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.
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