Fur For Animals - Voiceover and final video

For the voiceover, we chose a soft female voice. This evokes empathy from the audience, allowing the campaign to be taken more personally and be more willing to connect with. With the captions now removed, the animation is able to communicate fully.

As a whole our video demonstrates the aims we outlined in setting out this campaign

• the paper cut illustrations avoid the stereotypical high impact photography art direction of these kinds of campaigns
• the illustrative style appeals to the younger audience as it is more effective to teach younger people who are less stubborn
• the short length of the video is catered towards user attention spans on screen
• the language used is concise and impactful to communicate what is necessary to get people behind the campaign

Taking the concept further

Due to the artistic style of the video, Georgina was able to take the illustrations further into products like t-shirts, tote bags and pencil cases. This extending the campaign's reach and validating it as a movement. Applying it to fashion items for example is appropriate given its large influence within the fashion industry. Sales of the products can help support the charity to spread the word. To help maintain the campaign's exposure, Fur For Animals emojis can be made to help solidify and create an engaging online campaign. Users can download the pack for a small fee and proceeds will help the charity. 

Fur For Animals - Feedback

Up until this point in the developmental process, the feedback received has mainly been from the group. What was needed was a new perspective on the video to provide feedback that can help improve the narrative or animation.

The most glaring issue is the use of subtitles. When the animation itself is unique and engaging, the text is hard to follow. There is quite a lot of information conveyed to the reader in a short amount of time that makes it hard both read and follow the video. In some scenes of the video, some people commented that they couldn't finish reading before it transitioned to another scene.

Having just text as well made the video monotonous to listen to. What was suggested was to add a voiceover on the video. With the voiceover, it allows the animation to be main focus for the viewer. Furthermore, because of the narrative, it does not necessarily need captions in the first place, the animation makes it relatively self explanatory.

Fur For Animals - Full Video

Overall Video

Scene A

Following the feedback given, the mink is now appropriately size and trees are added into its path. The result is a smoother and more consistent animation that guides the viewer along the story. In the last second of the scene, the mink turns to the viewer as the cage starts to fall down. This is aimed to create an emotional connection between the viewer and the mink, to evoke empathy from the audience in order to generate awareness for the campaign.

Scene B

This scene remain relatively unchanged except for the mink's animation. The mink doesn't immediately fade into the background, better communicating the cramped conditions they live in. Through the adjustment, the appearance of the eyes appear more natural as they seem to emerge from the head of the mink rather than the background. To transition into the next scene, a lightbulb breaks causing the minks eyes to suddenly shut. The harsh transition keeps the pace of the video lively, with slow and fast areas. A lightbulb sound effect was chosen because of the context of the next scene. 

Scene C

The next scene follows the fur of the mink been made into a coat being showcased on a fashion runway. This is to illustrate to the audience where these animals end up on. Following the simplistic art direction, the coat is simply suspended over a catwalk with flashes of the cameras similar to a fashion show. The gasp at the start of the scene is meant to set a 'surprised' tone of voice, as if to say the fur coat is shocking. This relates to the fact included where it takes over 60 minks to produce just one fur coat.

Having movement in the coat and shadows prevent the animation from feeling static. The use of a bright camera flash creates a smooth transition into the final scene. 

Scene D

What is effective about the last scene is the lack of illustration. This produces a 'fresh' visual that allows the messages to be communicated without distraction. The background countryside ambience similar to the beginning of the video provides an uplifting tone that effectively portrays Fur For Animals as the solution to the fur trade problem. Here the tagline of the campaign is seen. Appearing just after Fur For Animals emphasises the point to the reader. 

Typography

The typeface used for the video's copy is Chelsea Market. We chose this typeface because its irregular forms are reflective of the paper cut out aesthetic of the video's art direction. Its informal design will be able to appeal to a younger audience as well, who are better to educate. 

AmazonFresh - feedback

Out of the two possible art directions for the campaign, the idea to have it represent an enlarged stamp was chosen. These compositions have a concept that is more appropriate in communicating the services of AmazonFresh to the viewer.

The leading has been tightened to allow for better readability and visual hierarchy. The change to the original pastel colours on the original mockups were done by request of the client.

