Here students have put small samples of their rough ideas and thinking to date on the CAT 'Zero Carbon Britain' Visual Communication Project. Most students have taken low resolution phone pictures and have included a summary of their thoughts, key research findings and any new questions to date below.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Kelly Smith
(Brief related) What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
I have chosen to develop the themes: Food & Diet, and Transport. I think these themes can apply most easily to the general public, therefore people won’t just shut off and believe the outcomes are not something they cannot achieve.
(Brief related) What ‘themes’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two sectors and why?
The themes I would like to build into my sectors are so far ‘people doing stuff’, ‘positive futures’, and ‘ambition’. Although I will narrow this down further down the line so that my designs don’t get confusing.
In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project (it can be either primary or secondary refs)?
The trip to CAT was very beneficial as it helped me to see how CAT runs and what they are determined to encourage and achieve.
I read an article on The Guardian called ‘Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth’ which outlined the key points and also went into detail with statistics.
What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I hope to use some catchy taglines which are memorable yet not too cheesy. Ideally, I would like to make my designs quite illustrative rather than text or diagram heavy, which would hopefully make them aesthetically pleasing to most people (encouraging them to look further into the issue) rather than just those who already interested in saving the planet.
What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
I feel I want to research some more into areas I might have missed. Then I need to put my key ideas together, both text and illustration/imagery, and narrow things down overall and decide on key concepts.
Antonia Simmonds
What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
Nature and Energy
What ‘activities’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
I have gone with the theme of Solution, this is because I believe the consumers/audience are given many posters and advertising on these areas, and trying to help/save our world by being "more energy efficient" and being more thoughtful about our nature and our environment, However they don't really change or help in many more ways, mainly because it's not literally put in-front of them how THEY specifically, as their own person, can help this massive movement and wether they feel it would even be worth it.
So the designs I'm starting to come up with are revolving around what YOU can do, or what needs to be done (and can be, easily) allowing the audience to see it as something simple in their everyday routine that can and will impact the movement/change.
In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project (it can be either primary or secondary refs)?
One of the main points that gave me direction was the answer to one of my original Brief questions for Paul, being the genre/mood/vibe of the poster, meaning weather it be more serious and "help needed now" and trying to scare people in to seeing a future that's inevitably coming or a more "brighter future", orientated around the happiness ahead if we come together kind of vibe, this gave me a theme/feeling to stick too and allowed me to then research existing ideas I do and don't find successful using this method.
What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I think it really needs to be more visual than typographic, trying to be more clever in the visual communications, not needing paragraphs of explanation as part of the design to back it up. However I'm initially finding this hard when trying to get points across that are new to the audience, especially when trying to guide through new ways of life or solutions they can work with to help the whole community.
I think diagrams with basic but bold labels or small snippets of explanation is key and will keep people interested and involved, without turning them off straight from the initial look because there's too many words and things to concentrate on/look in to.
What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
A few more initial ideas, just to give me a clear route/direction I feel best to work with, making sure I have tried any thoughts/ideas I could use.
Then refine/develop my series of media to a finalised outcome that I feel is most successful/appropriate, maybe with some outsiders/real audience feedback?
Do you have any specific Q’s for your client (related to your ideas) that you’d be happy to put up on the post alongside this wording?
Unfortunately, I don't think so yet, not at the moment...still in exploration of my developmental thoughts/ideas I think.
Beth Derbidge
I have chosen to work on the sectors: Transport and energy, I believe the activity that is most relevant to these themes are 'people doing stuff' as its the peoples choice whether they want to participate in making a difference to their homes and well being.
I was going to talk mainly about heat loss in houses but after visiting CAT and seeing that there are alternative boilers for homes I also want to include energy and appliances too as they can easily make a difference to energy.
I think its going to be more important to do diagrams with imagery instead of a lot of writing as images stand out more. My next step Is to broaden my ideas, then to take then on illustrator.
Karum Garcha
What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
I've narrowed down topics of interest but haven't decided on two final themes. These include themes like food and diet, in particular palm oils. Overuse of energy, excess plastics and consumerism. These are my areas of interest and topics I feel others should also know more about.
