COLLABORATION WITH SIMON ISLES. D&AD SUBMISSION. BRIEF Create a campaign for Al Gore that not only makes people accept we have a problem, but persuades them to do something about it. As Al Gore says, “we have to put a price on carbon in the economy, and a price on denial in politics.” The brief asks to move away from the doom and gloom retoric of recent climate change campaigns and create something positive for people to be part of. At the same time the campign must convey the appropriate amount of urgency to the issue. A fine balance between fear and hope. The main aim is to not change opinion but to envoke action in the global community.
CONCEPT Priority: Earth is a new concept for a global campaign. Our central aim is to provide a positive space for those who already believe that climate change is a threat, and to activate a social and political movement with a strong community. The core of the Priority: Earth campaign would be found online at PriorityEarth.com, however we propose that a large scale print advertisement campaign point users towards the website. The posters have been developed with thermochromatic ink, which reacts to heat, altering their appearance. As a result the posters create a strong symbolic visual representation of global warming. When users visit PriorityEarth.com they will be able to read our manifesto: 1. To put a price on carbon in the economy, and a price on denial in government. 2. To support green policies in politics.
DELIVERABLES A campaign concept. Website concept. The ‘Priority Pack’. Campaign posters and identity. TONE OF VOICE
3. To raise the global awareness of climate change. 4. To advance climate change education in schools. 5. To advocate the development of energy efficient technology.
Serious, helpful, enthusiastic, optimistic, warning.
6. To promote environmentally friendly and cost saving practice in business.
INFLUENCES
7. To provide a healthy environment for future generations.
An Inconvinient Truth (film). Earth Day. Oil and Water Do Not Mix. (Poster and campaign).
8. To turn our knowledge into action. The only time to act is now.
Having read the manifesto the user will be introduced to the ‘Pledge’ system, were the manifesto is organised into four key areas for action. 1. Government. Write to your local government representative, telling them to consider the implications of current policies on our future. 2. Politics. Vote for politicians who support green policies. Main parties will be forced to change their own policies to reflect public opinion. 3. Business. Support local businesses that take care and pride in the environment. Large organisations will be forced to engage in environmentally friendly practices to retain custom. 4. You. Make small lifestyle choices that will help the planet. Simple things like recycling and saving water can make a great difference if whole communities get involved. Users can ‘Pledge’ to help in any -or all- of these four key areas, they will receive a ’Priority Pack’ based on their choice; a series of online or printed books filled with helpful information on how to get started. The users pledge choice will also be added to data maps which can be viewed by anyone to see activity on a global scale. The aim of these maps is to provide support to the pessimist in all of us, who may believe that they are fighting climate change alone. Finally the website supports a forum for anyone who pledges, to form a strong and helpful online community, share tips and organise activities.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 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 unsuccessfullyand 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. The 1970 Earth Day campaign, 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. The designer, Robert Leydenfrost, had a clear message about pollution and war which is conveyed immediately to the viewer. Al Gores own film An Incovenient Truth. Al Gore notes in the brief that the film failed becuase it was too aggressive. Arming ourselves with knowledg of the success or failure of other campiagns Simon and Myself set about drawing and writing all of our ideas down onto paper, and ulitimatly formed the concept for priority earth which can be read on the first design sheet.
POSTER The Priority: Earth poster is intended to be used as a global city-wide poster campaign. It is interactive, but its main goal is to raise awarness of Priority: Earth and direct people towards the website. One core visual identity for the campaign is a photo of our planet, and how it reacts to outside stimuli. As a result this is a poster printed with thermochromic ink, which changes colour depending on it’s temperature. This is symbolic of how the Earth is being changed by global warming. People can come up to the poster and change its appearance by interacting with it. The poster works especially effectively in the video, where we use a hairdryer to speed up the colour changing process. In addition to being an interesting and symbolic concept Simon have also included the core concepts of the campaign to be available to read on the poster, so that the viewer can either spot the poster and remember the name and move on -or- move in closer to find out more if they have the time.
PRIORITY PACK People who are interested can pledge to help with the campaign in any combination of our four key areas on the website. They will then receive a Priority Pack filled with helpful information about whatever areas they choose. The purpose of the Priority Pack is to help campaigners learn the basics of each key area and perpare themselves to go out and make a difference in the real world. In the video we prepose an ‘online’ version of the pack however for the purpose of illustrating our idea in the clearest way possible we created a print version. Additionally we wanted to give the campaigners the option for a print or digital copy, which will allow people of all backgrounds to get involved with the campaign, ensuring that an iPhone is not an essential for environmental campaigning. The design of the Priority Pack follows the colour codes of the Website for each of the key areas. Additionally there is a box-set sleve for the books to be stored in if you pledge for all four, or a belly band if you pledge for less.
WEBSITE Priority Earth.com is the backbone of the campaign, it is a streamlined single-page website. Users can read our eight-point manifesto, make a pledge to one or more of our four key areas, order the Priority Pack, veiw the statistic maps and vistit the Priority Earth forum. Here, for illustrative purposes, on the left are screens from the website working on a touch-screen. On the right is a single image of the whole site, bar the forum. The design philosophy behind the website is of simplicity. It gets straight to the point with the manifesto and then moves swiftly on to the pedge system. The maps section is designed to encourage campagners that they are not working alone, and that other people all over the world are getting involved. The forum serves the same purpose, also acting as a space for campaigners to share ideas, thoughts and stories.
VIDEO Simon and myself created the Priority Earth pitch video as the core of our D&AD submission. It runs through the core values of the campaign, the manifesto, pledge system, maps, priority pack, poster campaign and forums. The images here show the development of the video in after effects, where we animated the website, followed by premiere pro, where we edited the pictures, video, animation, and audio recording. The final image displays some screens from the video in an interesting format. vimeo.com/93250834 Password: earth
EVALUATION Priority Earth has been a huge project with a successful outcome. During the course of this brief I have aquired a range of new skills including learning how to use the audio recording equipment, adobe after effects and premiere pro. We also brushed up on a range of other processes like screen-print, photography and bookmaking. In this regard this project has really tested our knowledge of a huge range of design processes. The final product is primarily the video, limited to two minutes by the brief. Although this kept the outcome consise it would have been interesting to have made a longer video to really explain all of our decisions, the poster campaign and the manifesto in more detail. However as its stands the video is straight to the point and conveys our message with confidence. The books and poster make a great addition to the core of the campaign, the website. Creating all of this on top of the video was not the only way we could have pitched the brief, we could have just suggested these additions, however to illustrate the tone of the campaign and how we have considered its finer details has really benefitted the end product.
Colaborating with Simon has been a great experience. As a team we hold similar values but with different points of view so we could discuss and plan the project without disagreement but with the benefits of having two minds working towards one goal. Simon is also great as photography and video making, integral part of this project that made the collaboration go as well as it did.