking into 70s design it is clear bold striking colours and patterns are what was in fashion. The other thing that stands out is the simplicity of design there's barely any text and if there is it is quite often incorporated into the design somewhere rather than being placed on top. It would work best to take inspiration from these kinds of designs for the project but it may not be relevant to take exact elements as the poster will be focused on the event and the band rather than 70s fashion.

Album Covers - OUGD505, Studio Brief 01

It made sense to look into different album artworks ranging from british rock bands, 70s albums, famous covers and The Who's own album artwork. Inspiration from these designs will help to build a structure for the design of the event poster. The designs are all quite often photography oriented but do feature a very simplistic design with not much info on the front because the music does the talking for you. Quite often in music this is the case so it would make sense to carry this theme on throughout the project and the design process.

Poster Designs - OUGD505, Studio Brief 01

Further design research led to look into gig poster designs; rock, the who and 70s posters. Like the other designs I have looked at, type is not heavy on most of the posters and if it is, it is to give relevant information for that event. More modern designs feature a lot less type and more focus is put onto the artwork on the poster and making the name of the artist bold and clear to stand out from the rest of the design. Although the designs aren't as simplistic from the 70s posters and The Who I would quite like to take these styles and maybe make them a bit more modern, this would give the poster more of a celebratory feel rather than just making something for an event that has already been.