Module Evaluation

In this module within the first studio brief I was able to learn more about Leeds as a city and explore a way to celebrate it. I enjoyed this brief as I was able to do embroidery which is something that I have never done before and I had the excuse to create something using solely traditional methods. I also enjoyed this as I was able to create something for an exhibition thinking less about it practically and more about how it would stand out and work in an exhibition space. In the second brief we were given more creativity which I loved as I was able to pick a subject that I was passionate about. I created a campaign with printed design and social media. Due to my time management I was also able to not just plan a video but also film it. I felt that this video really brought my work together at the end. I enjoy making videos however don't usually require them within my design work so it was good that I was able to do this and get a better knowledge of editing. Overall I found this module beneficial to my practice as a creative as I was able to fit to a brief and make them my own with successful outcomes.

Final Outcomes

My Collection works well together and makes the designs stronger. I feel like the use of blank space and colour strengthen the feel of the campaign not making it seem weak like what people can consider people who feel suicidal. It is consistent with its information and style which makes the branding effective at drawing an audience. Along with the advertisement and social media aspects I feel like this campaign could work towards getting more awareness of suicide and its raise as an issue.

Inside Booklet

Talk to me tuesdays Gif

I thought it would help to promote the campaign by making a gif as gifs are used a lot on social media by a wide audience. The people who I used in my advert held up a sign I created with the hashtag on it. Seeing this gif could encourage people to use and explore this hashtag which will ultimately get people talking which is what the whole aim is of my campaign.

Survive Advert

I felt the outcome of my advert worked really well. I used the royalty free music to create a contrast and enhance the shock factor of what the people were saying. The shots make the audience focus on what is being said and gives a strong message. This video can be distributed and consumed on social media, youtube and maybe on tv. Seeing this video puts out the campaign name which will lead people to the rest of the content such as the booklet.

I wanted to get some feedback from people on what they think as I didn't want the advert to be to extreme with its mention of suicide. This was the feedback I received.

• I structure of the video has a natural progressive nature to the main cause leading the viewer on the subjects journeys.
• I think it is effective and has a really good emotional journey 
• The video will hit people and give them emotion to the cause.

Better Quality - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-teiYKkuzM4

Filming an advert

I decided to Film my advert I hired out one of the larger studios to get full body filming. I set it up very minimal using a white background and a stool. This was so the footage would focus on the people and what they are saying rather than the audience being distracted. I used two cameras so I could get two angles, which I felt would make the video more interesting and professional. I asked for my participants to describe a loved one (who was a male) in a sentence. I also tried to get a variety of responses. If I was to really create this advertisement I would have a range of actors with different ages to make it more relatable to all audiences.

I created the video using iMovie as I am most comfortable using that software and it is good at editing film clips and audio. I also created text slides between the clips that have the same font and colour as the rest of my campaign. This showed the necessary information and helped create the tone of voice I was after. I also took some photographs to make a gif.

Focusing on Distribution

My campaign has a large target audience targeting not just those who need help but also their friends and family. This can be of all ages and genders not just males. I would make sure my booklets and information were easily accessible to all public. The videos and gifs would be put onto social media to be able to be shared and viewed. The posters would be placed in public places, such as near bridges, train stations and other places people may be at risk. The booklets would be found in schools and education buildings as well as hospitals and shops. Overall my aim is to spread the message to as many people as possible and distribution is a important thing to consider.

Campaign video Idea

Within feedback and research I have found that Men are the least likely to admit they need help therefore within this campaign video I wish to target the family and friends of the people who could be at risk. 

My idea is to show people talking about males in their lives. It would go like this,

"My Grandad is Loving and Kind"

"My Boyfriend is Funny and Caring" Etc.

The tone of voice will be happy and sweet however when it gets to the last person they will say,

"My Dad took his life" or " My Dad commit suicide"

This will dramatically change atmosphere to sadness and give the audience a shock. This is because people don't usually say things like this confidently. It will then cut to the information of Survive plus a short message.  

This video will be made to look like people are celebrating there loved ones but then end with a strong message that you need to look out for people and help them get help.

I will create this using students however if I was to do this properly it would use a range of people from different ages. I will use a plain studio and get people to sit on a chair when telling their stories.

Campaign Videos

There are many videos and campaigns targeting mens feelings and the stereotype that men shouldn't cry. Some successful videos includes videos of men crying and talking about the last time they cried. The videos are from different places in the world all with the same goal. The more successful videos include celebrities and hashtags as it gets people talking and help people understand that everyone cries and that is okay.

