Graphic Design Art 235 | Winter 2022 | BYU-I

For this project we were tasked with creating a PSA poster for the AdCouncil's current campaigns. We were asked to make it relevant and applicable towards our targeted audience, while implementing one of the Seven Creative Strategies. I chose "She Can Stem." because of how much I believe that the sciences and the arts are all compatible for creatives. I remember attending science camps at UNLV when I was in middle school, and how much I loved all the learning opportunities that came through attending them. Now that I am a Mom, I wanted to make sure that my kids learn to love the sciences and see them for how beneficial they are to our societies as much as other professions. 

I first started my project by reading through the website, and the websites that were listed to see how many different organizations and ways that they were promoting STEM for girls. Then I listed and created a brain map of different things, areas and women that came to mind, or hand an impact on science. 

After I had plenty of ideas jotted down I started sketching out different concepts and ways to present STEM to girls in Middle School.

I then met with my professor and we talked about different concepts to try. I felt like I needed to have the image of a girl on each poster. I wanted to find a way that each poster related to someone of a nationality and skin color, to help reinforce that they belong in STEM. I then went and walked a local mall and department store to see how girls in this age demographic were being marketed to. I found that the images were very simple and clean and had a fun element to them. Next I reached out to some middle school aged girls to see what they were drawn to, and what sciences seemed relevant to them. I used the marketing and the interviews with the girls as an influence in my designs. 

I started with makeup and clothing, but they seemed disconnected and editorial. 

I decided to try adding a girl to the design and emphasizing the sciences in to categories.

I felt like I was getting closer to what I was looking for because the picture of the girl really helped to make the human connection, but still wasn't hitting the target on the vision, so I simplified it while still keeping the girl, and went on to create some fun while using the Seven Strategies to help build more relationships within the images and their experiences in life. 

I kept seeing this image and the girl on the front just seemed so happy and perfect for the "She Can STEM" campaign. On this PSA poster I chose to show chemistry and biology, while swapping the molecules on the structure for donuts. Then came up with a fun pun slogan to go along with it. It creates a laugh, a relation, and speaks to the message of getting together with STEM.

This next one was also perfect as it reminded me of someone I knew, someone who was still sporty like my first designs, still girlie, but someone who was also willing to take the risks that come with space exploration. For her design I swapped the lenses for images of space and constellations, accompanied with a pun of seeing stars. 

My final poster was for mathematics and food sciences. Its march and we all celebrate Pi day on the 14th, and it's another relationship maker for the girls. I made the relationship of math, and food through the combination of making the pepperonis on her pizza the shape of the Pi mathematical symbol. 

I chose to do a mock up that could be used in a school and social setting. I like how all three designs compliment and work with each other. The middle school aged girls I interviewed really felt like if they saw these posters in school or somewhere in public that they would grab their attention, and that they were easily understandable. I feel like this mock up shows that these designs work even in a public setting.