Advocacy Posters – process

the GRAPHIC IMPERATIVE BRADLEY BROOKS VISC 402 DESIGNER AS AUTHOR PATRICK DOOLEY

PROJECT ASSIGNMENT Project one was all about advocacy. First, we needed choose a cause, and I chose racism. Then, we found an organization that went along with our advocacy. I found Anti-Racist Action. We were then to make two different poster designs for that company. One would type based, and the other would be image and type based. Both would need to help solve the problem of the advocacy and bring an action to it.

ODE TO INK SATURATED PAPER STEVEN HELLER Steven Heller elaborates on the idea of how effective posters can be. They have been playing a key role in our society since print was possible. Advocacy posters attempt to cause the audience to think about something and even change something about them. Heller does acknowledge that there are those that believe advocacy posters are not causing any change. It’s true that not everyone who sees an advocacy poster is going to stop and take the time to understand the message. Many people are busy, in a hurry, or do not even care. “Skeptics and realists will argue that wars continue…(excerpt from article)” It seems that advocacy posters attempt to tackle large subjects that deal with great impact. So you can see why people think one person viewing one poster is not going to do a whole lot of good. Heller then goes on to explain the other point of view on this subject.

You’ve got to start somewhere and maybe an advocacy poster is the way to plant a seed into someone’s mind about something. Then Heller goes into design and effectiveness of the aesthetics. He claims that many times advocacy posters are more effective when are not extremely attractive. Cleverness is key when trying to get someone’s attention. Whether that means the message, the visual, or the ugliness is clever. It has also come to a time where multi-media is so large that print pieces are not the main medium anymore. However, Heller states that even though it is not as popular as digital design, it is much more appreciated now and can be thought of as a novelty. Their staying power is much better than digital and can still be effectively used in this day and age.

I believe that Steven Heller made many, many interesting and unique points. I honestly agree with most of what

he said. I do believe that advocacy posters can be more effective than many other mediums like digital, even in this era. I understand where those are coming from when they disagree, but I am much more likely to take time to look at a poster than an image on a screen.

Even though I prefer designs that are aesthetically pleasing and beautiful, I can see how an ugly poster could work. The point is to get a viewer to stop and think about something. If the poster is just average and nothing special, then they are going to walk right on by.

If it’s extremely ugly, then the chances of stopping by to double take is much greater. Personally, I love print. I love being able to see the ink on the paper and appreciate all that goes into that process. Even though it is beautiful to me, it is not to others. But ultimately I do agree that print is still necessary during this digital age because it is just a different aspect that we cannot be done with yet. The power to advocate change through these posters is still in our hands.

WHY THE POSTER IN THE INTERNET AGE CAROL A. WELLS Protests are nothing new. And the one thing about them that has not changed has been the visual aspect.

Yes, there is going to be chants yelled and feelings unleashed, but there is always a visual. Carol A. Wells explains why the political poster is still being used effectively to this day. These posters are used for a wide range of subjects. Some of them are for racism, Chicano, gays and lesbians, and women’s rights. No matter what the subject is, there will be some sort of visual that people are holding up. Whether it is a poster made by a Sharpie or professionally printed, it is something.

Wells explains how the political poster has not been as effective in the United States compared to other places like Europe. There are not as many physical places to put posters that will get as much traffic of viewers as there are in other countries. Much of the United States is spread out due to suburbs. Then the places that do get a lot of foot traffic have so many visuals going on in one place it becomes difficult to focus your attention on one thing. Wells goes through examples of how time has changed things for the political poster. The protest that happened against George H. W. Bush’s decision to begin in the Persian Gulf War caused many people to rally against the decision. This protest massed over one million people on the same day. In a similar situation, his son, George W. Bush, decided to engage in war in Iraq and a large protest followed. There was one significant difference; the second protest was all over the news inside the United States when the previous one showed nothing. This outlet however made the event much larger and publicized. Wells continues to discuss the use of computers with the political poster, whether it helps or does not. She sides with print but does acknowledge

SIX POSTERS ANALYSIS that the Internet allows interesting opportunities for the viewer to interact with. As we continue to live with a “digital divide”, the political poster is still going to live on.

There will always be something for someone to oppose in this world, and the political poster is the best outlet.

