Below are a few of the final images taken at the photoshoot.
The whole pack
Leaflet folded
Leaflet Back
Leaflet Front Stretched Out
Badges
Postcards
T-shirts
Research Books
Thursday 21 May 2015
Product, Range and Distribution: Evaluation
I have throughly enjoyed this project not only for the design challenges but also for the amount of knowledge I have learnt in the process. I now have a much better understanding about the NSA and government surveillance, I came to really enjoy the researching aspect as it was refreshing to learn about a current problem in great detail. I enjoyed having to narrow my research down constantly throughout the design process to arrive at a specific problem. I chose to focus my campaign on online privacy as the more I researched the more this seemed like a big problem. Researching into existing campaigns proved interesting as there didn't seem to be any strong conceptual design against online surveillance. This surprised me but also gave me a strong incentive to create aesthetically and conceptually sound campaign which could be implemented in reality.
Throughout the range of products each design has been carefully considered to relate back to the message of privacy. The postcards are a good example of this where a message has been printed under the stamp positioning. This relates back to a historical example of privacy invasion in the war, the letters were monitored so soldiers would write under the stamp as a way of secretly messaging. This is an extra touch which reinforces the campaigns message.
I wanted to use graphic design as a way to solve a problem. Although it can't solve all online privacy issues I have been able to use it to solve one. I created small stickers to cover the computers built in camera, after a discovering a few different issues in the past where people's cameras have been hacked. These stickers as supposed to be reassuring to the user. I found being able to use graphics to solve a problem really rewarding as I have designed something with a purpose that people will actually use.
A range of technical skills have been applied to the range of products; this has produced a variety of designs on different platforms to support the campaign. Branching out from purely digital production has really benefited the project because it has made the concept a lot stronger. Each medium shares the campaigns message in a different way. The electronic poster for example allowed me to break up the message into different slides and show the focus of the campaign in a physical way; by not being able to read the letters, then it becoming clear and finally the type being covered with redaction lines. This shows how the campaign is fighting for encryption and privacy to return. This is the unique benefit of digital work as it would not be possible to send the same message in one poster or by creating something by hand.
The range of technical skills used has not only benefited the strength of the project but has also benefited me as a designer. I have pushed myself to try as many new techniques as possible whilst making sure they are all appropriate for the campaigns style and message. For example I have taught myself how to use photoshop to create a moving poster, this was very rewarding as I was able to see it quickly progress and develop. I have also used this opportunity to improve current skills like screen-printing. Although I have screen-printed in the past, this has been a great opportunity to branch out and explore screen printing onto different materials that I haven't tried before such as bags and T-shirts. I found this challenging as quite a bit went wrong in the production, however it has been a really valuable learning curve and I feel a lot more confident in my ability to screen-print onto material now.
Cheaper products have also been produced to support the campaign. Both badges and stickers are great ways of showing support to a campaign as they
are inexpensive to produce and could potentially be made in bulk and distributed widely. They do not take up a large amount of room on a bag or T-shirt but they are easily recognisable and show that a person endorses the campaign.
I have managed my time well, I have set myself targets throughout the project. In the longer term this helped me to plan when I want certain pieces of work done by, I found it easier to work to a set deadline as it gave me a good idea of how far into the project I was. On a daily basis I also wrote extensive lists which helped to break down the brief into smaller manageable chunks. Organising my time well has meant that I have been able to produce a substantial body of work in support of the campaign. I allocated a considerable amount of time to research as it was a topic I knew very little on and wanted to make sure I had a good understanding of it before trying to communicate the problem to others. This has really benefited the designs by outlining a clear issue, from here I was able to create work that tackles and raises awareness about the specific problem - online privacy.
I have also been more organised in the way I design. I have dedicated a sketch book to the project and used it throughout to sketch out ideas and designs. This has helped me to plan everything throughout the campaign and has also kept all my thoughts and ideas in one place. It has been really useful to refer to ideas that were jotted down in the past as I have been able to recycle them and make them appropriate for the campaign. For example, I jotted down one idea which was blurring the line between public and private, this was initially meant for a poster however the composition didn't work and it didn't suit a poster format. Flicking through the sketch book later gave me the idea to recycle it but in the form of a postcard; where it fits a lot better. The sketch book has really helped my project and development as a designer; this is something that will be implemented in future projects.