What activities do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
Solutions and ambition. Solutions help to answer the next question people may have which is what can I do to help. Ambition shows people change is possible.
In your research what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction?
A project by design agency Lovers, for Greenpeace titled End Oceans Plastic. The designer's ideas and approach to the project was quite intelligent, and their understanding of the problem at hand was advantageous. Lovers used the trash they found in the river to create "deformed yet weirdly transfixing" media. The idea was to "Make people think ‘I’m so viscerally disgusted by this that I need to take action". I've also looked at other posters which play with different media (such as papercuts/screenprinting) to really get their message across, which I might also experiment with.
Balance between imagery and text?
I'm leaning towards an image heavy set of posters, with maybe a quick snappy tagline and support sentence. For this reason my imagery must be strong.
What is the next step?
More research into things like poster design for inspiration, more roughs and idea generation.
Cam Botfield
What two themes have you chosen and why?
I have chosen 'transport' and 'buildings' as my two main themes, I felt that these two themes together have a good connection, I started to think about how they linked, in my eyes they link because we all use transport to get to different building, this was a good development point for me. Also transport is something that I use every day personally so I can somewhat relate to this.
What 'activities' do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
I feel that positive futures is one that will link well with my themes because a lot of peoples times is spent in buildings and on transport and everything is evolving with the emissions on cars, (using electric cars etc...). Also building's is a big thing because we can now start to make renewable buildings, I feel this activity will suit my themes well.
In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project?
In my research to date, I have been looking into other companies and ways of contributing less to pollution and more ways to have renewable building/ energy. This has given a great insight of ideas and development.
What sort of 'balance' between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I feel that it's good to have some sort of balance between text and imagery, sometimes images/ illustrations can speak for themselves but with a topic such as this I feel that some sort of diagram/ text could be needed to just back up the point.
What do you think is your next step now that you're a month or so down the line from the briefs handout?
I think that my next step is to narrow down my roughs to a good stage where I think I've got some really impactful designs that really show the point clearly. As I said previoulsy I want a mix between imagery/ text as I think this would benefit a lot in this criteria.
Do you have any specific 'Q's' for your client?
Q - would you say, having really strong imagery is a good thing or would you prefer to have more simple graphics supplied with back up text?
Max Mann
1.what two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
The two themes I have chosen to develop are buildings and Transports. I have chosen buildings as I feel like there are multiple aspects to go down. I am thinking about looking into what people can do in the home and at work to make them more conscious about energy usage and how they consume. Transport I have an interesting idea to look at the idea of car sharing and what changes people can make to the way they go from point A to point B. I have a few ideas however I am yet to get these on paper.
2.What ‘activities’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
In terms of the the sector of the design I have chosen Solutions as I feel it would be the most relevant to both themes and think it would work well in terms of design and presentation.
3. In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project?
During my research I have been able to look at companies, projects and books that have influenced design to be more 'green'. One of these book is 'The green design and print production handbook' This talks about what key issues that designers face and how they can change their choices to make their design more environmentally friendly. Th book has about 10 chapters each discussing a certain theme and how this can be changed and compare to the traditional methods of printing and design. Despite being more about printing then digital production the book is very insightful and useful for the project.
4. What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
For the design of this project I feel a strong use of imagery accompanied with a small, but balanced, amount of text would work strongly to make an attempt to change the mind of those that see my design.
5. What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
The next step for this project would be to finalise ideas in sketch form and make a start on digital developments. Some more research may be required before doing this however.
No questions at this time I think I have an idea which I would like to create in this project but is a matter of getting my ideas on paper
Abi Lowe
1) What two sectors have you chosen to develop and why?
2) What themes do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two sectors and why?
As I have answered these in my blog, I will copy and paste that here:
"After visiting CAT on 22/10/2018 I gathered as much primary research that I could take away and refer back to at a later date. Two of the ZCB reports were within these findings, the Making It Happen and Rethinking The Future. After sitting down and reading through these I then found the full reports on their website and continued to read through them. As stated in Zero Carbon Britain: Making It Happen (full report) they state the 'key sectors' in the contents page. These key sectors are food, transport, buildings and energy. Therefore, I chose to do two of these four sectors as their importance has been stated by CAT/ZCB. I don't want to do food as this is a sector in which I want to go into for my major project - going to keep modules apart as much as i can. I would rather not go into buildings as I personally see that being the last thing that changes out of those four. Therefore, I will go ahead and choose the other two sectors as they both hold high relevance, are two of the biggest issues and I can personally see change currently happening in them.
