AMPLIFY BLACK VOICES.
wk 4 | persuasive posters | #oneperday2020
This week’s studio was based on the topic of persuasion. Considering the prevalence of technology in today’s digital age, the consumption of visual media has risen drastically. Hence, images are becoming increasingly important as they can be leveraged as valuable tools for persuasion. The task set for week 4 was to create a persuasive poster for a cause we were passionate about. I chose to center my posters around the Black Lives Matter movement – specifically focusing on the idea of allyship. This is the link included on the poster designs for anyone who would like to access it and help the movement :) https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
PRELIMINARY SKETCHES
IMAGES 12-14
Tools:
Mechanical Pencil
Techniques:
Sketching | Shading | Cross-hatching
Process:
I first used a mechanical pencil to roughly sketch the outlines for the three different iterations of what the poster could look like. Following this, I added some details to the sketches – e.g. boxes exploring where subtext could fit into the poster’s composition and shading and hatching to the aspects of the sketches which required it. After completing these sketches, I selected the one that I believed was the most persuasive/impactful iteration before moving onto render it digitally.
Persuasion Techniques & Design Decisions:
Image 11 - I attempted to use hyperbole as the persuasion technique for this first sketch. More specifically, the typography was highly exaggerated to hold a prominent and distinct form – hence, reflecting and emphasising the heavy weight of the question’s deeper meaning. Additionally, the ‘N’ was purposefully drawn as if it was falling off the fists to convey the idea that the burden was too much for the existing fists and more support was needed in this movement for racial equality.
Image 12 - This second sketch utilises the technique of allusion. The imagery of the man being strangled by a hand alludes to the idea of how systemic racism stifles and murders Black and Indigenous Australian individuals. In particular, the hand is covered in destructive behaviours/phrases which perpetuate this system (e.g. gaslighting and “all lives matter”). This is a reference towards the normalisation of racism cemented in our society that we often witness but do not challenge. The question proposed emphasises this ideology – whereby, the ‘murderer’ is the system of racism in our society.
Image 13 - The persuasion techniques used for this final sketch are metaphor and synecdoche. In particular, the mic-fist hybrid is a visual metaphor conveying the ideology of allyship. The fist itself is a common symbol of solidarity within the Black Lives Matter movement. Combining this symbol with the microphone is representative of allies showing their support via metaphorically ‘handing over the mic’ to Black and Indigenous Australian individuals (i.e. allies utilising their privilege, power and platforms to champion Black and Indigenous Australian narratives). Synecdoche was the persuasion tool I chose to use to enhance this metaphor. Whilst I could have drawn a whole raised fist and overlayed a microphone outline over the top (or vice versa), I thought it would be more visually compelling to fuse these two objects together using synecdoche. As we can see, the two distinct forms can still be observed despite the omission of the fist's wrist and the mic's real head. This technique allowed me to reduce the amount of visual elements I had to include – thus, making the overall image and complex metaphorical message more easily digestible for the audience.
Reflection & Selection:
After comparing the three ideas, I chose to further develop the third sketch. I believe that on top of the effective application of the taught persuasion tools, this poster was the most impactful. In the poster examples from this week's studio/readings, I found that the most moving images were, visually, some of the simplest. I learnt that a poster need not be abundant in visual elements to leave a lasting impression – rather, an effective poster had a clearly articulated aim, carefully selected symbols and was created with passion at the heart of it all. I believe that the third iteration best meets this criteria - hence, resulting in my final selection.
PERSUASIVE POSTERS
IMAGE 15 & 16
Tools:
Adobe Illustrator
Process:
Image 14 - First, I used the rectangle tool in illustrator to block out the areas where the main visual elements would go (e.g. a rectangle each for the microphone, speech bubble and the subtexts). Doing so allowed me to ensure that the composition of the poster was well-balanced (not too crowded nor too empty). Then I began drawing out a rough outline of all the elements using the curvature pen tool. Once I had completed the initial outlines, I used the direct selection tool to manipulate those shape outlines into more distinct and neat forms; this stage was the most time consuming and mostly involved experimenting until I was satisfied with the look of the element. Following this, I filled in the different shapes in according to the chosen colour palette for the piece (black, white and yellow). Finally, I searched for a suitable font to use for the poster’s header and subtext.
Image 15 - The process is the same as above – just with a change in the colour palette.
Design Decisions & Theory:
Gestalt Principles - The main principle utilised within these persuasive posters is Gestalt’s law of closure which stipulates that when we see a “complex arrangements of visual elements”, our eyes tend to group these elements together to form a recognizable pattern or form. As in, the brain will fill in the blanks – completing the image even if there are elements jumbled up or missing. This principle works hand in hand with the persuasion technique of synecdoche – thus, allowing me to create an effective and clear design without frivolous or excess visual elements.
