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Exercise #1: A typographic poster ADV 93 Design Fundamentals, Fall 2023

TASK

At a time when awareness of climate change is high among consumers, brands cannot ignore the need to green up their business practices. It seems strange to even think that some brands are resistant to change along eco lines when we can see the damage that rampant consumerism and a reliance on fossil fuels has wrought on our planet. Critics within our industry were writing about this as way back as the 60s and through to today. Victor Papanek, in Design for the Real World, argues that designers need to be aware of the social context and impact of their work. Although it focuses on Industrial Design, it can apply to Communication Design too. In The Green Marketing Manifesto, John Grant argues that "we need to find a sustainable marketing that actually delivers on green objectives, not green theming." This continues in his follow-up, Greener Marketing, that helps "uncover strategies for sustainable marketing that actually deliver on green and social objectives, not just greenwashing."

And brands are being helped by government initiatives like Joe Biden's Green New Deal that provide funding and support for businesses wanting to expand their eco-positive product lines or begin the switch away from eco-damaging practices to sustainable manufacturing. As a result we see auto manufacturers focusing on developing their electric and hybrid models, clothing manufacturers using sustainable and recycled materials, and brands giving back to community and environment, helping with human and environmental crises where they can. Sometimes brands are merely greenwashing, but mostly they are changing and making a difference.

This brief will see you engage with a given brand and their sustainability-forward product lines and practices. Your brand will be the group name on Canvas. The idea is to craft a copy-driven set of three out-of-home posters. Not billboards, you will be creating Adshels. Adshels are the posters, print or digital, that occupy the side panels of a bus shelter. The given size is 1800 mm x 1200 mm, or approximately 6' x 4'.

You must really craft your copy. Words will drive this campaign home. You will have a central Headline. And a catchy Tagline. With only 20 words of Body Copy. You will also engage with typography to bring your words to life.

You will need to research, ideate, and create thumbnails. And then you'll get on to Adobe Illustrator where you will work on three separate art-boards customized to the following dimensions: 18" wide X 12" high This is a 3:2 aspect ratio, the same as the actual print size for the Adshel.

Ensure color settings are CMYK with a 200-300 ppi/dpi resolution. Finally save a copy as a PNG file.

You're going to get crafty with Illustrator, Firefly, maybe Express. Using Generative AI you'll be able to bring image fills into your type, and recolor from text prompts. More about this later.

Each solution must be executed considering:

  1. Choice of typeface
  2. Style/Size/Weight
  3. The use of upper and lower case characters
  4. Leading and kerning
  5. Powerful copy

Why

Advertising sells products and is capable of raising awareness and motivating individuals into group action. Help consumers make sustainable purchasing decisions using the power of words, importantly, words brought to life visually.

An important element in this project is typography. Typography is often overlooked but the reality is that it is a powerful communications tool. Typography conveys personality and impact. Typography can be a potent art form that acts as a visual image and a signifier.

Key Information

You must include the following:

  1. A powerful headline: One for each print ad - three total.
  2. The call to action: Or tagline. This is consistent across all three executions.
  3. Some body copy: Twenty words max that help the consumer understand the connection between your headline and the product.

Aim

The aim of the exercise is to use typography as an end in itself, minimizing supporting imagery, and to promote positive sustainable decisions.

Suggestions

  • Think about typography in physical terms - get messy and don't accept your system fonts!
  • Use a limited color palette.
  • Really understand and feel passionate about the brand your are amplifying - read widely and thoroughly.

Specifications

You'll upload to Behance as a project. Include at least 6 rough ideas. Sketches and light visuals are important. You can do these with pen and paper and take a picture, or create them using a digital tool if you like. Be sure to take no more than 1 minute on each idea to help you stay open-minded and loose.

CREATE

And have fun!

Self-assessment

Self-assessment

You should evaluate your project based on these prompts and include it as a paragraph in your Behance project.

What was the most challenging part of creating your piece, and why?

If you could do your creation over or improve parts of it, what would you do differently?

If you could learn a new skill or tool instantly, what would you choose to learn and why?

What would you say to someone else who wanted to create something similar?