WPP// Poster Research

As Simon and Myself begin the WPP brief we have had a quick look at a few campaigns that we feel were handled rather successfully -or unsuccessfully- and focus on similar  environmental aspects. For example Oil & Water Do Not Mix by Anthony Burrill was printed using oil from the 2010 gulf of Mexico oil spill. This gives some weight to the design itself, and instead of simply becoming a poster for an environmental movement it becomes a statement itself. Furthermore the idea itself is talked about, this raises awareness for the cause. This is a concept we would like to work into our own campaign, we should come up with an idea that is representative of the overall issue, to engage an audience as quickly as possible - something which is reiterated in the brief.

Earth Day is celebrated yearly and 1970 was the first. The campaign was partly a reaction to the new photographs of Earth coming back to us from space as a result of Nasa's Apollo program, which resulted in the first high definition imagery of the whole planet being widely published for the first time. The designer, Robert Leydenfrost, had a clear message about pollution and war which is conveyed immediately to the viewer. The central theme is that Humans are suffocating the planet, and the image has become a very famous one for its impact. However it is dark, offers no clear positive message and today, may drive people away from an environmental cause. One of the main notes made for our brief is that the outcome must offer a positive outlook as well as capture attention, finding a fine balance between fear and hope in the viewer. 

There is a similar problem with the poster art for An Inconvenient Truth. This is one of Al Gores films and is bought up by the man himself  in the WPP briefing. He notes that the film failed in one aspect, and that was in convincing climate change deniers to change their opinions towards man made global warming. Unfortunately this was the central goal of the film. It is believed that the problem was in blaming people, and not offering any serious positive message. It would be a mistake for Simon and Myself to follow and create a doom message. As a result our campaign identity must be interesting enough to grab peoples attention, however this must be immediately re-enforced by a positive message offering support and action.