One of the things I have struggled with in this brief is working without, or with very little, colour. This is something I am not really used to doing as all my previous designs have involved a range of colours. I enjoyed the challenge and I made a conscious decision to work mainly in black and white because it suited the campaign. The campaign didn't need a huge amount of colour as it wasn't an overly cheery message. Red and blue were used when appropriate as this was aimed to make a statement about the United States of America.
If more time was available I would like to explore creating an app in order to extend and support the campaign. The app would be downloadable for free and allow people to keep up to date with the campaign on the go as it would act as almost a case file. In an ideal world it would have downloadable software which makes you invisible online; this would use graphic design as a solution to the problem.
Overall I have found this brief very rewarding and challenging. Self directing meant that I could allocate as little or as much time to it as I wanted to; it was in my hands to find a good balance as well as making sure everything was completed on time. I chose to spend a longer period of time on the project mainly because I really enjoyed creating it. It is rare for a brief to have so many appropriate and different design platforms open, I really wanted to make the most of this opportunity to experiment.
Throughout the range of products each design has been carefully considered to relate back to the message of privacy. The postcards are a good example of this where a message has been printed under the stamp positioning. This relates back to a historical example of privacy invasion in the war, the letters were monitored so soldiers would write under the stamp as a way of secretly messaging. This is an extra touch which reinforces the campaigns message.
I wanted to use graphic design as a way to solve a problem. Although it can't solve all online privacy issues I have been able to use it to solve one. I created small stickers to cover the computers built in camera, after a discovering a few different issues in the past where people's cameras have been hacked. These stickers as supposed to be reassuring to the user. I found being able to use graphics to solve a problem really rewarding as I have designed something with a purpose that people will actually use.
A range of technical skills have been applied to the range of products; this has produced a variety of designs on different platforms to support the campaign. Branching out from purely digital production has really benefited the project because it has made the concept a lot stronger. Each medium shares the campaigns message in a different way. The electronic poster for example allowed me to break up the message into different slides and show the focus of the campaign in a physical way; by not being able to read the letters, then it becoming clear and finally the type being covered with redaction lines. This shows how the campaign is fighting for encryption and privacy to return. This is the unique benefit of digital work as it would not be possible to send the same message in one poster or by creating something by hand.
The range of technical skills used has not only benefited the strength of the project but has also benefited me as a designer. I have pushed myself to try as many new techniques as possible whilst making sure they are all appropriate for the campaigns style and message. For example I have taught myself how to use photoshop to create a moving poster, this was very rewarding as I was able to see it quickly progress and develop. I have also used this opportunity to improve current skills like screen-printing. Although I have screen-printed in the past, this has been a great opportunity to branch out and explore screen printing onto different materials that I haven't tried before such as bags and T-shirts. I found this challenging as quite a bit went wrong in the production, however it has been a really valuable learning curve and I feel a lot more confident in my ability to screen-print onto material now.
Cheaper products have also been produced to support the campaign. Both badges and stickers are great ways of showing support to a campaign as they
are inexpensive to produce and could potentially be made in bulk and distributed widely. They do not take up a large amount of room on a bag or T-shirt but they are easily recognisable and show that a person endorses the campaign.
I have managed my time well, I have set myself targets throughout the project. In the longer term this helped me to plan when I want certain pieces of work done by, I found it easier to work to a set deadline as it gave me a good idea of how far into the project I was. On a daily basis I also wrote extensive lists which helped to break down the brief into smaller manageable chunks. Organising my time well has meant that I have been able to produce a substantial body of work in support of the campaign. I allocated a considerable amount of time to research as it was a topic I knew very little on and wanted to make sure I had a good understanding of it before trying to communicate the problem to others. This has really benefited the designs by outlining a clear issue, from here I was able to create work that tackles and raises awareness about the specific problem - online privacy.
I have also been more organised in the way I design. I have dedicated a sketch book to the project and used it throughout to sketch out ideas and designs. This has helped me to plan everything throughout the campaign and has also kept all my thoughts and ideas in one place. It has been really useful to refer to ideas that were jotted down in the past as I have been able to recycle them and make them appropriate for the campaign. For example, I jotted down one idea which was blurring the line between public and private, this was initially meant for a poster however the composition didn't work and it didn't suit a poster format. Flicking through the sketch book later gave me the idea to recycle it but in the form of a postcard; where it fits a lot better. The sketch book has really helped my project and development as a designer; this is something that will be implemented in future projects.
