GOING POSTAL michael johnson
what is the project?
The project is to design a series of postage stamps with an environmental message.
what is the message ? I want to take a realistic look at the future and what humans can do to address out impact on the environment.
THE MESSAGE
Not a dystopia, not a utopia, but something realistic and something hopeful.
Quiet scenes that are not utopian or dystopian, but that show a future where humans have recognized that we’re having a permanent, irreversible impact on the landscape. We need to change and we need to stop doing what we’re doing, but it’s not the end of the world (hopefully). I show a future where we’ve admitted that we’re doing harm, but taken steps to fix it.
feb. 11 Pitch idea to class. Present Deck. Have stamp and concept prototypes ready.
th.
feb. 16
feb. 18
Have edited, revised, and generally perfected stamp system based off thurs. critique.
Have poster designed. Final tweaks made to stamps.
feb. 23
feb. 25
Have poster finished. Have already started doing test prints, documentation.
Stamp system, poster, thesis statement due.
tu. tu.
th. th.
what is the timeline ?
what is the research ?
Can anything we do as individuals really make a difference?
FORM & LINE WEIGHT
MAP// water food // fuel
what are the colors?
THE PALETTE I decided to use a very vibrant, in your face color scheme for this stamp series for several reasons. Personally, I’ve always been drawn to garish colors. In moderation, clashing colors can make a design pop more than those that are simply complementary. The bright yellow and bright pink, buoyed up by the softer shades of blue and green, will both help my tiny stamps stand out on an envelope. I need people to be able to see my message. Secondly, these bright, happy colors add both irony and support to my message. They contrast with the harsher, dystopian prophesy of the stamps. People don’t want to acknowledge that we are doing irreparable damage to our environment. These happy colors and subtle images don’t blatantly condemn the way we live, but something seems off. People will hopefully be drawn in and look more closely at my stamps. I want them to think about what the context of these images might be, and to draw their own conclusions.
THE PROTOTYPES