There were points from Carol A. Wells that I agreed with and others that I did not. First of all, I think political posters are amazing. I love the fact that people like to outlet their feelings through print. Freedom of speech allows people to communicate what they think in unique ways. The main part that I do not agree with Wells is when she states that the Bush administration and Fox News made people believe there is no alternative. It might be more of a personal issue, but I do not believe that to be anywhere near factual. I like how she thinks as long as this “digital-divide” continues, so will the political poster. I had never thought about it in that way and it seems extremely logical.

LIFE SAVER BY YOSSI LEMEL + AIDS Obviously, this is a subject that is extremely important in society. The use of condoms can literally save your life these days. The correlation between the title and graphic really makes sense and is easy to get. Changing the edge of the condom to appear as a life saving device is done extremely well and does not appear too “photoshopped”.

I think that this poster is extremely successful because of the simplicity. The type might not be my favorite, but the whitespace saves that and makes you focus on the graphic. With the subject being so complex, a simple design helps channel all of that.

SIX POSTERS ANALYSIS

AGAINST VIOLENCE TO WOMEN

BY LOURDES ZOLEZZI + SEXUAL HARASSMENT This poster is a great example of mixing mediums.

There is photography, type, and digital imagery. Reading the type is really an afterthought after seeing the whole composition. It is acting as something else and is not meant to be read right away. The silhouette is nice because of how it frames the poster to resemble a slender woman’s body. Even the small touch of the bellybutton works well to complete that resemblance.

Then the scissors complete everything to resemble the terrible things that are being done to these women. It is successful because of the blatant honesty.

SIX POSTERS ANALYSIS

VICTORY BY FANG CHEN + SEXUAL HARASSMENT Whenever I see a poster that is extremely simple, I automatically think it wants to get a point across extremely fast. This one, however, is not really like that.

There is a lot of deeper meaning to gain from this poster.

First of all, there is no type or title. All that is there is the graphic. This x-ray medium goes past the skin to show the bones of the hand. The missing fingers spark interest, mostly because the two fingers left symbolically mean peace. However, I would personally use some type to explain a littler further what this advocacy poster is trying to say to the viewer.

SIX POSTERS ANALYSIS

PENIS COP BY ART CHANTRY + AIDS Chantry did not take the simple approach when designing this poster geared towards gay people. Instead, humor is the main objective. The face, hand, and condom are the main focus of the composition, but then there are lots of details surrounding the edges. I really love how my eyes are forced to move around the poster. First I see the face and hand, then the large quote, then information in the black arrow, then all the way around to the bottom of the poster. It works really well because it already has a lot of information. I really do appreciate the “vintage” feel, as well.

SIX POSTERS ANALYSIS

RAPE LINE BY LANNY SOMMESE + SEXUAL HARASSMENT This is a great example of closure. The negative space of the poster is what is so revealing. The type works well with the graphic because of its rough texture and “jaillike” aspect. I do like how the body is broken up into separate pieces. It is showing that rape can really hurt someone for a lifetime. Obviously, the closure with the hand is unique and really gives the whole concept a final punch. Without the closure, it would still probably look nice and pleasing, but the entire concept would not be all there. Overall, everything is working in my opinion and is a strong advocacy poster.

SIX POSTERS ANALYSIS

WOMEN AGAINST APARTHEID

BY WILD PLAKKEN + WOMEN’S RIGHTS This advocacy poster strikes me as dynamic. The lines formed really integrate the top graphic to the bottom graphic. Even though the type is in a foreign language, you can tell it is meant to say something powerful with meaning. I think the red and blue colors work well together. It is also nicely contrasted with the cutout of the women’s’ heads. The only thing that throws me off a bit is the how the title is placed in the composition. I don’t think that is in a spot where it is being most effective.

Other than that, I think this poster really works.

FOUNDATION RESEARCH OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION The idea of a classless society is the heart and soul of Anti-Racist Action. This organization was formed in 1988 and originated in Minneapolis. Acting as one of the largest anti-racist movements in the world, they have grown to five different countries and three continents.

Anti-Racist Action is extremely extensive and offers many opportunities to for everyone to get involved.

The Four Points of Unity are the key components of what the Anti-Racist Acton relies on. This is the closest thing to a mission statement that they have.