One of the things I have struggled with in this brief is working without, or with very little, colour. This is something I am not really used to doing as all my previous designs have involved a range of colours. I enjoyed the challenge and I made a conscious decision to work mainly in black and white because it suited the campaign. The campaign didn't need a huge amount of colour as it wasn't an overly cheery message. Red and blue were used when appropriate as this was aimed to make a statement about the United States of America.
If more time was available I would like to explore creating an app in order to extend and support the campaign. The app would be downloadable for free and allow people to keep up to date with the campaign on the go as it would act as almost a case file. In an ideal world it would have downloadable software which makes you invisible online; this would use graphic design as a solution to the problem.
Overall I have found this brief very rewarding and challenging. Self directing meant that I could allocate as little or as much time to it as I wanted to; it was in my hands to find a good balance as well as making sure everything was completed on time. I chose to spend a longer period of time on the project mainly because I really enjoyed creating it. It is rare for a brief to have so many appropriate and different design platforms open, I really wanted to make the most of this opportunity to experiment.
Thursday 14 May 2015
Product, Range and Distribution - Part 2: Leaflet
The leaflet will be vital to the campaign pack. It will inform and educate the public about what is happening and will also provide background information to the other designs. Now that the content is beginning to collect, I have decided to experiment with the design aspect.
I don't want the leaflet to be a boring or normal design that simply shows the information. I want to create something memorable which fits with the campaign. One idea was to create a concertina fold so that the design would say one thing when shut, when opened the sentence would extend and it would say another. Below I have sketched up what this should look like.
Closed it could say We Want Privacy Back. This is the whole focus of the campaign and should be made clear to the reader. Once opened it would then change and say We Want Mass Surveillance to Stop. Bring Privacy Back. This will need some tweaking, however the conceptual idea is there. This both communicates the message of the campaign whilst providing a memorable interactive element. There perhaps should be a linking statement between the two; something along the lines of 'we are not suspects', this would explain why we want mass surveillance to stop and give a reason to why we want privacy back.
Here is a quick mock up I have made of the leaflet, this has allowed me to see where all the information would be placed. This mock up is 10cm squares however the actual document will be 15cm as this provides more room for information. One side will include all the information, about the campaign has purposefully been placed on the back of the design so that it's the first thing viewers read. When the sides are opened more information will appear, such as about the NSA/Edward Snowdon, Facts, How to protect yourself online and how to support the campaign.
Although this won't be fully inclusive it gives enough of an overview for the reader to understand. A link to website and also social media will be made clear so that they can further their understanding and show their support/share the campaign.
I don't want the leaflet to be a boring or normal design that simply shows the information. I want to create something memorable which fits with the campaign. One idea was to create a concertina fold so that the design would say one thing when shut, when opened the sentence would extend and it would say another. Below I have sketched up what this should look like.
Closed it could say We Want Privacy Back. This is the whole focus of the campaign and should be made clear to the reader. Once opened it would then change and say We Want Mass Surveillance to Stop. Bring Privacy Back. This will need some tweaking, however the conceptual idea is there. This both communicates the message of the campaign whilst providing a memorable interactive element. There perhaps should be a linking statement between the two; something along the lines of 'we are not suspects', this would explain why we want mass surveillance to stop and give a reason to why we want privacy back.
Although this won't be fully inclusive it gives enough of an overview for the reader to understand. A link to website and also social media will be made clear so that they can further their understanding and show their support/share the campaign.
This is what the back of the leaflet will look like with all the content put in to the design. The lines won't be printed but just show where the leaflet would be folded.
Writing the whole thing in ZXX looked too heavy. The tracking looks odd because of the sentence structures. Speaking to Ness she suggested that I should try a ransom style letter instead. This would fit in with the collaged hand cut out effect used on the first poster design.
Here the sentences are created out of the ransom lettering. The range of different type faces and colouring creates an interesting visual display of type.
Once put into context the ransom doesn't seem to work. This is because of the colours are too bright; they are clashing with each other and make the page look busy. The composition doesn't work either, the varying sizes of type make the message unclear.