One video that stood out to me was the Watch Cut video that asked males of all ages to sum up being a man in few words. These videos have high impact and have lots of opinions.

There are not many videos on suicide in a persons point of view because of the lack of people willing to talk about it. However when a video is made they reach a very large audience and are very effective at raising awareness.

After looking at these videos I found that the videos all focus on clips of multiple people talking. The sets are bare making the audience focus on what is being said. They all end with a strong message that leaves you thinking. I want to create a similar style video that includes multiple people with a strong message.

Final Campaign Critique

I had a group critique showing all of my campaign designs together. I wanted to show my campaign and see if anyone thought that something was missing. We had a discussion about how this is a difficult issue to target. Everyone felt that my designs were appropriate and really liked my booklet and the idea behind it however they thought there was not an overall thing that draws the campaign together. I need something with the biggest audience and that draws the most attention to the campaign. It was suggested that I could create some type of video that would promote the campaign.

We talked about some successful videos such as the video used to show men crying. People felt I needed to think about my target audience. Would I target the men themselves or the families and relatives would could talk for them. Everyone felt that I had a difficult challenge and felt that it was good that I identified that people are not willing to talk about this issue. To carry on from this critique I am going to research, plan and mock up a video that can go along side my campaign.

Campaign designs

Bookmarks are a good way at putting across information as it has a purpose and can be easy to produce and distributed. I designed to different book marks. One includes a promotion for World Suicide Prevention Day and the other includes people you can call and a website to visit if you need help. Both promote the Survive Social Media Account. I designed the bookmarks with the aim to make them fit with the theme of the booklet therefore they are justified and work well with the collection as a whole.

I also wanted to create a poster series. Survive wants people to be able to share therefore I wanted to use photography of real men who have lost their lives to suicide. This makes the campaign more personal and more hard hitting to showing that it really does effect lives. I made the image black and white to suggest to the audience that the person has died. The main purpose of the posters is to make people look more into the campaign therefore I did not need any extra information or statistics. The blank space relates to the booklet cover and draws more attention to the text that is shown.

 Creating a social media account is important to any campaign. It reaches a large audience. It is also a great way to create a community that can communicate with each other. I designed a mock up Instagram account. The account would work by posting promotion, motivational quotes and peoples stories. I would use hashtags such as #TalkToMeTuesdays to encourage people to share and also use hashtags that are used by other campaigns to work together with this issue.

I want to get some feedback on these extra designs and find out what more I can do.

More initial ideas

In my critique I was given some good feedback regarding what else I could create to further my campaign.

 A poster series could work well as it could be placed in many environments and get people learning the survive name. My idea is to have a poster series including photography of men who have lost their lives to suicide and use my posers as a tribute to them. I want my posters to be aimed only at getting people to learn about the campaign and not use statistics.

Another idea was to create a bookmark. This is something that has a purpose and is less likely to be thrown away it could be good to give a small amount of information and could be distributed in bookshops, libraries and educational places.

Social Media plays a huge role in many peoples everyday life therefore I feel a social media presence is a big must. I have the idea to create a Instagram that encourages people to learn and talk. It would work alongside other charities by using the same hashtags and would include quotes, information and statistics. It could also include people sharing stories by the use of promotional days such as Talk to me Tuesdays.

I want to develop some visuals for these ideas.

Booklet Critique

We had a walk around critique in class I showed my booklets and asked a few questions.

This was the feedback.

1. Do you like the book better with ripped or without ripped edges?

2.Should I wear down the cover to symbolise the bruises that life can cause on the outside of a body?

• I think that the typeface and the dark blues looks sophisticated so wearing down the cover may not work with this look.
• No as that suggests 'the end of the road' a well lived life. You want to encourage them to keep going. not to just accept the lives they lived.
• It isn't necessary to wear down the cover. The book should symbolise clearing the mind.
• I actually think a clean, neat front cover is more effective. An intentionally battered book might give the appearance that the book is old and not relevant. A clean cover is also reinforced the name 'Survive'
• No. The simplicity will appear more as it reflects the simplicity of the info and inside design. Doesnt require thinking to understand.

3.What else can I create to make this booklet part of a campaign?

• Social Media videos? Look at the 2017 time change campaign - They focus on guys supporting each other in terms of mental health
• A book mark, encourages people to keep a hold of the information, stickers? Good for campaigning.
• Maybe make a poster series with a logo/logotype same as the book.
• Social Media and  animation
• Logo, digital collateral- Maybe link to a charity or keep independent with no stake holders?
• Social media Campaigns would work plus public awareness ads, maybe tie in with a charity?

