Postage Stamps. Existing 'Innovative' Design.

I think some of these are stunning little things. The illustrative style and vivid colour is necessary I guess to make the image pop and is 100% my cup of tea. They've really managed to do something amazing with such a small space. I'm actually quite excited to get designing this now after looking at these. Anyway enough about of me gushing, guess I better talk about them with more purpose.

Personally the simpler designs for me have more impact due to it's level of clarity. The most successful have found a clear almost pictogram way of projecting their chosen message. For example the green stamp with a giraffe and a lion on it instantly tells me that Frankfurt has a zoo and I should perhaps visit if I ever find myself in town. This kind of clear vision is the key to my stamp design. One thing I've noticed however is the price in numbers as a graphic element doesn't seem to be exploited, they are often in style linked with the main imagery but rarely incorporated in the main image itself. Something I could possibly pick up on in my designs.

Thoughts:

This research has it more obvious to me to choose the low-impact route using an illustrative style and also possibly incorporating the price within the design. For example someone riding the price '60' like a bike. That's something I can explore on my design sheets. It might be useful getting together some transport images and pictograms like the cycling ones in my environmental post. 

Postage Stamp. Environmental Change.

I need to look into the environmental changes they've chosen to include in the brief. Chosen being the key word here, I don't believe they'd of made the effort to include them without reason.

Low-impact transport:

Wiki - Sustainable Transport.

Also known as green-transport, meaning transport which has a low impact on the environment. So were talking about walking, cycling, car shares, electrically or sustainably powered cars and public transport such as trams and buses.

Transport accounts for 20 - 25% of the worlds energy consumption and more importantly you might say, it's carbon dioxide emissions.

An article written by the Low Impact Living Initiative (LILI) says that low-impact transport can be achieved by a combination of a switch from private to public transport and an increase in sustainably powered vehicles, most importantly muscle power.

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Zero-carbon housing:

What is zero carbon housing? 

Well it's funny you should ask as I've just been looking into it. Zero carbon housing is a home which produces zero or even negative CO2 emissions by maximising the use of energy efficient and renewable energy sources.

Apparently from 2016 in the UK, all new houses must be zero carbon. The key is in insulation and they will look probably the same as traditional British houses.

If the house also uses solar or wind turbines or both, then it's possible it may make more energy than it uses. In this case the government actually pay the owners for the energy they put back into the grid.

  

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Water over-consumption:

It's obvious I think what this refers to but It's the one I'm having most trouble finding information on.

"We are living beyond our means when it comes to water. The short-term solution to water scarcity has been to extract ever greater amounts of water from our surface and groundwater assets. Overexploitation is not sustainable. It has a heavy impact on the quality and quantity of the remaining water as well as the ecosystems which depend on it. We have to cut demand, minimise the amount of water that we are extracting and increase the efficiency of its use".

Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA.

Basically the jist is that people are using too much water compared to the resources we have available. Water consumption is as high as 170 litres per person per day average down south compared to the governments target of 130.

Some solutions to help ease this are suggested that houses have water meters installed. Studies show houses with the meters use 13% less water then those without.

It also threatens animal habitats near the water sources when they run low.

 

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Initial Thoughts:

Personally I think the low-impact transport appeals to me most. It can easily worked into a set and already has strong visual elements which can be experimented with and expanded upon, as well as being a pressing issue and one I think the UK is acting upon with projects such as the congestion charge.

The obvious colour thoughts for projects of this nature is greens, blues and yellows. Light and vibrant to reflect positive visions of climate change. 

Knowledge. Student Design Existing Solutions.

studentdesigners.com/

This has a basic principle of you make an account and upload an online portfolio with the idea that students and professionals will see your work. This for me personally doesn't quite do it as a 'student' aimed website and has no real differences to one like say behance which is for professionals.

graphiccompetitions.com/

There's also plenty of websites which just deal with competitions, a bit like a hub where people can post and discover new briefs but again there not particularly exciting or original. It's nothing which involves a community for young designers.

howdesign.com/forum/

Forums show my idea of a design 'community' which isn't just about finish but personal practical and theoretical development as well. However forums have always bored the hell out of me and trawling through visually generic posts has always left me uninspired. Even with the forum presence I think it can be built upon.

Beach Reference.

Originally when I planned to do the beach illustration I gathered some reference material, things that are iconic of British coastlines. Beach chairs, huts, piers. Due to the timescale I have decided against this concept, I wouldn't of been able to do it justice in the time scale provided and I felt it didn't have that simple clarity the free wash posters have. 

Rain. Existing Design.

I took a look at existing solutions and images around rain to try and gain inspiration and also to see what the common trends are. The answer. Brollies. A lot of the images I found used the umbrella pictogram as a way of showing rain. It looks nice don't get me wrong but by the looks of it another umbrella based image isn't exactly going to set the world on fire. 

Blues and greens played for a strong related colour theme. Generally pastel colours. But again it's been done to death. I guess if it feels right why change it. My final images will dictate colour profiles anyway.

People obviously find something simplistically beautiful in rain and it comes through in their designs. 

Rain. The Positives.

As this brief is designed to make rain look ATTRACTIVE lets see what people have to say on the matter and how others have tackled this.

Quotes:

"A rose must remain in both sunlight and rain or it's lovely promise won't come true."
- rain gives us flowers and life.

"And when it rains on your parade look up rather than down. Without the rain there would be no rainbow".
- rainbows is slightly obvious but visually interesting.

"Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish man's growth without destroying it's roots".
- Cheesy I know... but still a pleasant thought. Rain nourishing man. Gentle and life giving. However I still need to keep in mind that humour would be a benefit for this poster and this might not be applicable for this.

"I love the rain, I want the feeling of it on my face".

"Everyone complaining about the rain is just a weatherist bigot".
- I like that. The feeling that rain is discriminated against amuses me.

"Rain is free water"
- Funny because it's true. Could do something tongue in cheek with this.

"I have saved money on sunscreen this year".
- Another comical look at rain and definitely the glass is half full outlook. Visually it could be interesting.

"Free shower. Saves money on waterbills".
- Similar premise which might make it useful for a 3 poster series. 

Erik Kessel.

My first port of call for this live D&AD brief will be to look at the speaker in question. I need a better understanding of what he does and what he stands for in order to design a relevant poster for his upcoming lecture.

fairly complicated from Amsterdam Ad Blog on Vimeo.

Protest gets you there from Amsterdam Ad Blog on Vimeo.

He works in advertising and is the co-founder of one of the biggest firms in Europe, KesselKramer, and is primarily concerned with the idea over and concept over visual finesse. I need to pay extra attention then in getting the idea spot on before getting too deep into the aesthetic style. He also by the looks of it has a thriving sense of humour and doesn't take himself too seriously so I'll keep that in mind.