The saturation of the ransom lettering has been lowered so that the colours appear more dull, making the range of colours closer together. The size of each word has been changed so that every word is clear, easy to read and a similar size. The typographic layout has been centralised making the hierarchy clearer whilst removing inconstancies within the type layout.
"We are not suspects" has also been displayed in ransom lettering. This has filled the gap and continued the theme throughout the design.
Wednesday 13 May 2015
Product, Range and Distribution - Part 2: Gathering Content for Leaflet
I want to create a leaflet which I can put in my pack. This will give people more information about The Eagle's Eye but also explain what has happened with the NSA and Edward Snowdon.
I have bullet pointed what I will need to include in the leaflet. I will then gather all the content before beginning designing so that I know how much I have to work with.
• Who/what is The Eagle's Eye
• The aim of the campaign
• What the problem is/what we are fighting
• The NSA
• Edward Snowden
• How you can protect yourself?
• How can you help?
It is important to get the structure and content of the book correct. The content can be placed in an effective order which will support the case and give the situation more depth whilst making it easier to understand.First explaining about the campaign and the problem so that people have a brief understanding of what the campaign is fighting. Then moving on to who the NSA and what they have done. Edward Snowdon should be covered as he has had the most fundamental roll in revealing the mass surveillance. Next should be some shocking or interesting facts, these will have more meaning if people have a bit of prior background knowledge. From here the book should cover how people can protect themselves and finally how they can help. In this section the campaign pack could be promoted as the money made would go back into funding the campaign. Links to websites and social media should also be clear and obvious to the reader. Social media has a huge impact on the success of campaigns, if a cause wants to go viral they will not succeed without it. Making the links obvious will guide the reader to showing their support online, after reading the book content the reader should feel like they want to join the campaign.
Who/What/Aim
The nonprofit think tank New America Foundation published a report today after investigating the 227 Al Qaeda-affiliated people or groups that have been charged for committing an act of terrorism in the US since 9/11. It found just 17 of the cases were credited to NSA surveillance, and just one conviction came out of the government's extra-controversial practice of spying on its own citizens.
US dramatically expands definition of terrorist—new guidelines state
that “concrete facts are not necessary” and profiling is acceptable.
First Look, July 23, 2014
1.5 million people added to the Terrorism Watch List in the last 5 years—and
have no legal recourse or way of challenging their status.
Associated Press, July 18, 2014
Snowden: Dropbox is a NSA surveillance target.
Boing Boing, July 18, 2014NSA spies routinely share nude photos collected during surveillance.
The Guardian, July 17, 2014
At least 80% of all audio calls, not just metadata, are recorded and
stored in the US.
The Guardian, July 10, 2014
NSA uses video-game style ‘reward points’ to encourage employees to
do more spying.
Washington Post, June 18, 2014
I have bullet pointed what I will need to include in the leaflet. I will then gather all the content before beginning designing so that I know how much I have to work with.
• Who/what is The Eagle's Eye
• The aim of the campaign
• What the problem is/what we are fighting
• The NSA
• Edward Snowden
• How you can protect yourself?
• How can you help?
It is important to get the structure and content of the book correct. The content can be placed in an effective order which will support the case and give the situation more depth whilst making it easier to understand.First explaining about the campaign and the problem so that people have a brief understanding of what the campaign is fighting. Then moving on to who the NSA and what they have done. Edward Snowdon should be covered as he has had the most fundamental roll in revealing the mass surveillance. Next should be some shocking or interesting facts, these will have more meaning if people have a bit of prior background knowledge. From here the book should cover how people can protect themselves and finally how they can help. In this section the campaign pack could be promoted as the money made would go back into funding the campaign. Links to websites and social media should also be clear and obvious to the reader. Social media has a huge impact on the success of campaigns, if a cause wants to go viral they will not succeed without it. Making the links obvious will guide the reader to showing their support online, after reading the book content the reader should feel like they want to join the campaign.
Who/What/Aim
The Eagle’s Eye is a campaign to raise awareness and put an end to mass online surveillance focusing mainly on our online privacy. After 9/11 the laws on government surveillance loosened and they were given more rights to prevent further attacks. However this means that all our meta data is being stored: basically everything we do and say online is now being collected. This information is collected from our telephone companies, internet providers and is stored for years. Access is available for law enforcement's like the FBI, without need for a warrant. This issue has caused uproar for many reasons from the wrong people having access to your information, to your naked pictures being saved and past around the staff.