4. Any other Comments?

• Illustrations really cool.
• The colours inside could be brighter
• Good Concept 
• The design decisions are Clear but on the inside it talks about stereotypes, maybe mention more about breaking them. Maybe include more ways of getting help rather than facts
• Love it!
• 'Male Suicide awareness could have been on the inside front to inform the reader more.
• The teared edges is more engaging
• Think about distribution - Maybe Perfect bound would feel more masculine.

Putting booklet together

I put my booklet together in indesign and print on shiny paper. I made the cover slightly thicker than the inside paper to show a difference and so the cover was stronger. I decided to rip the edges of some  booklets to create a deckle style edge and cut some normally. This is so I could decide better which works best. When thinking about binding the booklet I wanted to use a binding method which was best for mass production but also worked well with the small content and page number. I felt the most masculine binding method from the outside of the book was staple bound. This also seemed the most practical. I need to get some feedback on my booklet finding out wether the ripped edges work best.

Deckle Books Research.

'Often called uncut or untrimmed edges, deckle edges are a topic of some confusion and debate in the book world. Once largely unavoidable and probably annoying, the pages are now a conscious design choice' 

I Found an article on Deckle Edges books discussing the history of the style. A Deckle edge is a book which is not cut at the edges this leaves and sloppy unfinished edge, but this is also sometimes done on purpose to fit the book theme.

I found that people can have some strong opinions on deckle books. People who are against them say they are messy looking, gather dust and make it harder to navigate the book. Other people argue that it brings beauty to the book and would pay more money for this style.

The reason I was looking at deckle books is because I felt it made the book look more delicate and gentle. It was also unique and they seem more inviting to get people to engage with the book.
This is something that I would like to experiment with my booklet as in my theme I want the inside of the book to represent that men have feelings and are not all masculine and stereotypically strong.

Inside booklet development

In my development I Needed to find the best way all of my elements worked together. I decided to tie the inside to the cover that the text and line drawings could be the same colour of blue as the cover This colour along with the Gill Sans font was easy to read and looked informative without looking to serious. I experimented with my texture by using it in small areas to draw focus to the words and illustrations. I also tried the texture as the whole background. I lay out the text using a grid system making sure there was space around the text to make it a relaxing and easy experience to read.

I decided to ask some males what they thought of this inside design and weather it would put the off reading the information. They all liked the texture as it was unique and they felt it was subtle enough to be a background to the illustrations and text. They also felt it wasn't feminine but also not masculine and that they would read the information because it looks intriguing. This was feedback I was happy to hear therefore I will create all of my booklet in this style and layout.

Booklet Cover Ideas

With my cover idea I wanted a masculine font that would stand out and look strong. Therefore I was looking at fonts that were bold. The font I felt worked best was 'Bebas Kai'. I got some feedback from others and everyone I spook to agreed that this font was strong and worked well alone. It would also attact the main target audience which is Males.

I wanted a simplistic cover design that contrast the inside and leaves you wanting to open in to find out more. Looking a colour I needed it to be bold and stand out. After feedback and discussions with other I found that,

• Green seems more army like and reminds people of nature
• Red seems dangerous and intimidating to pick up. It also seems forceful.
• Black seems professional but also morbid.

Finally I decided the deep blue was the best colour as it relates to the inside by colour but not shade and also really expresses masculinity in a stereotypical way.

 Looking at layout of the cover I felt it would be most effective as only typography as it leaves the audience wanting to find out more. However I looked into the size and layout of the title. I liked the boldness of the large  type and felt that it would grab peoples attention in any environment. But people may feel intimidated by this and less likely to pick it up in a public place.

Line Drawings

 To make my booklet engaging I knew I needed to include images and not just text. I thought line drawings would be a good ideas because it can be made more personal. Also line drawings are more engaging and looks less like something the NHS would do. Also a form of stress relief is doodling. I can also have fun with this idea by creating bullet points with scribbles which would go with the theme well. It could also contrast the front of the book.

I drew the line drawings to match the information I had gathered and scanned them in.

Watercolour Effects

I want the inside of my booklet to represent that men have feelings just as much as anyone. I also want the tone of voice to be calming and gentle. I am looking at traditional methods using watercolour as I feel that watercolour looks gentle and calming and more personal. I want to use the colour blue as it links to men in a stereotypical way but also blue is known as a calm and tranquil colour. Looking at some methods I like the bubble effect as it is unique and uses different shades.

I decided to experiment by using blue food colouring/ Ink in water with washing up liquid. I blew bubbles and pushed paper onto the bubbles to create the effect.

This left me with a delicate effect. I want to play around with these scans in my booklet.