Circus Suffering

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The aim of this project is to inform the unsuspecting audience of the horrific animal cruelty that still pervades circuses in the UK and around the world. The project contains a prominent use of typography and stylistic choices to convey it's various messages and subtexts.

The reason I chose to tackle this topic is because I consider myself to be an animal rights enthusiast and I was unaware of the underlying issue. Therefore I wanted to educate myself and others on the mistreatment of animals that still pervades over circuses around the world, which can often be overlooked. Contemporary protest design is often somewhat rushed which often has a brief impact. This project utilises the
connotations of typography in order to change peoples perceptions of the treatment of circus animals in
an enduring process.

I drew inspiration from looking at Victorian era circus posters. These posters utilise large headings in order to draw in the audience to read the information. The posters also use a serif typefaces which is typical of the era. This project subverts the connotations of these aspects. The large traditional Serif type lures the eye of the audience in much the same way, with striking yet innocent content. However the San serif typeface evokes a clinical, modern approach in which the substance of the argument can be conveyed clinically without appearing bias. As this is tackling an issue often overlooked, I wanted the design to reflect this. The subtext is immediately dismissed as the headings are attention grabbing. Additionally the choice of a traditional serif font connotes a sense of heritage which reflects the fact that this issue is inherent and aged and it should already be resolved.