However, I haven't come to the conclusion of what my theme is going to be. Paul stated
in the Skype chat after Ben asked if we could choose more than one theme that indeed, we could. As it stands I am not sure which theme(s) I want to pursue with as I think this will come with more research and depends on which sub section of the sector I wish
to go specifically into. However, one theme in which I have thought about a lot is solutions as this is what CAT does. The entire site is a showcase full of solutions that people can then take back and pursue themselves. As not everyone can get themselves to
CAT, why not bring solutions to them through this pack?"
3) In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project?
In fact, as it stands my main influence is from when I visited CAT when I was younger. I remember that we made a mini windmill in small groups (I visited with the Woodcraft Folk and there were around 20 of us) and this has given me the idea to somehow maybe include an activity that shows you how to do something similar. Even though it was a very small task but knowing how much energy you can create doing and using such a small thing has stuck with me until this day. Therefore, I am thinking if I can then pass this thought onto other people through these action groups then maybe they will be impressed to see it on a small scale and then further to go on and use it in a bigger sense. 'If the small version can create enough energy to power 1 light bulb then imagine what the real thing can do for your whole house?' kind of approach.
4) What sort of 'balance' between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I feel like in order to get a message across I will need to use a good balance of both due to the fact that I am not interested in it being hard hitting or using a shock tactic therefore I am just going to tell the truth though illustration/design/imagery and then supply more information through text and then offer a solution.
5) What do you think is your next step now that you're a month or so down the line from the brief's handout?
The next step I think is to do more research into activities in which I can include going back over ideas as I don't have too much as it stands but I do know which general direction I want to head towards.
Anna Miller
1. What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
Food and diets, Transport
I felt I had the most knowledge in these subjects before we began research for the project. I also find these the most interesting topics – I feel they are two of the ‘easiest’ subjects that people can change to contribute to a healthier future (as oppose to converting to using renewable energy in their homes, its easier to change what they eat)
2. What ‘activities’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two key themes?
Now vs positive futures – showing a comparison between now and the future; how we can make a difference by acting now and changing the ways we live.
3. In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project (it can be either primary or secondary refs)?
Research into reports produced by C.A.T. – I found the ‘postcards from the future’ very helpful. It helped me think about scenarios to show in imagery.
I also looked into current environmental imagery and posters. I found some examples of imagery depicting green buildings and electric vehicles etc. showing positive futures.
4. What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc. and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I think imagery should be the most dominant aspect because people look at this and understand it immediately, whereas, words take longer to process, and people may not have time to read information. Imagery can have an immediate impact. Text should support the images and emphasise what they are already showing/ communicating.
5. What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
Choosing a few thumbnails from each theme and continue to develop them further. Think about minimal words to include to support my images.
Mike Crosby
Two themes and why?
The chosen themes are "Communities coming together" and "Positive Futures".
I chose these themes through exploration of the sectors provided within the brief, transport and energy.
I felt transport was relative to communities coming together as the general public could help each other through sharing a lift to work, which in turn gives many benefits, including less emissions. The theme of communities coming together fits in with the future of transport, as mass change would require government cooperation and the communities will need to go through channels to help change i.e. through the local council.
With energy I felt positive futures was suitable, because the ultimate goal would be 100% renewable energy, and that positive future would require change in todays' world. Such change is unconquerable for a single individual, but if the general public take steps to be more conscious of their energy usage (and wastage) the impact of our current energy situation would see a reduction.
What Activities relate?
I believe readily achievable activities are best, such as sharing car journeys, walking short distance trips, having heating on a timer, not using standby functions for appliances.
Those tasks are readily achievable for the majority of people who would see a poster, opposed to for example informing that having an electric car has no emissions and is ultimately better than a standard petrol car - although true it is unlikely anyone will jump to spend a fortune.
Influencing Research?
