Durex Design Boards

Callum O’Reilly

Durex - External Collaboration/Competition

OUGD603

Brief/Rationale

In today’s ever-changing sexual landscape, people are feeling more pressured and anxious than ever before when it comes to sex. Durex is the liberator of good sex. They believe good sex is a human right. They’re on a mission to break the conventions. They’re providing the products to liberate everyone to have the sex they want on their own terms, in a safe way.

Across all STIs, the highest rates of diagnoses are seen in 16 to 24-year olds*. For example, 59% of people who got chlamydia or gonorrhoea in 2016 were in this age range.

Condoms** are the only effective method of preventing the spread of STIs. Create a campaign, galvanise the way that 16 to 24-yearolds across the world use their right to protect themselves, make carrying a condom the norm.

A solution for duets to galvanise the way in which 16 to 24-year-olds seen using condoms.

Visualising different levels of sexual experience within the age group, explaining the way in which situations don’t always go to plan, people have the sex that they want in the way that they want always to ensure that they are safe.

Visually encapsulating stories in an animated relate all manner using light humour with serious undertones to get the heart of the way in which the target audience perceives sex to be unique and insightful angle.

Callum O’Reilly

Durex - External Collaboration/Competition

OUGD603

Research

The research element of this brief has a clear direction on the understanding of the demographic. Through tapping into the key trends within the demographic themselves we would be able to talk to them on a level of visual understanding and familiarity, allowing for the entire campaign itself to have more of a sense of integrity about the meaning behind it. We research into applications which people of the age group use in order to find sexual partners, looking into the likes of ‘tinder’ and ‘pure’. Through looking at the visual identity that is associated with these type of applications we were able to see the way in which the applications promote their use, as can be seen her cheeky innuendo illustrations are used to be able to give a sense of detachment from the scenes are being seen in a way that almost allows the audience to place themselves within the situation rather than the illustration itself.

The illustrations highlight common occurrences within sexual situations and therefore offer relevance to the people viewing them, thus in turn advertising the use of the up in order to avoid, or promote the situations depending on the preference of the audience. This is something we discovered that can be tapped into during the development stages of our brief, using points of reference to creative familiarity within storylines of the campaign to the audience themselves, therefore allowing them to put the cells in the situation when using a Durex the normal, in a way that also endorses the Durex brand values. At which point it was discovered that the brochure moved me forward within an animation illustrative style to be able to not be too specific to one element of the target audience, such as certain genders or age groups within the demographic, through using illustrative animation it broadened the way in which the communications can visually

carry across the campaign idea. Research stages also looked into animatic skills, fixing around simplistic and modern illustrations, the use of on trend illustrations also allows for a visual link towards this age group and demographic due to the visual digital world they are emerged in. Research into illustrative styles that could be used within the campaign were also gathered, allowing for further development within the styles and influence on the final piece. Research was also gathered into stories produced by media outlets that the demographic are highly influenced by, such as the tab, in which stories were featured of people’s sexual experiences which did not go to plan, highlighting the fact that directors key brand values include the fact that people should be having the sex they want to and no matter how it goes it should be safe. To the investigation and development of the stories found in research further on in the brief, relevant tone of voice for the age group itself could be found, therefore once again adding to the familiar style they already are visually receiving within the animation itself, bringing the concept and the meaning behind the animation to the forefront of the piece. Adverts which adopt a similar style and tone of voice aim towards a similar demographic also investigated into, such as the Google pixel animation adverts, in which people you normally use iPhones talk about their experiences of using the Google pixel.

This casual way of engagement and sharing of knowledge allows for a relevant tone of voice as if the situation is being casually spoken about with friends, allowing for a more subliminally influenced endorsement of the product or service that has been spoken about through natural language and imagery speaking to people on a level rather than at them.

Callum O’Reilly

Durex - External Collaboration/Competition

OUGD603

Initial Ideas

Initial ideas were heavily inspired through elements of research, storylines based around the experiences taken from articles of media platforms that the demographic are influenced by where it is hidden away that were fitting for the brief. The key idea being carrying across stories of relevant experiences to the demographic regarding the use of condoms, overall promoting using Durex, and allowing it to become part of everyday routine. The strapline ‘however you’re doing it, do it with Durex’ was developed in order to clearly put this idea across, and linguistically represent the visual campaign in a short and concise manner.

Each of the storylines were adapted from articles depicting real situations people of part of the demographic age group I found themselves in, found through research into influencing media platforms. The scripts are altered in order to change the name and identity of each of the people telling it within the research, in order to keep anonymity.

The first story describes a man whose leg was somebody in a club in the toilets, unfortunately not have a condom, and therefore one of the parties went to go get a condom from the machine in the toilet, but accidently left the door open leaving him exposed to somebody standing outside of the cubicle, who in turn turned out to be somebody you knew from University. The second being of the goal he knew you had to pinch the air out of the top of a condom, but when to do it as the condom was already on, and pinched more than that the tip, killing the mood. The third being younger person buying condoms for the first, whilst in the supermarket browsing the choices, she bumps into the hand of somebody else reaching for the same, she looks up and it had to be her

father.

All of the stories that been depicted a relevant to different levels of experience of sexual encounters and therefore offers a point of relevance further each of the age groups within the demographic. Having a point of relevance in this level of sexual experience allows the demographic to engage with the story on a level, and therefore understand the meaning behind it also. The meaning itself being no matter what these people are doing there were always using good trying to use a condom, putting the safety of themselves first.

