JON MARZETTEPATRICK DOOLEY VISC 404THE GRAPHIC IMPARATIVE

The Graphic Imperative | International Posters for Peace, Social Justice, and the Environment, 1965-2005 Spencer Museum of Art, September 5 – November 30, 2009“The poster is the prime field for experimenting with visual language. It is the scene of changing ideas and aesthetics, of cultural, social, and political events.”-PIERRE BERNARD, FRENCH DESIGNER, GRAPUS

Our first project of the semester will be to create advocacy posters in conjunction with the Spencer Museum of Art exhi-bition – The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice, and the Environ- ment, 1965-2005. The Graphic Imperative is a select retrospective of forty years of international sociopolitical posters. Themes include dissent, liberation, racism, sexism, human rights, civil rights, environmental and health concerns, AIDS, war, literacy, and tolerance, and collectively provide a glimpse into an age of profound change. The 111 posters in this exhibition emphasize the issues of our turbulent times and endeavor to show the social, political, and aesthetic concerns of many cultures and divergent politi-cal realities.

Our project will entail the design of a pair of advocay postes – one using type and image and the other using type as image. You will be able to pick 1) the issue/message of the poster, 2) the actual advocacy group that would sponsor the message, and 3) the targeted audience that it seeks to address.

FOCUS ON FOUR PARTS:

1. Broad issue 2. Organization 3. Problem to be solved 4. Call to action

ASSIGNMENT

In Heller’s essay, he paints a very vivid picture of what an advocacy poster should act as. It should inform, educate, attack and spark interest to whoever the viewer happens to be without coming across as straight up offensive in order to be taken seriously and with actual thought. And to achieve this ultimate goal of potentially changing people’s views on certain subjects Heller recommends combining mastering that fine line of sending the message across in an aesthetic way to grab people’s attention but also using loaded images to connect to people. But just because it’s a poster mean it absolutely has to be beautiful and artistic. Sometimes a poster can benefit from being raw and full of emotion, but reason doesn’t have to take backseat to pas-sion. You can still send home a good point with a well-designed poster but using emotion as a tool instead of a hindrance can greatly boost the image. Although he warns that known images are powerful…but clichés can kill a poster. Aesthetics vs. expression is a heated battle in the modern advocacy poster age. Taking old images and transform them into new ones in clever ways without being too over the top is the best way to grab people’s attention without mak-ing them not connect with it. Now that the internet has made everything that much harder to stand out on, a good poster can easily be overlooked, but that’s not to say that a really awesome poster can’t still make big impacts.

Heller made some valuable points and brings about certain points that some people seem to rethink. Mentioning how powerful a poster can with sheer emotion and having everything aes-thetically raw is something I think people forget in this age. Mentioning that the internet made everything harder also goes for creation, which Wells mentions more so in her essay.

Wells’ points out how powerful and useful posters and visuals back in the days of depression, war, and lost hope. It changed minds and lead people to take certain action or look at big problems within their communities and regions differently. But as times changed for the nation as did time for the poster’s power. Protest posters lost some of their luster especially in the U.S. because they evolved to be so specific that it was hard to make a huge impact like they used to. Specific issues got addressed but raising general awareness and regional struggles were going more so unnoticed. With their literally being shrinking space for posters, the evolution of the internet also changed the way that people viewed other people’s statements. It made it harder to find them but protest posters were still out there.

Well’s brought up a very important part in this essay by mentioning that although the internet is an extremely powerful tool and relatively free to reach out to a lot of people, it doesn’t reach all areas. Normally the poorer a community is, the less computers and internet access they ac-tually have. Most of the issues that surround the community are within those poorer commu-nities that have a harder time viewing them. Using a poster and using it freely, like sticking it on someone’s door or a bulletin board, can still be effective in this day and age that sometimes a computer couldn’t do. We can embrace the internet and computer though because that’s how a lot of designers make them today and use them to share with other people.