I found reviewing what other organisations have done is important and influential. Similarly to competitive businesses keeping an eye on each other; though in this sense the organisations are like branches of the same tree - working towards similar goals.
I found that the more modern communications feature similarities and form an almost generic outline of how they each communicate. I did find older work by Friends of the Earth very interesting - their use of litmus paper to show acid rain, a simple medium a billboard but with a clever twist.
Balance between text and imagery?
At the moment I am unsure on the balance I will use, as sometimes words can provide greater clarity or further impact, though a picture can paint a thousand words.
Next Step?
To research more on how best to communicate a message through a poster form, and to develop the roughs I have to gradually near the final outcome.
Questions:
Do you envision statistics to be present within the communication?
---------------------------
CLIENT PAUL'S RESPONSE AND SUGGESTIONS
Thanks for the links - I have had time to look briefly over them and here are some reflections:
Case studies from across the UK to consider including in the promo elements:
CAT Kick-starting stuff
Places:
Wedmore
Edinburgh
Bristol
• Has declared a “climate emergency”, with the council unanimously backing a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 in an effort to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown. The motion put forward by councillor Carla Denyer means the city has the most ambitious emissions targets of the UK’s core cities group – with radical policy implications in the coming years. Learn more about Bristol Councils declaration
Manchester
• Announced plans to raise its ambition to become a zero carbon city, with a revised target of 2038. Manchester City Council’s Executive formally adopted the new target, in line with research carried out by the world-renowned Tyndall Centre for Climate Change. Learn more about Manchester Cities Council’s zero carbon plans
Topics-based video shorts:
Houses – Lancaster Halton mill co-housing
Workspace
Housing
Universities
Voice of youth
Transport
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Kelly Smith
(Brief related) What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
I have chosen to develop the themes: Food & Diet, and Transport. I think these themes can apply most easily to the general public, therefore people won’t just shut off and believe the outcomes are not something they cannot achieve.
(Brief related) What ‘themes’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two sectors and why?
The themes I would like to build into my sectors are so far ‘people doing stuff’, ‘positive futures’, and ‘ambition’. Although I will narrow this down further down the line so that my designs don’t get confusing.
In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project (it can be either primary or secondary refs)?
The trip to CAT was very beneficial as it helped me to see how CAT runs and what they are determined to encourage and achieve.
I read an article on The Guardian called ‘Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth’ which outlined the key points and also went into detail with statistics.
What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I hope to use some catchy taglines which are memorable yet not too cheesy. Ideally, I would like to make my designs quite illustrative rather than text or diagram heavy, which would hopefully make them aesthetically pleasing to most people (encouraging them to look further into the issue) rather than just those who already interested in saving the planet.
What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
I feel I want to research some more into areas I might have missed. Then I need to put my key ideas together, both text and illustration/imagery, and narrow things down overall and decide on key concepts.
Antonia Simmonds
What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
Nature and Energy
What ‘activities’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
I have gone with the theme of Solution, this is because I believe the consumers/audience are given many posters and advertising on these areas, and trying to help/save our world by being "more energy efficient" and being more thoughtful about our nature and our environment, However they don't really change or help in many more ways, mainly because it's not literally put in-front of them how THEY specifically, as their own person, can help this massive movement and wether they feel it would even be worth it.
So the designs I'm starting to come up with are revolving around what YOU can do, or what needs to be done (and can be, easily) allowing the audience to see it as something simple in their everyday routine that can and will impact the movement/change.
In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project (it can be either primary or secondary refs)?
One of the main points that gave me direction was the answer to one of my original Brief questions for Paul, being the genre/mood/vibe of the poster, meaning weather it be more serious and "help needed now" and trying to scare people in to seeing a future that's inevitably coming or a more "brighter future", orientated around the happiness ahead if we come together kind of vibe, this gave me a theme/feeling to stick too and allowed me to then research existing ideas I do and don't find successful using this method.
What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I think it really needs to be more visual than typographic, trying to be more clever in the visual communications, not needing paragraphs of explanation as part of the design to back it up. However I'm initially finding this hard when trying to get points across that are new to the audience, especially when trying to guide through new ways of life or solutions they can work with to help the whole community.