Fur For Animals - Initial animations

In the opening scene of the video, a mink walks into the woods. Rather than to tediously animate the mink's body parts, the environment pans across giving the illusion of movement. This reduces the time needed to animate and lessens possible complications. With the pan motion, a simple gif of the mink is necessary to give the illusion of its movement.

Showing this initial animation to the group, there were suggestions to add movement to the flora in the background and foreground, adding realism to the animation which provides and engaging watching experience.

Following the comments made on the first scene, the background flora now have occasional movement. Too much and it would detract attention from the moving mink. Kieran produced a gif of the mink walking which does create the illusion of movement from the mink itself. 

To help create a transition into the next scene, a tree pans across dragging a dark filter in attempt to create a more natural transition into the dark environment of the fur trade farms. Once the bars come down, the mink changes into just depictions of eyes. This is an illustrative choice aimed to create a more informal and artistic art direction for the video. By just showing the eyes, it simplifies the composition which effectively focuses the scene onto the living conditions of these minks. To have the cage include a full mink inside would require more complicated animation that may reduce the communication of the message. A simpler art direction allows the story of the video to be highlighted rather than the actual animation.

The dark background of this scene communicates a negative atmosphere where these minks are kept in the industry. Combined with the eerie footsteps, dripping of water and occasional door shuts, it creates an unsettling atmosphere for the viewer.

Giving this animation to feedback, there were several comments made for improvements.

• The mink in the first scene needs to be made larger as the background illustrations take the focus away from the mink, lessening the videos ability to maintain the viewers attention. 
• The initial idea to have the tree be used a as a transitional tool was criticised for being too overwhelming for the video's visuals. Its size and placement on screen takes far too much attention away from the mink and doesn't blend in with the overall art direction. What was suggested was the addition of several trees along the path the mink walks. As it walks deeper into the woods, the surroundings become darker, transitioning into the next scene.
• As the bars shrink to give viewers an idea of the cage's size in real life, the fading mink doesn't effectively that they live in these cramped conditions. The mink should stay the same size for longer, allowing the cage to form around it, before it changes to eyes. 

MEPC primary research

Going down to the MEPC building at 5 Wellington Place helped get a better understanding of how and where the artwork will be placed.

The space for which the artwork will be placed on is huge. Initial plans to submit a single poster will obviously not be sufficient to fill the space and won't be appropriate to the posters size. Therefore a series of posters will have to be created to justify the large space dedicated to the artwork.

The interior of the office foyer is decorated with modern furniture and fittings that reflect the highly corporate nature of MEPC.

One of the initial poster composition sketches was the idea to incorporate the furniture into the posters design. Not entirely, but to extract the unique shapes and curves to create a 'graphic' piece of art that fits in with the interior design of the building.

Speaking to the buildings manager, it was interesting to learn that the site of the MEPC was where the old Central Station of Leeds used to be from 1854 to 1967. What remains as shown above is an old wagon lifting tower. Using the historical aspect of the site can help better form a concept for the poster series, rather than just creating 'graphic' work.

Taking pictures of the surrounding area outside the building will help establish a colour scheme for the poster that will be appropriate to its corporate image.

Another possible concept for the poster would be to replicate a glass effect that dominates the buildings facade.

Fur For Animals - Collaborative feedback

Presenting our idea for the campaign received positive responses.

People generally agreed that the illustrative style we chose for the video is a better alternative from the overdone and stereotypical high impact photography usually seen in these kinds of campaigns.

Having this style also opens up the video to children, educating them when they are young may be a more effective way than trying to change adult perceptions, who often times are stubborn.

There were also suggestions to make the mink more of a personality as well. By making it into a character or mascot for the campaign, people may be more likely to sympathise with the movement. Furthermore it can act as something for people to recognise the movement through and to gravitate towards. However the danger may be the mink character overshadowing the campaigns message.

In terms of extending the share-ability of the campaign, the video could be split up into smaller individual gifs that can be shared on twitter and instagram. This allows the campaign to get the message across without the need for users to watch the entire video.

