Unit 10 is based on current affairs and as a graphic designer I have to create between 3-5 posters, in the form of a hard-hitting ad. A current affair is a problem in society, which is talked about in the news. A hard-hitting ad is a campaign designed to create a response from the viewer. This would have to be effective and possibly shocking in order to make change. Although the most hard-hitting adverts are graphic, they don’t have to be to convey their message.
My theme for this project is plastic pollution in the ocean and how this has an impact on humans. I will also do research into how we can reduce the amount of plastic that’s being deposited on beaches by recycling plastic in different ways. I will research how we can reduce the amount of plastic we use to save the marine life.
I would like my final outcome to be mainly photography based, with elements of illustration. I will experiment with different art techniques in order to get the desired effect with cyanotypes and scanograms as a starting point. If the techniques aren’t successful, then I will solely create the posters on Photoshop. I would like the final images to include the effect that plastic pollution is having on marine life. This might include turtles and whales in the shape and texture of plastics. I am unaware of how to create this, so I will have to experiment with Photoshop techniques and do further research a watch YouTube videos on how to create the effect. Another possible outcome could be to include diagrams of how this affects humans. I could create a diagram to show the knock on effects of plastic in the ocean, as it gets into the food chain and therefore is being consumed by us.
As a starting point I will research into recent current affairs through newspapers to see how talked about my chosen current affair is compared to other global events. I will then analyse my findings and come to a conclusion as to how talked about my chosen issue is. I will regularly look at newspapers and news articles to see if plastic pollution is being talked about or if it isn’t seen as a concern, as a reference point I will include a bibliography to the original source. As part of my primary research I will ask members of my class to fill out a questionnaire to see where they have gaps in their knowledge. From this I can analyse where they have less knowledge and back up my results with further research into articles and apply facts to my posters.
To measure progress I will create a checklist of tasks I have yet to complete in order to stay on target. If I haven’t completed a task then I will assess why I haven’t and complete the task in the following week. I will also ask friends to assess my work to see where I have strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the project I will create an evaluation and say if I have met my expectations. As well as what went well, what didn’t go well and how I could improve if I was to do this again.
Chloe Moss 