I think diagrams with basic but bold labels or small snippets of explanation is key and will keep people interested and involved, without turning them off straight from the initial look because there's too many words and things to concentrate on/look in to.
What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
A few more initial ideas, just to give me a clear route/direction I feel best to work with, making sure I have tried any thoughts/ideas I could use.
Then refine/develop my series of media to a finalised outcome that I feel is most successful/appropriate, maybe with some outsiders/real audience feedback?
Do you have any specific Q’s for your client (related to your ideas) that you’d be happy to put up on the post alongside this wording?
Unfortunately, I don't think so yet, not at the moment...still in exploration of my developmental thoughts/ideas I think.
Beth Derbidge
I have chosen to work on the sectors: Transport and energy, I believe the activity that is most relevant to these themes are 'people doing stuff' as its the peoples choice whether they want to participate in making a difference to their homes and well being.
I was going to talk mainly about heat loss in houses but after visiting CAT and seeing that there are alternative boilers for homes I also want to include energy and appliances too as they can easily make a difference to energy.
I think its going to be more important to do diagrams with imagery instead of a lot of writing as images stand out more. My next step Is to broaden my ideas, then to take then on illustrator.
Karum Garcha
What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
I've narrowed down topics of interest but haven't decided on two final themes. These include themes like food and diet, in particular palm oils. Overuse of energy, excess plastics and consumerism. These are my areas of interest and topics I feel others should also know more about.
What activities do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
Solutions and ambition. Solutions help to answer the next question people may have which is what can I do to help. Ambition shows people change is possible.
In your research what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction?
A project by design agency Lovers, for Greenpeace titled End Oceans Plastic. The designer's ideas and approach to the project was quite intelligent, and their understanding of the problem at hand was advantageous. Lovers used the trash they found in the river to create "deformed yet weirdly transfixing" media. The idea was to "Make people think ‘I’m so viscerally disgusted by this that I need to take action". I've also looked at other posters which play with different media (such as papercuts/screenprinting) to really get their message across, which I might also experiment with.
Balance between imagery and text?
I'm leaning towards an image heavy set of posters, with maybe a quick snappy tagline and support sentence. For this reason my imagery must be strong.
What is the next step?
More research into things like poster design for inspiration, more roughs and idea generation.
Cam Botfield
What two themes have you chosen and why?
I have chosen 'transport' and 'buildings' as my two main themes, I felt that these two themes together have a good connection, I started to think about how they linked, in my eyes they link because we all use transport to get to different building, this was a good development point for me. Also transport is something that I use every day personally so I can somewhat relate to this.
What 'activities' do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
I feel that positive futures is one that will link well with my themes because a lot of peoples times is spent in buildings and on transport and everything is evolving with the emissions on cars, (using electric cars etc...). Also building's is a big thing because we can now start to make renewable buildings, I feel this activity will suit my themes well.
In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project?
In my research to date, I have been looking into other companies and ways of contributing less to pollution and more ways to have renewable building/ energy. This has given a great insight of ideas and development.
What sort of 'balance' between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I feel that it's good to have some sort of balance between text and imagery, sometimes images/ illustrations can speak for themselves but with a topic such as this I feel that some sort of diagram/ text could be needed to just back up the point.
What do you think is your next step now that you're a month or so down the line from the briefs handout?
I think that my next step is to narrow down my roughs to a good stage where I think I've got some really impactful designs that really show the point clearly. As I said previoulsy I want a mix between imagery/ text as I think this would benefit a lot in this criteria.
Do you have any specific 'Q's' for your client?
Q - would you say, having really strong imagery is a good thing or would you prefer to have more simple graphics supplied with back up text?
Max Mann
1.what two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
The two themes I have chosen to develop are buildings and Transports. I have chosen buildings as I feel like there are multiple aspects to go down. I am thinking about looking into what people can do in the home and at work to make them more conscious about energy usage and how they consume. Transport I have an interesting idea to look at the idea of car sharing and what changes people can make to the way they go from point A to point B. I have a few ideas however I am yet to get these on paper.
2.What ‘activities’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two themes and why?
In terms of the the sector of the design I have chosen Solutions as I feel it would be the most relevant to both themes and think it would work well in terms of design and presentation.