In Scene C of the video, a hard hitting fact is introduced intended to shock the viewer into caring for the campaign. The line illustrates how 60 minks are used to make one fur coat. When explaining this to the group, just saying the number 60 won't effectively communicate just how many minks are used, viewers may not fully grasp the scale of fur industry. Therefore there were suggestions to illustrate more than one mink in the transition prior to the fur coat. This will help illustrate the idea better to the viewers and leave a lasting impression.

MEPC Brief

The MEPC recently offered a live brief to commission 4 bodies of artwork for the reception area of the newly finished 5 Wellington Place. Each body of work is intended to fit comfortably on the wall in reception but could be made up of one piece or several pieces.

The brief offers an opportunity to practice and demonstrate new found knowledge on poster design.

What lends the brief to poster design is the architecture of the building. The clean straight lines, ordered layout of the windows and modern facade are reminiscent of a grid system. These aspects can be used in composing the posters content and to celebrate the buildings design through the posters. 

These are some initial sketches of the possible grid system for the poster.

Finding a concept however behind the poster will have to be developed. Whether it will be purely an aesthetic one or one that is intended to communicate something. 

Fur For Animals - Third Meeting

Prior to this meeting, a rough outline of the video's script was drafted.

-

Every year, tens of millions of minks are bred and killed for the skin off their backs.

• see mink in cage 

These animals are kept in small wire cages, they live in fear, stress and disease that take a toll on their mental and physical well being.

• zoom out to farm with rows of cages with mink circling around endlessly 

They live in fear, stress and disease that take a toll on their mental and physical well being.

• frame of mink being pestered by ‘clouds’ that represent these realities.

Minks are solitary creatures which live in lush wetland spanning as large as 2500 acres.

• frame of mink in environment. 

The energy to needed to produce a fur coat is approximately 20 times the energy needed to make a fake one.

Can you tell the difference?

• frame of the lush wetland being destroyed by our doing
• frame of two fur coats but behind them is reflective of the environmental impact

Help fight against the harsh reality of the fur trade.

Fur For Animals, not us.

Find out more at “www.furforanimals.org”

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In this meeting, we discussed the initial draft of the script, what art direction would suit best or the video and to fine tune the transitions. What was effective in NSPCC's video was the quick snappy transitions between each piece of information. Achieving smooth transitions is a minor detail but it is important in ensuring the message get communicated clearly.

The narrative is written with aim to inform the reader of the realities of the fur trade, hence the heavy emphasis on facts, and to keep the message concise. We decided to remove the environmental fact. It is unrelated to the overall theme of fashion because it the largest industry for fur. Following the short duration we set out to achieve, we condensed the scene into 4 smaller ones each being 10 seconds long. This will keep the video focused and concise. 

The illustration style Kieran drew up provided an appropriate tone of voice we identified. Avoiding the high impact shock photography that has been countlessly used, the hand cut paper illustrations communicates a light tone of voice that feels approachable to the younger audience.

https://www.instagram.com/anyaszura/

The inspiration to use this type of illustration came from an instagram post i stumbled upon by illustrator 'anyaszura'. I felt the Kierans style would compliment the hand cut paper shapes creating a handmade feel that would connect more with the audience. As a result, the artistic style of the video will set itself apart from the competition, drawing interest and increasing the campaign's awareness. 

In order to get of all us on the same page, a quick story board was drawn up to help get an idea of the animations. 

AmazonFresh - Collaboration

A creative advertising student requested some help in creating the art direction for her AmazonFresh campaign. I took the opportunity to further expand on working collaboratively and to practice the techniques of poster designs which I have been reading up on recently. 

The first meeting was to get to know her ideas for the brief and what she outlined in terms of audience, tone of voice, and where the campaign will be seen. 

The most prominent aspect was that she identified that her target audience be 30-40 year old professionals living in Greater/Central London. Thus the campaign is aimed towards a mature audience who are well off financially being that they presumably live in Central London. Therefore the art direction of the campaign should reflect their professional lifestyle. 

The current art direction does not reflect her target audience effectively. The bright pastel colours lower the posters intended age group significantly. The typesetting is loose with no uniformity across the various ones which does not effectively establish an identity for AmazonFresh. This is an aim that was set by Amazon. The food images are placed arbitrarily with little consideration to the copy. This lowers the appeal of the food items. 

