Filed under: CGIA | Tags: book, creative block, info-graphic, infographic, inspiration, photo album
Got the latest assignment and it’s too make a book. 12 pages minimum. I’m not much of a writer as evident by my number of updates here. Inspiration for such things strikes few and far between. Nevertheless I need to content to put in said book and I’m wavering between a collection of photos I’ve taken (artsy, not family/documentary) and a collection of nicely designed info-graphics. The problems with both are these: With the photos it seems like too easy of a route. Granted if done right it could come out fantastic, but any idiot can make a photo album and I don’t want people thinking that when they see my book. With the info-graphic idea, I’d need to come up with enough to fill the book by Monday and nothings coming to mind. Ideally they’d be humorous but any joke I make is in the moment, not written down. It’s why I’ve never followed through with any web-comic idea that I’ve had.
Oh well. Come Monday I’ll have figured it out I’m sure.
Filed under: CGIA | Tags: ad, antismoking, antitobacco, bus stop, cancer, cgia 215, death, health, no smoking, poster, psa, rudeness, translink
It’s really hard to keep a blog updated when you don’t think like a blogger. I’ve never kept a journal of any sorts so it just doesn’t come naturally. Nevertheless, we have to put our assignments online so here goes:
The latest project was to do a poster of an issue that affects us locally, as in Vancouver. My first instinct when the project was assigned was Anti-Olympics. Then we had the Reading/Olympic break and frankly anybody who didn’t get swept up in the excitement either had their head buried in the sand or needs anger management because those were two fantastic weeks. I still believe the money could have been spent on better things (healthcare, homeless, education, etc) but it’s too late for that now. The money has been spent so we need to make the best of it and encourage any benefits the city will see from hosting the games.
After that, I searched the web for inspiration trying to get a new idea. I had forgotten that it was supposed to be a local issue and ended up too focused on doing a world war II era propaganda poster against zombies. Then of course classes started up again and I was reminded of the criteria. So here’s what I came up with, admittedly kind of last minute.
I’m allergic to tobacco, so I HATE it when people ignore no-smoking signs or walk down crowded sidewalks smoking away as if nobody else matters. This is particularly a problem at bus stops. Every shelter at the bus stops in SkyTrain stations have signs that say something to the effect of “Smoking on Translink stations and property is strictly prohibited” yet I could fill a scrapbook with the amount of times I’ve seen people (often Translink employees) ignore the signs. It’s disgusting, and just because they chose to fill their lungs with toxins doesn’t mean they can choose to fill everybody around them’s lungs as well.
Part of the assignment was to place the poster in reality, so a bus stop shelter seemed the natural fit. It was tricky to recreate the reflections, lens flare, and shadows that were on the original bus stop ad.
After the critiques, I decided I’d make a revised version that took into consideration the feedback I was given. One item being that the best message is lost in small text on the bottom. I wanted it to be fine print-ish that you’d notice after being drawn in by the WHMIS logos, but I agree with it more prominent the message would be better delivered. The other was that the logo element (SECOND HAND etc) was too much of a “block of text.” That’s what I intended, but to make the difference more noticeable I’ve added a gradient in behind the SECOND HAND elements and moved it down to where most PSA ads tend to have their logos etc.