The initial idea stage saw development of sketches of the characters themselves and also the scenes that could be used in the animation as it progresses. These were then developed into digital illustrator parts to which colour was applied to experiment the way in which colour can be used to add the cartoonlike nature to the animation, in a similar way that it was in the investigations were carried out at the research stages. This colour selection was also refined at later stages, through the feedback from peers and tutors, a medium between the initial simplified colour palette and the more extravagant colour palette was explored in order to keep the visual literacy of maturity due to the situation of which we were talking about.

Simple hand typefaces were explored within terms of visualising the strapline, in order to complement the illustrative style and keep the casual tone of voice, in order to be able to engage with the audience on a level.

Callum O’Reilly

Durex - External Collaboration/Competition

OUGD603

Development/Design Once the animator and I had got to the design stages themselves, unfortunately we came across unforeseen circumstances regarding health issues from long term something conditions, this led to the decision to create and refine one of the animations fully to be able to present to the D&AD submission. This allowed us the time to fully develop design and animate the animation in the specific way which we needed, was also allowing time for development of submission boards to be able to be handed over for the competition entry describing the process and the way in which the animation can be carried across the campaign.

From feedback from peers and tutors we decided to go ahead with the story of the lad in the toilet, we felt that this story was most relevant to young people who were going out, and gives the best representation of how to be prepared with a condom, and some of the expected consequences could come along without that.

At this point in the process we also recorded the voice-over for the animation itself, it was decided that we would use a professional recording dictaphone, although rather than a sound studio recording would be done in a normal room. This allowed for a more casual and echo feel to the voice-over itself, which we found to be a positive experience from the Google pixel ads which we highlighted within our research stages. By having a more echoey feel to the voice-over overall, it allowed for more of a casual conversational style, which we found to be more engaging with the target audience in terms of speaking on the level and allowing them to relate to the situations, rather than talking at them in an over professionalised manner.

The colour palette was refined, and each animation had a colour concept which was followed throughout the animation where possible. As can be seen here from the designs of blue colour palette was selected in which five different shades of blue carried out in order to create depth from the flat lay illustrations.

An animatic was created by the animator herself, which was then used as a point of reference for the visual design which I created using Illustrator, when illustrating the design it was important to bear in mind that all of the layers need to be sequenced in the correct order that allowed for the animator to develop the animation in layers, for example having only certain elements moving at one point.

This could be seen at the beginning where only the foot and the mouth are moving within the animation of the man telling the story itself, therefore these two parts were put on separate layers to be animated separately to the rest of the visual outcome.

A slight mix of gradients and flatly illustration were used in order to show depth, gradients were only using very minimal parts where representation of the Durex brand were needed, for example on the condom packets on the machine, and the condom packet itself. This was done to give more representative visual of the brand itself, therefore visually linking the brand to the animation.

At this stage the typography for the piece was also created within an outline manner, this again was due to the fact that it needs to be animated in a specific way when put into after effects. We decided to go with a stronger son serif typeface in order to keep a sense of authority over the strapline and complement the branding of Durex itself.

Further representing the way in which we needed to keep a level of maturity over the entire animation, as previously discussed within feedback sessions at our initial idea stage.

Each of the elements were exported as Illustrator files which were then converted into after effects elements and animated by the animator which I was working with.

Callum O’Reilly

Durex - External Collaboration/Competition

OUGD603

Application

Due to the nature of this brief itself the application process of the designs had a very specific format. JPEG’s were provided as part of the submission to the competition itself, this was to be able to showcase the concept behind the initial idea, as well as to be able to describe in short each of the concepts of each storyline as well as show the imagery in which would be contained. Due to time constraints this was the best way to be able to show an example of each of the storylines which could be developed as part of the campaign.

This sat alongside the final animation itself, which was uploaded a video to be submitted into the competition. The final animation can be found on the external memory device which has been submitted as part of the physical aspect of this submission.

The animation was given in a sleek and professional high-resolution method, in order to provide an accurate representation of the illustration and skills we had used as a whole throughout the entire animation process to be able to polished and professional outcome.

Callum O’Reilly

Durex - External Collaboration/Competition

OUGD603

Evaluation Overall, I believe the brief was met, in terms of creating a campaign that raised awareness to be able to make carrying a condom for 16 to 24-year-olds a norm of every day, in terms of creating a campaign that relates to visual trends within that demographic, and allows for a tone of voice on a level understanding representing different ages within the key demographic.

The animation does this by providing a story taken from the age group itself, and edited with an away that allows for a relaxed conversational tone to which the audience can relate their own sexual experiences to, behind each of the animations/storyboards there is a link back to the way in which even though sex may not go to the exact way it was expected to, carrying a condom on the safety of the right to protect themselves is always key to the characters within the storylines.

The theme itself also helps Durex be the challenger of sexual conventions, looking at the different situations in which highlighted within the storylines, a variety of situations and levels of sexual experience a reference to allowing for a larger representative of the demographic itself, not focusing on any gender or age stereotypes.

It also represents the way in which Durex stands for real sex, no filters, no film sets, no faking, sex is open, honest, and fun. The stories were inspired by real stories with no filters, no faking, just honest stories and situations which people had found themselves in due to ensuring they use a condom. Highlighting the fact that no matter what happens your sexual safety is key. Each of the elements was designed to the high specification, and also barriers such as time constraints and unforeseen circumstances were dealt with in a way that still provided the team to create a polished and finished outcome which was representative of the concept to the highest standard. The communications between animator and designer were consistent in each of the decisions was referenced between each other, to ensure that visual clarity and concept coherence was carried out throughout each decision.