The addition of the stamp is her idea of communicating that Amazon delivers the food to the customer. 

Rough sketches of possible poster composition and initial ideas

Some initial ideas 

1. Taking the stamp idea, the poster could be made up of various smaller stamps that would have the type overlaid. 

2. The food items could be reduced to simple paper cut outs. The paper's texture would help in communicating AmazonFresh's postal service. This art direction would also not require attaining licensing for professional food photography. 

3. The poster could be made into one huge stamp. Extending her original idea and better linking it to the content. 

4. The poster could use the amazon arrow as a motif to better communicate the Amazon brand onto the viewer. 

Choosing the final idea

Reading further into the Amazon brand guidelines, using the amazon arrow solely as a motif is not allowed. Therefore that idea can't be developed. 

Having the poster be made up out of smaller stamps may become visually chaotic and hard for the viewer to read the information. Furthermore because these posters are meant to be shown in the London Underground, people do not have the time to stop and read. Information in this context should be communicated quickly with high legibility and bold enough to capture their attention. 

A simple cut out approach may not effectively achieve Amazons aims of appealing to those who live for the "love of food". It is clear through reading the brief that Amazon wants food at the heart of the campaign and reducing the items to paper textures may stray away from the aim. 

Having the poster be made into one large stamp still retains her original idea, whilst at the same time keeps the composition open. I.e. the art direction isn't restricted to a point where it compromises on the aims of the brief. 

These new compositions are more reflective of the professional and mature audience she has identified for the brief. The left set type with ample leading allow of high legibility and quick reading for the underground commuters. Placing the images on the right creates visual balance and having them be cut off stimulates curiosity from the viewer. Following on from Muller-Brockmanns laws of poster design, placing images on the right creates a 'heavier' visual impact and therefore more impactful on the viewer, which is advantage in terms of getting AmazonFresh into the customers minds. Both foods have been changed from the original as well, not only does it have to be displayed properly but the kind of food on display as well adds to the appeal.

Both the header and images are large because of the intended viewing distance, people will see these posters from the platform and not up close. Therefore the poster has to be legible from a distance. 

The overlapping of type and image further increases the unity of the posters elements which is beneficial in terms of creating a link between the campaigns unique copy writing and food photography.

The use of halftone is aimed to give maturity to the term of being a 'foodie'. On one hand it lowers the visual appeal of the food but on the other it allows for Amazon's food service to be communicated clearly to the reader, without distraction. 

The choice to set the type in all lowercase is meant to achieve high readability. Being that Akzidenz has rounded characteristics, setting it in all lowercase maintains a visual rhythm that is easy to read. 

The green background is taken from AmazonFresh's guidelines. Initially it was going to be the orange as seen on Amazon's arrow.

Early composition

However the colour scheme is too glaring and doesn't effectively communicate the 'Fresh' in AmazonFresh. 

Finally, the AmazonFresh logo is set in black to help it standout against the copy. 

These compositions are produced as an alternative to the stamp idea. The high impact type setting is aimed to grab the readers attention from the visually busy London Underground. The highly contrasting white on black colour scheme allows for the vibrant food to standout and stimulate the viewers appetite. The effect of having 'FOR' in an outline allows for the rhyming scheme to be prominent for the reader. 

When viewing both variations side by side. The black on white variation produces a more contemporary look for the campaign. This may be due to lack of halftone used which is reminiscent of older design attitudes. Furthermore having the coloured images better appeals the campaign to foodies, who appreciate good food photography. 

Penguin - Submission

In a real world setting, the ordered layout and lack of high imagery on the cover work effectively to help the book stand out from the competition. What is a drawback of the design however is that the size and colour of "A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences" is illegible from a distance, limiting its purpose of being an identifier. Nevertheless, the original aim of designing the book to help it stand out is achieved. Furthermore, the white on black colour scheme builds upon the colour scheme used by Penguin's Little Black Classics series.

These are the final designs for submission. The decision to keep the sailfish is based on feedback suggesting that it adds a element of mystery for the reader. From a design point of view, it feels added on but in the context of the novel being a murder mystery the addition of the sailfish will raise questions and curiosity from the reader in the same way Capote's story will.