1. We go where they go.

2. We don’t rely on the cops or courts to do our work for us.

3. Non-sectarian defense of other anti-fascists.

4. We support abortion rights and reproductive freedom.

This explains the basic beliefs of the organization. They spend much of their time exposing fascists / racists in our communities. They have no problem with confronting them in their own meetings and taking a face-to-face approach. They believe they are willing and able to do these things without the use of authorities. One thing to think about is that racism is not just towards black people. Much of Anti-Racist Action involves Nazis that stems from the times of Hitler. Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Any discrimination to another individual or social group because of the way they were born is considered racism.

Anti-Racist Action also acts as a resource for those to come to when help is needed. This is a group that has come together to help those who are suffering from

discrimination. With this help, the world can come closer to being a classless society.

AREAS OF ADVOCACY 1. Racism and fascism is a problem in societies all around the world. By forgetting what a person looks like, we can hopefully create a classless society.

2. Fascists, still to this day, continue to influence others with their beliefs. By exposing these fascists in the public eye, hatred towards these groups of people will cease.

3. Meetings, often secret, are held regularly to encourage fascism and racism. By finding these locations and confronting these people face-to-face, these meetings will disappear and racism can decrease, as well.

4. Those who are suffering from discrimination often stay quiet about their situation because of embarrassment.

By offering services and encouragement from AntiRacist Action, they will not be alone and will be on their way to more security.

5. Often groups like Anti-Racist Action attract many people from very diverse backgrounds. By creating unified beliefs, everyone can agree without disagreement.

TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC The target audience of these advocacy posters is going to be geared towards a younger audience rather than an older one. I want to target a group of people that would not normally think they are racist. College men, ages eighteen to twenty-four is who I want to target. This generation is not normally put with racism because it is not thought of to have been an issue in this generation.

Our parents were around when segregated schools were in full force with black people. They were directly affected by racism and some still refer to the black race as “colored” people. Our grandparents were around during this time, as well as during the Nazi invasion with

Hitler. These are the generations that we assume some might still be a bit racism because they lived in those time periods. But it is the generation of young men today loosely throws around the terms “nigger and Jew”. These young men will be in college and will have most likely grown up in well-to-do lifestyles. They do not have to be extremely wealthy or live with parents like that, but they will have some sort of money. This demographic would say racist terms to their friends, but would not do it face-to-face.

PORTRAIT Eric Johnson is a college student from Chicago, IL. He was raised by fun parents and enjoyed a somewhat unstructured childhood. From a young age, he was always involved in sports. Being from Chicago, baseball was the first sport he attempted. Even though he had dreams of being a Cubs player someday, so soon realized that was not going to happen. Even though his stature was on the smaller side, football became his favorite sport to play.

He knew the lingo and how to analyze the Chicago Lions every Sunday. School was always easy to Eric, as he was a natural with the books. Saying he was cocky would be an understatement. He always had the biggest mouth and would continue an argument until everyone knew that he was right. This did not start working out for him until his sophomore year of high school. This was when he starting growing, lifting weights, and becoming varsity material on his football team. Now he could be cocky and have something to back it up with. Eric made his way to college in Lawrence, KS at the University of Kansas.

Even though it was a long way from home, the school had a great basketball and partying tradition. Here he joined a fraternity and quickly became accustomed to the college life and meeting girls. By day, Eric would be in athletic shorts and t-shirt depending on the weather.

By night, he would be in his Polo button-down and searsucker shorts. He lived the preppy lifestyle. He is not okay with eating junk food all the time and would spend a little more money just to get a good meal. His views are set and do not seem likely to change. He naturally uses terms like “nigger and Jew” when upset. His intentions have always been good, but he does off as cruel and obscene at times.

VISUAL AUDIT

BRADLEY BROOKS ANTI-RACIST ACTION

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ANOTHER LOGO

W E B S I T E H O M E PA G E

PROTEST

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F LY E R

CONCEPT STATEMENT

F LY E R

ORIGINAL Racism can be found in communities all over the world.

Anti-Racist Action works everyday to eliminate racism and help those who are going through it. This poster advocates a society where discrimination is not an issue. Specifically, this poster looks to expose those who encourage racism in local communities. Viewers can achieve this goal by printing out the available posters on their website to distribute throughout the community.