ESSAY ANALYSIS

Fukada Shiegeo / Victory / PeaceI think the fact that this picture is super basic is its strongest asset. With the single word of “victory” is jarring for minds as well. The bullet returning to the gun and it being shown as a positive thing is going to make people think for sure. It’s not a cliché image or anything of that sort. The only sort of criticism I could think of would be perhaps some people that don’t have a certain eye for things maybe wouldn’t see a gun or a bullet right away might be confused, but that’s about it.

Geissbuhler, Steff / USA, 1985 / Peace This is another poster that has very strong icons that people would recognize right away. The font isn’t the forefront of this image but brings everything together nicely in the end. With the two creatures holding hands and being peaceful that once fought, it’s easy to see that the message of Japan and the U.S. forgiving each other is easy to see. I also don’t see how this particular poster could send that message any clearer. It would be a great poster to have in a huge scale as well.

POSTER ANALYSIS

Fresquet, Jose Gomez / Lipstick / Social Justice This poster is pretty striking and the images connect on a very personal level and aren’t as regional and broad as the anti war posters from earlier. With the one woman putting on red lipstick and then the other bleeding from her nose, it leaves the viewer with the thoughts of connecting to domestic abuse and then the parallels of females dressing up and changing their appearance to appear more attractive. The fact that there is no type in this definitely makes the mind wander even farther than if there would be words guiding someone to a specific place. But the viewer could also get lost in trying to connect the two as well since there is no guide…

Hernandez, Ester / Sun Mad II / Environment The purpose of this poster was to raise awareness that the water supply in the biggest raisin growing state was contaminated. And thus the water there got into the grapes and thus intro the raisin supply that is shared with everyone else and spreading highly unhealthy choices. For the local natives though, it was not as healthy as those drinking and bathing in it. I’m unsure if this is true or not, but one could also take this poster as a possible cry out for help from a worker’s stand point as well.

Kostovic, Cedomir / Racism… / Social JusticeLike mentioned before…This poster can make people think in a lot of different directions as well. People could actually take this in a way unintended by the lack of the black keys with the white. Obviously the message is that with one whole piano, one needs both a huge collection of white keys mixed in with your black keys to make proper music on a piano. But without it, the gaps are always present and it’ll never be complete or whole. With the inclusion of Racism as the label, it attempts to plant your thoughts their directly.

POSTER ANALYSIS

Issue: As anyone with eyeglasses knows, it is a struggle to work, learn and perform daily tasks without this basic tool. In the developing world however, eyeglasses are primarily a product for the wealthy. Low-income people almost universally lack access to affordable glasses. Without eyeglasses, artisans and mechanics cannot see their goods, shopkeepers cannot manage their accounts, and teachers cannot instruct in class. A drop in productivity and income among workers can push already-vulnerable families further into poverty.

According to an AMD Alliance International study, the global cost of vision loss was nearly $3 trillion dollars ($2,954 billion USD) for the 733 million people living with poor vision and blindness worldwide in 2010. This cost includes caregiver costs, informal caregiver time, lost productivity, and inefficiencies in raising tax revenue to fund health care. Along with limiting economic opportunity, vision loss prevents these hundreds of millions of people from living full, independent lives. Their quality of life suffers as formerly self-sufficient people are forced to rely on others for mobility and everyday activities like counting money, telling time and managing their home.

ADVOCACY GROUP: VisionSpring

About: Eyeglasses are an established, cost effective intervention that immediately improves the productivity and quality of life of the poor in the developing world in a dramatic way. By purchasing a pair of $4 eyeglasses, individuals receive a 35% increase in productivity, earning roughly an additional $381 over a two year period. This boost in productivity is enough to keep a child in school, allows an artisan to grow her business, and prevents families from declining into poverty. VisionSpring brings high-quality, low-cost vision care to neglected communities across the developing world. As a social enterprise, VisionSpring leverages best practices from both charity and business to develop a model capable of taking on the enormous global need for vision care.

OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION

MOOD BOARD

Mission: VisionSpring’s mission is to reduce poverty and generate opportunity in the developing world through the sale of affordable eyeglasses.