Composition Rules - A specific but subtle design decision I included in the posters is the use of vectors (lines which lead the viewer’s eyes from one element to another). In particular, since the overall design of my poster is simple and minimal, I felt that it would be important to include visual elements which helped the audience along in their viewing process – hence, the use of subtle vectors. The viewer’s eye should start from the top left of the image following the curvature of the top of the speech bubble down to its tail, then trailing down the microphone vertically and finally following the vector line of the mic’s wire to read the subtext on the left and ending on the call to action in the bottom right corner.
AIDA - The two techniques/principles discussed above also contribute actualising and enhancing the AIDA theoretical model.
(A) The audience’s attention would be captured by the use of iconic symbols (the fist and the phrase "amplify Black voices") – which are distinct to the Black Lives Matter movement. Given the exposure the target group (young adults: 20-25) would have to social media and technology, they would all be familiar with these symbols. By utilising icons prevalent in popular culture, I am able to leverage the prior or assumed knowledge of my target group – thus, allowing me to only include the most necessary and impactful visual elements.
(I) Interest is then sustained via the simple imagery – the minimal design leaves the audience wanting to know more; whereby, the strategic vector lines augment this interest and invite the eyes to trail down the page.
(D) More often than not, persuasive posters tend to use audience centred captions/phrases to create empathy and thus desire. However, after completing some research, I found that most posters which conveyed similar messages to mine utilised short, punchy phrases. This is because they best conveyed the urgency of the situation/need for support – spurring the audience to want to do better and to help improve the current unjust social climate.
(A) Lastly, the call to action is apparent in the inclusion of the link – whereby, both pieces of subtext act as prompts for the audience to click the link (this call to action is also reinforced by the use of the vector lines as discussed above).
Colour -
Image 14 – For this image, we were instructed to create it using black, white and one colour. I selected bright yellow as the accent colour for this poster as it is immensely eye-catching – the contrast it creates against the black and white is noticeable but not jarring/obtrusive. Psychologically, yellow also represents loyalty, optimism and enlightenment – all emotions/mentalities I wanted to convey to the target audience in encouraging them to join the movement.
Image 15 - This image was to be created in full colour. I knew that when I created this image, I wanted it to have a warm colour palette. In particular, I used a blood orange, a light yellow and a maroon-brown shade. The orange represents energy and change; the lighter yellow is used to connote hopefulness and optimism; the maroon-brown shade symbolises power, passion, bravery and strength. The visual elements on the poster are all linked to the meanings of the colours. For example, the orange as the background generally represents how the movement is positively gaining more attention and momentum. The light yellow conveys the idea that as the movement gains momentum and more allies use their privilege to share Black and Indigenous Australian narratives, we will start to witness change for a better future. Lastly, the header itself is depicted in the maroon-brown colour as it represents the bravery and strength of those who speak up against inequality.
OVERALL REFLECTION
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this week's studio and task. In the beginning, it did feel extremely daunting to produce images for a cause I care deeply about; however, after a while, I came to really enjoy working on this project as I am passionate about the message behind it. If I was to redo this project, a particular aspect I would improve upon is the microphone. After receiving some feedback on the piece, a few have mentioned that they might add some details to the mic and fist to further enhance its presence on the page. In general, even though I know I have a lot of room for improvement, I am happy with the final outcome and hope that these posters may incite some positive impact on those who view this project.
PROCESS WORK
Pictured below are some other iterations I completed before reaching my final design.
I also experimented with adding texture to the poster. Ultimately, I believed that the poster was most effective as a clean, flat illustration; however, I do like the unique, grungy vibe of this iteration as well.
REFERENCES
Ambrose, G., & Harris, P. (2008). Fundamentals of graphic design. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Colour Wheel Pro. (2020). Color Wheel Pro: Color Meaning. Retrieved 21 August 2020, from http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html
Cortez, R. (2005). Bad Blocks Font | dafont.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020, from https://www.dafont.com/bad-blocks.font?text=amplify+black+voices
Sequenz, B. (2015). Lietz Block Font | dafont.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020, from https://www.dafont.com/lietz-block.font?text=amplify+black+voices
UserTesting. (2020). 7 Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception: Cognitive Psychology for UX | UserTesting Blog. Retrieved 21 August 2020, from https://www.usertesting.com/blog/gestalt-principles#:~:text=The%20principle%20of%20closure%20states,can%20still%20recognize%20the%20pattern.
Visual Literacy. (2020). VISUAL TECHNIQUES. Retrieved 21 August 2020, from https://visual-literacy-skills.weebly.com/visual-techniques.html
DVB102 | n10480510 | Jen Li Wan