This poster should specifically be targeted to a younger, male generation. By placing these on college campuses, this worldwide problem can begin being solved by starting locally.

TO SUGGEST LIST

F LY E R

F LY E R

F LY E R

F LY E R

Aggressive ready or likely to attack or confront; characterized by or resulting from aggression Graphic giving a vivid picture with explicit detail Informative providing useful or interesting information Freedom the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint Local belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood, typically exclusively so Halting Active Racism Attacking Upfront Blunt

Investigative Angry Upset Unflattering Simple Direct

Cultured Appealing Clear Fascism Liberal Nazi

Love Interactive Sexuality Contradictive Independent

MOOD BOARD

TEXT SETS TAKE IT. IT’S YOUR CITY. Racism can be found in communities all over the world.

Expose the racists in your local city.

Print a poster.

ONE CITY UNITED Hate can be found just next-door.

Create a city that is free of hate and racists.

Pick a poster so you can help.

IS YOUR CITY AT RISK? Racism and fascism are still alive in America.

Become a society where discrimination is dead.

Get involved by posting a poster in your neighborhood.

BRADLEY BROOKS ANTI-RACIST ACTION

CAMPUS RESTORATION College towns still hear racist comments everyday.

Create humor that doesn’t involve racism.

Attend a comedy night at the student union.

FREEDOM’S CLOSE. EXPOSE IT. People are planning against Jews in your community.

Stop these meetings and discontinue them from the future.

Print a flyer and show your community what’s really going on.

PRINT YOUR FREEDOM Individuals are being discriminated against in local communities.

Offer resources and class to these individuals.

Call our privacy number today!

TEXT SETS

TYPE ROUND 1

PRINT. POST. BREATHE. People can’t live their lives because of discrimination.

Bring these people back to the real them.

Print any poster to help you breathe.

LOOK. IT’S OUT THERE. Even though you can’t see it, racism is alive.

Eliminate racism by starting in small local areas.

Print a poster and join the protest at your city hall.

READY. 1. 2. 3!

Local governments are ignoring serious racists in your area.

Get the local politicians to make the problem public.

Get some friends and start a protest.

P E O P L E C A N ’ T L I V E T H E I R L I V E S E V E R Y D AY B E C A U S E O F D I S C R I M I N AT I O N THESE PEOPLE CAN BE S AV E D F R O M T H I S H AT E

PEOPLE CAN’T LIVE THEIR LIVES EVERYDAY BECAUSE OF DISCRIMINATION

P R I N T A N Y P O S T E R AT

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these people can be saved from this hate

AND POST IT TO SHOW YOUR VOICE

print any poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org and post it to show your voice

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CHANGE YOU. CHANGE YOUR CITY. People in all areas don’t know the racist actions in their city.

Inform these unknown, concerned people to this startling reality.

Come to community info meeting and take action from there.

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PRINT ANY POSTER AT

www.AntiRacistAction.org AND POST IT TO SHOW YOUR VOICE

people can’t live their lives everyday because of discrimination these people can be saved from this hatred print any poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org and post it to show your voice

TYPE ROUND 1

TYPE ROUND 1

Racism

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R LI ACI VI SM NG TH IS S EI TO RA R P LI PI CI VE NG ST S S IN OU PEO YO T PL U TO E FR R OM AR TH FRO E E M SP A FU RE NE LL AD ED ES IN TO G T. B T E

IS A L I V E I N Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y

people can’t live their lives everyday because of discrimination these people can be saved from this hatred

racism is stopping people from living their lives out to the fullest.

visit www.antiracistaction.org to print an anti-racist poster to post in your area for free.

G OR N. IO CT TA ST IS CI R AC A OU IR I-R Y NT T IN .A AN ST W W AN PO E. W T E T IN TO FR SI R VI O P TER OR T OS A F P RE A

racists in your area need to be stopped from spreading this hatred.

print any poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org and post it to show your voice

print any poster at

www.AntiRacistAction.org and post it to show your voice

people can’t live their lives everyday because of racism these people can be saved from this hatred

print any poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org and post it to show your voice

race shouldn’t matter, and a world without it is a better world.

AN ANTI-RACIST WORLD IS A SAFE WORLD. PRINT AND POST A POSTER AT WWW.ANTIRACISTACTION.ORG TO STOP THESE MEETINGS.