Focus: - Opportunity: They provide the tools for our entrepreneurs and customers to make their own change. That change cre-ates a ripple effect of economic activity across communities, with more goods and services being sold and more opportunities generated every day.

- Inclusiveness: VisionSpring is more than the sum of its parts. They are Vision Entrepreneurs, customers, supporters, staff, and partners, working together to create an impact greater than we are each capable of alone. Every day, we work to build a society that lifts people up, using innovative business practices to reach individuals in need on a large scale.

- Market-Creation: Social enterprise is about making markets work effectively for everyone and creating a system for last-ing change. They believe there is a viable market for high-quality, affordable eyeglasses at the base of the pyramid. Everyone deserves a pair of eyeglasses that allow them to live up to their potential.

History: Equally important, it provides community members the dignity to choose whether or not they want glasses and thereby avoids the culture of dependence that often accompanies foreign aid. Warby Parker is honored to partner with Vision-Spring to grow our Buy a Pair, Give a Pair business model.

Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal previously served as VisionSpring’s director and helped pioneer VisionSpring’s model to train low-income women to sell affordable glasses in their communities. The model creates jobs for people in need, as well as the economic incentive to continuously provide glasses as their customers lose or break their glasses and change prescriptions.

OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION

Different areas of advocacy:

Warby Parker:

Problem: Simply, people can’t afford eye glasses that need them to do important things. People in both America and other communities need ways to afford glasses and it’s a plus if they are actually fashionable.Solution: Buy Warby Parker glasses that are more affordable for people here in America and it will be donated to people in need.Action: Buy Warby Parker glasses or just donateAcumen Fund:Problem: Suffering 3rd world communities that do not have jobs.Solution: VisionSpring visits these places and teaches them how to give eye exams and gives them product so that this can jump start their community as well as spread vision to an otherwise suffering group of people.Action: You can donate, or buy Warby Parker glasses so that people can have glasses to work, or use the money to start selling glasses there specifically.

LVPEI:

Problem: When people find that they need an eye exam, they have nowhere to go that isn’t an arm and a leg if they don’t have the fundsSolution: Vision Entrepreneurs conduct screenings to determine if their customer has up-close vision problems, which are easily treated with over-the-counter reading glasses like those available in drugstores across the United States. If the customer has more complex vision problems such as astigmatism or myopia, the Vision Entrepreneur will refer the customer to either a VisionSpring Optical Shop or a partner eye hospital.Action: Donate

B CORPORATION:

Problem: Other companies aren’t always responsible for the waste of exact uses of their products that can harm the environ-ment even if their intentions are good.Solution: Warby Parker and VisionSpring is one of the only carbon-neutral eyewear brands in the world. They actively work to reduce their environmental impact by mapping out our greenhouse gas emissions - from frame production to shipping to warehousing to office work - and purchasing carbon offsets accordingly.Action: You can support companies that are B Corporation companies whatever they are.Village Wellfare Society:Problem: If VisionSpring is all about helping people with their vision, and have Vision Entrepreneurs to do it, then who teaches them the tricks of the trade?Solution: VisionSpring partners with people to go over to India, Bangladesh, etc. to train them in the arts of optometry to a level that they can help their community greatlyAction: Donate

OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION

TARGET AUDIENCE

Socially-savvy, semi fashionable, and intelligent folks who are not only looking for a stylish new pair of glasses, but all the so-cial justice that gets brought along with it is a major plus to them. These people might be familiar with TOMS shoes and enjoy the fact that they can give back to people in need while also servicing themselves.

AUDIENCE PROFILE

Stephanie is a girl who just became a junior in college at KU. She is a smart film major who has lots of friends and works at Henry’s in downtown Lawrence and walks to work in her TOMS shoes most days. Her parents both work as piano teachers in a studio and do not have health insurance. Stephanie has had trouble getting an eye exam in the last 3 years since she cannot afford it. She found out about Warby Parker through the internet and has since become very interested in what they are about. Since she needed glasses anyway, Stephanie worked extra hours at Henry’s to be able to buy herself a very cheap eye exam at Walmart and then bought herself some glasses with a little bit of help from mom.