We don’t think this is acceptable or ethical and we need to fight to get our privacy back. We want to raise awareness so that more people know whats going on, and then we can fight for the change we need to see.
Bring Privacy Back.
About the NSA
• more indepth since 911 - interview with ex employees
• increased surveillance because of 'terrorist threats'
Facts & Sources
Below are the facts that I am going to include in my booklet. There are links to the sources below.
that “concrete facts are not necessary” and profiling is acceptable.
First Look, July 23, 2014
1.5 million people added to the Terrorism Watch List in the last 5 years—and
have no legal recourse or way of challenging their status.
Associated Press, July 18, 2014
Snowden: Dropbox is a NSA surveillance target.
Boing Boing, July 18, 2014NSA spies routinely share nude photos collected during surveillance.
The Guardian, July 17, 2014
At least 80% of all audio calls, not just metadata, are recorded and
stored in the US.
The Guardian, July 10, 2014
NSA uses video-game style ‘reward points’ to encourage employees to
do more spying.
Washington Post, June 18, 2014
Tuesday 12 May 2015
Product, Range and Distribution - Part 2: Creating a Moving Poster
So far the range of campaign work produced has all been physical. I wanted to create a digital piece of work to expand the range into another format.
Creating a digital poster will open up a lot more options in the way I can design; it means I am able to communicate with an audience by only revealing certain information at a time.
Sketch Idea
Here is a quick sketch mock up of the poster I wanted to produce. The idea was that the text would appear a word at a time. After creating the postcards I have decided to change the slogan to Bring Privacy Back. This is a lot snappier, easier to say and is better condensed into three words; again, fitting in with the three redacted lines. The 4th slide would be the whole text but in a range of the ZXX font. This would make it hard to read and would fit with the statement Bring Privacy Back because the end of the video would be using the font designed to maintain privacy.
After drawing the transition out, I decided it would actually look better the other way around. Although the first design fits the statement more, it would be more intriguing for passers by if the words flashed up but made no sense. They are not able to properly read or understand it, this too can represent maintaining the privacy. At the end it would quickly flash up in a clear font what the statement said.
I had no clue on how to make the moving poster so above is the youtube tutorial I have watched before creating it.
Final Moving Poster
Here is the final poster which would be displayed on the London underground and on other electronic poster boards. The poster moves through the slides relatively quickly and would be on a loop. The slides move quicker at the end when they flash up what it says so that people have less time to read it.
The poster like the other range of products really focuses around the point of privacy. The type being hard to read at the beginning in ZXX shows the audience how our personal information and messages should be; hard to read, encrypted and private.
The three redacted lines that appear at the end and cover the text resemble the restoration of privacy. It completely hides the the text making it impossible to read or see, this is symbolic to bringing back privacy.
Distribution
This digital poster can be used on the electronic poster screens in London. The screens that are spread along the duration of the escalator would be an ideal spot because of the sheer volume of people who would see it. The poster would be seen by thousands and its unclear message at the beginning would grab the viewers attention and keep their focus, especially as they have nothing else to watch.
Target Audience
The target audience in this case will be a broad range of people who pass the design. Some people will pay more attention than others and would hopefully question the slogan.
Sunday 10 May 2015
Covered: Evaluation
Overall this project has been very enjoyable. I have always had an interest in philosophy and enjoy reading and learning about it in my spare time. This brief was a great opportunity for my to combine two of passions; graphic design and philosophy.
Being able to choose a book which I love has made the project even more enjoyable. Not many philosophy books have interesting or even good covers; they normally look quite boring and don't often reflect the philosophy inside. It was an great challenge to update the book cover to make the book more appealing to a new audience. I was able to use prior knowledge about the book and its running themes to create a concept for the design pretty quickly.
Being able to create the design quickly after a few sketches may have been the one downside of this project. I knew from the beginning which philosopher I wanted to do and quickly identified a running theme to base the design around. I don't feel like I fully explored a few different avenues before picking one. If I could change anything it would be to research into more philosophers and perhaps think of more covers.
However considering the time limit for this project and the sheer amount of work on, being 100% sure on the book has really helped to focus my research into the conceptual aspects of the design. I was able to dedicate more time to reading the book and really understanding it, this meant that the design is a lot more thought through and every design element is justified.