3. In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project?
During my research I have been able to look at companies, projects and books that have influenced design to be more 'green'. One of these book is 'The green design and print production handbook' This talks about what key issues that designers face and how they can change their choices to make their design more environmentally friendly. Th book has about 10 chapters each discussing a certain theme and how this can be changed and compare to the traditional methods of printing and design. Despite being more about printing then digital production the book is very insightful and useful for the project.
4. What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
For the design of this project I feel a strong use of imagery accompanied with a small, but balanced, amount of text would work strongly to make an attempt to change the mind of those that see my design.
5. What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
The next step for this project would be to finalise ideas in sketch form and make a start on digital developments. Some more research may be required before doing this however.
No questions at this time I think I have an idea which I would like to create in this project but is a matter of getting my ideas on paper
Abi Lowe
1) What two sectors have you chosen to develop and why?
2) What themes do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two sectors and why?
As I have answered these in my blog, I will copy and paste that here:
"After visiting CAT on 22/10/2018 I gathered as much primary research that I could take away and refer back to at a later date. Two of the ZCB reports were within these findings, the Making It Happen and Rethinking The Future. After sitting down and reading through these I then found the full reports on their website and continued to read through them. As stated in Zero Carbon Britain: Making It Happen (full report) they state the 'key sectors' in the contents page. These key sectors are food, transport, buildings and energy. Therefore, I chose to do two of these four sectors as their importance has been stated by CAT/ZCB. I don't want to do food as this is a sector in which I want to go into for my major project - going to keep modules apart as much as i can. I would rather not go into buildings as I personally see that being the last thing that changes out of those four. Therefore, I will go ahead and choose the other two sectors as they both hold high relevance, are two of the biggest issues and I can personally see change currently happening in them.
However, I haven't come to the conclusion of what my theme is going to be. Paul stated
in the Skype chat after Ben asked if we could choose more than one theme that indeed, we could. As it stands I am not sure which theme(s) I want to pursue with as I think this will come with more research and depends on which sub section of the sector I wish
to go specifically into. However, one theme in which I have thought about a lot is solutions as this is what CAT does. The entire site is a showcase full of solutions that people can then take back and pursue themselves. As not everyone can get themselves to
CAT, why not bring solutions to them through this pack?"
3) In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project?
In fact, as it stands my main influence is from when I visited CAT when I was younger. I remember that we made a mini windmill in small groups (I visited with the Woodcraft Folk and there were around 20 of us) and this has given me the idea to somehow maybe include an activity that shows you how to do something similar. Even though it was a very small task but knowing how much energy you can create doing and using such a small thing has stuck with me until this day. Therefore, I am thinking if I can then pass this thought onto other people through these action groups then maybe they will be impressed to see it on a small scale and then further to go on and use it in a bigger sense. 'If the small version can create enough energy to power 1 light bulb then imagine what the real thing can do for your whole house?' kind of approach.
4) What sort of 'balance' between use of imagery/diagrams etc and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I feel like in order to get a message across I will need to use a good balance of both due to the fact that I am not interested in it being hard hitting or using a shock tactic therefore I am just going to tell the truth though illustration/design/imagery and then supply more information through text and then offer a solution.
5) What do you think is your next step now that you're a month or so down the line from the brief's handout?
The next step I think is to do more research into activities in which I can include going back over ideas as I don't have too much as it stands but I do know which general direction I want to head towards.
Anna Miller
1. What two themes have you chosen to develop and why?
Food and diets, Transport
I felt I had the most knowledge in these subjects before we began research for the project. I also find these the most interesting topics – I feel they are two of the ‘easiest’ subjects that people can change to contribute to a healthier future (as oppose to converting to using renewable energy in their homes, its easier to change what they eat)
2. What ‘activities’ do you feel are relevant to try and build into these two key themes?
Now vs positive futures – showing a comparison between now and the future; how we can make a difference by acting now and changing the ways we live.
3. In your research to date, what has had the greatest influence on your potential direction on this project (it can be either primary or secondary refs)?
Research into reports produced by C.A.T. – I found the ‘postcards from the future’ very helpful. It helped me think about scenarios to show in imagery.