AUDIENCE PROFILE

RESEARCH ///POSTER EXPLORATION

Overview: Change some of this around obviously...

As anyone with eyeglasses knows, it is a struggle to work, learn and perform daily tasks without this basic tool. In the developing world however, eyeglasses are primarily a product for the wealthy. Low-income people almost universally lack access to affordable glasses. Without eyeglasses, artisans and mechanics cannot see their goods, shopkeepers cannot manage their accounts, and teach-ers cannot instruct in class. VisionSpring’s mission is to to reduce poverty and generate opportunity in the developing world and our own through the sale of affordable eyeglasses, donation, or volunteering.

To suggest: vision, awareness, community, monopoly, knowledge, familiarity, insight, control, perspective, obliviousness, concern, warmth, sympathy, empathy, charity, humanity, mercy, benevolent, compassionate, justice, visually impaired, global issues, social understanding, relatability, surprising, shocking, important, prominent, and significant.

- awareness: having knowledge or perception of a sitaution or fact- community: the people of a district or country considered collectively, especially in the context of social values and responsibili-ties in a society - compassion: sympathetic pity / concern for the sufferins or misfortunes of others- relatability: identifying with and being connected- charity: the voluntary giving of help to those in need

- 733 million people suffer from vision loss world wide- 563 million can have vision restored with glasses- saving 77% of people by just giving them glasses

RESEARCH

Headline: BUY A PAIR, GIVE A PAIRProblem: People cannot afford eye glasses that need them.Solution: Visionspring offers boutique style frames at ¼ the cost for people in need here and a pair is given away to people in devel-oping countries. Action: Go to an optomostrist sponsored by visionspring and get your glasses there, donate, or go to the website for more informa-tion. Visionspring.org

Headline: THE TRUTH CAN BE HARD TO SEEProblem: 733 million people suffer from vision loss world wide and can’t afford to fix itSolution: VisionSpring works to get glasses and frames on the faces that need them at an affordable costAction: Go to visionspring.org to find out where you can purchase affordable glasses so you can change your point of view

Headline: BLIND TO THE PROBLEMProblem: 563 million people can have vision restored to them if they could afford glassesSolution: VisionSpring and it’s associates offer affordable frames for those in need.Action: Donate to the cause or purchase new boutique style frames at 1/4 the cost. Go to the website for details.

Headline: SHIFTED PERSPECTIVEProblem: People around the world cannot work due to their lack of funds for eyeglasses.Solution: You can save 77% of people’s job opportunities by getting glasses for yourselfAction: Go to vision spring.org to find select stores where you can find the glasses you need for 1/4 the price.

Headline: SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNELProblem: Developing counties don’t have the means to afford eyeglasses to help themselvesSolution: VisionSpring offers glasses that you can afford and they will send glasses to those in need as well.Action: Find select stores through visionspring.org to find these different orgnaizations

Headline: YOUR WALLET IS A BLINDFOLDProblem: Money is the difference between someone being able to see clearly or being impaired to the point of unemployementSolution: You can help those people by helping yourself after you purchase a pair of glasses through VisionSpringAction: Go to visionspring.org to find select stores where you can find the glasses you need for 1/4 the price of normal frames.

Headline: MONEY IMPAIRED VISIONProblem: money shouldn’t be holdnig you back from having the right to see and succeedSolution: You can give the gift of sight to yourself and someone in need when you find glasses at an affordable price through vision-springAction: visit the website to get sight back in your world immediately

Headline: WHEN YOU GIVE YOURSELF NEW EYES, SOMEONE ELSE DOES TOOProblem: 733 million people suffer from vision loss world wide and can’t afford to fix itSolution:VisionSpring works to get glasses and frames on the faces that need them at an affordable costAction: Go to visionspring.org to find out where you can purchase affordable glasses so you can change your point of view

Headline: SEEING GREEN? SEE CLEARLYProblem: Money is the difference between someone being able to see clearly or being impaired to the point of unemployementSolution: You can save 77% of people’s job opportunities by getting glasses for yourselfAction: Visit Warby Parker, Coastel, or select Ray Bans stores and visionspring.org to find out where these glasses are

Headline: CHANGE YOUR POINT OF VIEWProblem: People around the world cannot work due to their lack of funds for eyeglasses.Solution: You can save 77% of people’s job opportunities by getting glasses for yourselfAction: Go to vision spring.org to find select stores where you can find the glasses you need for 1/4 the price.