The design has been printed on a fine linen stock from G.F Smith, this paper was chosen to reinforce the traditional book style. The colour has printed more of a teal instead of the intended green. However the texture of the paper has really shown through and different colours can be seen within the design.
Even though I haven't been able to carry out as much experimentation and exploration into other ideas, I feel like I made the right choice to focus my energy on one design. I have really enjoyed this brief and I am happy with the outcome. It has a strong concept behind the design and every element has been carefully considered.
Being able to choose a book which I love has made the project even more enjoyable. Not many philosophy books have interesting or even good covers; they normally look quite boring and don't often reflect the philosophy inside. It was an great challenge to update the book cover to make the book more appealing to a new audience. I was able to use prior knowledge about the book and its running themes to create a concept for the design pretty quickly.
Being able to create the design quickly after a few sketches may have been the one downside of this project. I knew from the beginning which philosopher I wanted to do and quickly identified a running theme to base the design around. I don't feel like I fully explored a few different avenues before picking one. If I could change anything it would be to research into more philosophers and perhaps think of more covers.
However considering the time limit for this project and the sheer amount of work on, being 100% sure on the book has really helped to focus my research into the conceptual aspects of the design. I was able to dedicate more time to reading the book and really understanding it, this meant that the design is a lot more thought through and every design element is justified.
The design has been printed on a fine linen stock from G.F Smith, this paper was chosen to reinforce the traditional book style. The colour has printed more of a teal instead of the intended green. However the texture of the paper has really shown through and different colours can be seen within the design.
Even though I haven't been able to carry out as much experimentation and exploration into other ideas, I feel like I made the right choice to focus my energy on one design. I have really enjoyed this brief and I am happy with the outcome. It has a strong concept behind the design and every element has been carefully considered.
Product, Range and Distribution - Part 2: Postcards
Postcard Idea 1
Ages ago in my sketch book I drew up a few ideas for a poster around the fact that the line between privacy and public has been blurred and its not really clear whether information that you choose to put online should still be classed as private.
The idea wasn't substantial enough for a poster. However I have decided to recycle the idea and use it as a design for a postcard instead. The postcard has better dimensions for this design and the message becomes more powerful.
Originally I tried placing the public over privacy to show how private things have now been replaced or re-classed as public. This design isn't visually strong and it makes privacy hard to read. The design doesn't fit in with the idea of the lines being blurred.
Spreading the type out so that the two sections are clearly divided. Public has been written in bold to draw the viewers attention showing that information is now classed or seen as public rather than private. The message of the design is good but it needs to use some form of blurring to reinforce the caption underneath.
"The NSA - blurring the line between private and public since 2001." plays of the way companies proudly announce how long they have been doing something, for example "Heinz creating the best ketchup since 1876". This tongue in cheek tone highlights a problem with the NSA and slates them whilst presenting the information as if it were in favour of them.
Blurring 'private' has helped the public to look sharper and clearer.
By blurring 'public' but not to the same extent as the 'private' this has helped to illustrate the blurring of the two categories. Allowing 'private' to be more blurred shows that is its fading from privacy to public.
Back
The back needed to include a set place for the stamp, room for an address and also a brief overview about the campaign so that people could understand the postcard in its context. A link has also been included to the website so that people can google what the campaign is about in greater detail.
In the war, soldiers used to write under the stamp or on the back of the stamp as a way of sending a real message home. At the time every letter was read and checked over, secrets and information were not allowed to be divulged. By writing under the stamp it stops the authorities reading whilst being able to contact home secretly. Here is a link with some really interesting stories where soldiers wrote under the stamps, what they said and why they did it.
This links incredibly well with the aim of the campaign. It is a nice extra touch which drives home the idea that we are being monitored and they are watching over what we do and say.
The coloured logo stands out terribly compared to the rest. The logo itself looks huge whilst the type underneath is barely legible.
Using the black and white smaller version of the logo has removed the attention away from the corner. The information about the campaign takes up an appropriate amount of room leaving space for the users personal message.
Postcard Idea 2
The second postcard involves the design created to reflect the NSA spying over us.
Bring back our privacy sums up what the campaign is about. The design supports the slogan by showing how the world is still being watched through the keyhole.
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