I also looked into current environmental imagery and posters. I found some examples of imagery depicting green buildings and electric vehicles etc. showing positive futures.
4. What sort of ‘balance’ between use of imagery/diagrams etc. and supporting wording do you feel is required here and why?
I think imagery should be the most dominant aspect because people look at this and understand it immediately, whereas, words take longer to process, and people may not have time to read information. Imagery can have an immediate impact. Text should support the images and emphasise what they are already showing/ communicating.
5. What do you think is your next step now that you’re a month or so down the line from the brief’s handout?
Choosing a few thumbnails from each theme and continue to develop them further. Think about minimal words to include to support my images.
Mike Crosby
Two themes and why?
The chosen themes are "Communities coming together" and "Positive Futures".
I chose these themes through exploration of the sectors provided within the brief, transport and energy.
I felt transport was relative to communities coming together as the general public could help each other through sharing a lift to work, which in turn gives many benefits, including less emissions. The theme of communities coming together fits in with the future of transport, as mass change would require government cooperation and the communities will need to go through channels to help change i.e. through the local council.
With energy I felt positive futures was suitable, because the ultimate goal would be 100% renewable energy, and that positive future would require change in todays' world. Such change is unconquerable for a single individual, but if the general public take steps to be more conscious of their energy usage (and wastage) the impact of our current energy situation would see a reduction.
What Activities relate?
I believe readily achievable activities are best, such as sharing car journeys, walking short distance trips, having heating on a timer, not using standby functions for appliances.
Those tasks are readily achievable for the majority of people who would see a poster, opposed to for example informing that having an electric car has no emissions and is ultimately better than a standard petrol car - although true it is unlikely anyone will jump to spend a fortune.
Influencing Research?
I found reviewing what other organisations have done is important and influential. Similarly to competitive businesses keeping an eye on each other; though in this sense the organisations are like branches of the same tree - working towards similar goals.
I found that the more modern communications feature similarities and form an almost generic outline of how they each communicate. I did find older work by Friends of the Earth very interesting - their use of litmus paper to show acid rain, a simple medium a billboard but with a clever twist.
Balance between text and imagery?
At the moment I am unsure on the balance I will use, as sometimes words can provide greater clarity or further impact, though a picture can paint a thousand words.
Next Step?
To research more on how best to communicate a message through a poster form, and to develop the roughs I have to gradually near the final outcome.
Questions:
Do you envision statistics to be present within the communication?
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CLIENT PAUL'S RESPONSE AND SUGGESTIONS
Thanks for the links - I have had time to look briefly over them and here are some reflections:
- There is some good stuff here - helping challenge norms is a powerful approach.
- Common useful rule in arts - "show, don't tell".
- Can we see more people doing stuff?
- Image based stories / infographics are powerful.
- Also - here are some links to the sort of actions we want to trigger, which might inspire ideas??
Case studies from across the UK to consider including in the promo elements:
CAT Kick-starting stuff
Places:
Wedmore
Edinburgh
Bristol
• Has declared a “climate emergency”, with the council unanimously backing a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 in an effort to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown. The motion put forward by councillor Carla Denyer means the city has the most ambitious emissions targets of the UK’s core cities group – with radical policy implications in the coming years. Learn more about Bristol Councils declaration
Manchester
• Announced plans to raise its ambition to become a zero carbon city, with a revised target of 2038. Manchester City Council’s Executive formally adopted the new target, in line with research carried out by the world-renowned Tyndall Centre for Climate Change. Learn more about Manchester Cities Council’s zero carbon plans
Topics-based video shorts:
Houses – Lancaster Halton mill co-housing
Workspace
Housing
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7noQWTkI_s
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQg-rx2sCfQ
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzXRm7gbxt0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiyPervlr9Q
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBmMapnK2Xo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_6SxWFwNdo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC06I2CDyaI
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z8GrTBLw8M
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QteRUCPFGWI
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyuTVOYrcVU&list=PLdQzJLius691wugsv9qHpjyIUCiDPybo7
Universities
Voice of youth
Transport
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpYs7S4Q7as
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geiZoL6ytvE
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi69-bYLeSU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2zsGsyCCuM
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