POSTER TEXT

VISUAL AUDIT

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

POSTER EXPLORATIONS

- advocacy posters have a strong headline and image. It is important to have form and function- having form and function work together will make a successful poster- state the problem and have a voice to keep the reader interested.- present the solution in a clear way as well as...- comparing the problem to something else to make it easier to digest for other people- ask for action, tell your audience what to do once they figure it out- all of those combined to the best of their ability will create a successful poster

- avoid big cliche’s becasue they can kill a poster- destroy any chance using too much viusuals on your poster, it could take away the message. - sometimes raw emotion is good to use and gets the point across. - there is negative and positive persuation, learn when to use both to your advantage.

- make sure we have a clear hierarchacy of type and other elements for success- get the message across as a means of direct way instead of leaning away from it- use the ideas with 2 heads because it gets the message across the easiest with the connecting frames- also develop the blurry tetxt in glasses idea

- straight graphics aren’t my forte for this porject and I may have to stick with hand drawn elements.- less illustrative elements and a little more iconic to show diversity.- not as sunglasses like, show more vision type things- play with blurs and other eye effects- still atempt to show more diversity between the two worlds and connect the message

- older ideas may be considered to bring back- more obvious glasses so that the viewer will not be confused- don’t forget to make posters with your keywords in mind the entire time- CONNECTION, MUTUAL BENEFIT! IMPORTANT ELEMENTS- color, scale, and position is your friend. don’t be afraid to use them

- loss of connection through new idea with using a blurry picture instead of something else.- go back to original infiity arm idea because it connects better with ideas.

CLASS NOTES

CONCEPT STATEMENT

As anyone with eyeglasses knows, it is a struggle to work, learn and perform daily tasks without this basic tool. In the developing world however, eyeglasses are primarily a product for the wealthy. Low-income people almost universally lack access to affordable glasses. Without eyeglasses, artisans and mechanics cannot see their goods, shopkeep-ers cannot manage their accounts, and teachers cannot instruct in class. VisionSpring’s mission is to to reduce poverty and generate opportunity in the developing world and our own through the sale of affordable eyeglasses, donation, or volunteering. Targeted towards the younger generation who are keen to the twenty-first century lifestyle and older people who need to be introduced to a new meansa of affording eyeware.

TYPE AS IMAGE FINAL

TYPE AND IMAGE FINAL

REFLECTION

This project has proven to be an absolute test for me personally to grow, change, and learn in certain aspects in the way I work. My organization’s keywords through their concept was connection, mutal benefit, and community. I felt like those words both kept me on track and helped me learn how easy it is to forget about making the right design choices when making something connect to a specific reason and make thought provoking actions in the viewer. Even up until the last minute I had those changing cer-tain colors, type, or certain positions in the poster examples. I went with a steady choice of one type for most of the time, generally the same colors aside from a few explora-tions, and the same visual elements as well to keep the theme and message strong. Being involved me organizations message increased my moral during the process of making these messages in these posters as I felt more invested to actually share what I was try-ing to connect.

Attempting to make the viewer feel the emotions and actions I was going for was also something I felt connected with due to the subject matter. I felt like the design choices I made through the use of the keywords helped me accomplish that. Using both tech-niques such as using type as image, which helped me focus on strictly finding a clever way of using typography to use my message, and using type AND image, which pushed me to learn new ways of not only creating images, but to use them in a way that can teach people methods and about the world that they’ve never thought about before.

- JON MARZETTE