Racists in your area are planning meetings of hate against the innocent.

an anti-racist world is a safe world print and post a poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org to stop these meetings

TYPE ROUND 1

IMAGE ROUND 1

+ an anti-racist world is a safe world + print and post a poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org to stop these meetings

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to stop these meetings www.AntiRacistAction.org + print and post a poster at safe world + an anti-racist world is a

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Racists in your area are planning meetings of hate against the innocent.

Racists in your area are planning meetings of hate against the innocent.

www.AntiRacistAction.org AND POST IT TO SHOW YOUR VOICE

RACISTS IN YOUR AREA ARE PLANNING MEETINGS OF HATE AGAINST THE INNOCENT

racism is stopping people from living their lives out to the fullest.

AN ANTI-RACIST WORLD IS A SAFE WORLD PRINT AND POST A POSTER AT WWW.ANTIRACISTACTION.ORG TO STOP THESE MEETINGS

racists in your area need to be stopped from spreading this hatred. people can’t live their lives everyday because of discrimination these people can be saved from this hatred print any poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org and post it to show your voice

visit www.antiracistaction.org to print an anti-racist poster to post in your area for free.

IMAGE ROUND 1

IMAGE ROUND 1

+ an anti-racist world is a

to stop these meetings

IS ST H OP AT P RE ED D.

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www.AntiRacistAction.org + print and post a poster at safe world

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+ an anti-racist world is a

G OR N. IO CT TA ST IS CI R AC A OU IR I-R Y NT T IN .A AN ST W W AN PO E. W T E T IN TO FR SI R VI O P TER OR T OS A F P RE A

Racists in your area are planning meetings of hate against the innocent.

safe world + print and post a poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org to stop these meetings

Racists in your area are planning meetings of hate against the innocent.

Racists in your area are planning meetings of hate against the innocent.

RACISTS IN YOUR AREA ARE PLANNING MEETINGS OF HATE AGAINST THE INNOCENT

AN ANTI-RACIST WORLD IS A SAFE WORLD.

AN ANTI-RACIST WORLD IS A SAFE WORLD

PRINT AND POST A POSTER AT WWW.ANTIRACISTACTION.ORG TO STOP THESE MEETINGS.

PRINT AND POST A POSTER AT WWW.ANTIRACISTACTION.ORG TO STOP THESE MEETINGS

an anti-racist world is a safe world print and post a poster at www.AntiRacistAction.org to stop these meetings

an anti-racist safe world

world is a

at t a poster print and pos tAction.org acis www.AntiR s se meeting to stop the

THOUGHTS ROUND 1

TYPE ROUND 2

TYPE The explorations were very broad, which was nice so I could get the bad ideas out of the way. The most successful design was with the words forming the letter “P”. However, just that letter is not doing enough to advocate something, so I still need to explore further in those areas.

IMAGE Photos can be successful, but these were not ones to be used on a final. I need to work on relating the image to the type so they feel like they belong together. As of right now, it just feels like an image placed onto the composition without much thought.

T H E S E P E O P L E CAN BE SAVED FROM THIS HATRED

PRINT / POST A POSTER AT www.ANTIRACISTACTION.org

THESE PEOPLE CAN BE SAVED FROM THIS HATRED

PRINT / POST A POSTER AT www.ANTIRACISTACTION.org

TYPE ROUND 2

TYPE ROUND 2

RACISM IS STOPPING PEOPLE FROM LIVING THEIR LIVES OUT TO THE FULLEST.

P R I N T / P O S T A P O S T E R AT w w w. A N T I R A C I S TA C T I O N . o r g

THESE PEOPLE CAN BE S AV E D F R O M T H I S H AT R E D

RACISTS IN YOUR AREA NEED TO BE STOPPED FROM SPREADING THIS HATRED. VISIT WWW.ANTIRACISTACTION.ORG TO PRINT AN ANTI-RACIST POSTER TO POST IN YOUR AREA FOR FREE.

RACISTS IN YOUR AREA NEED TO BE STOPPED FROM SPREADING THIS HATRED. VISIT WWW.ANTIRACISTACTION.ORG TO PRINT AN ANTI-RACIST POSTER TO POST IN YOUR AREA FOR FREE.

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