Evaluation

Ruby Hooper

Finished Male Poster

Finished Female Poster

Finished merchandise

Finished merchandise

Are your finished pieces fit for their intended purpose?Here I am discussing how the two posters I created are fit for purpose. My intentions were to raise an awareness of the seriousness of legal highs, my main hope from this campaign was to create work that was personal to some members of my audience. I wanted to keep it subtle while creating a grimy mood. The inspiration was taken from the image below, even though I am miles away from that community it still emotionally touches me because it reminds the audience of their best friend, this is why I wanted to create this effect, its surreal and different. I do think my posters create a relationship with my audience, its not as strong and as large as my inspiration but I do think it makes it personal specifically to people who smoke legal highs with their friends and may feel pressured into doing it. By creating a female and male poster I think this has made it personal to more members of my target audience because more people can closely relate to it. For these particular pieces I strongly believe they are fit for purpose because it is eye opening for the people who do use legal highs, it may encourage them to stop or it may make them realize their selected friendship group is no longer who they want to associate with anymore. I created a barcode that can be scanned by mobile phones, this takes you directly the the psychoactive stop page I created, every time someone looks at the page it counts how many views I have had, if this were to go public I would have an awareness of how much notice people have taken because of how many views I have on the page. Reviewing my posters again I think I could of improved by making the text larger, this would make it clearer to read and draw the audiences attention away from the image. Another thing I would of done differently is organize my photoshoot more efficiently. This would of allowed me to take images that are even more similar because the models would be different and positioned differently.

The poster featured on the left is one created by the West Yorkshire Police and the merchandise I created is below. Both of the pieces I believe are fit for purpose, the police took a similar approach to my merchandise idea for the legal high packet, this attracts people who use legal highs because they are aware of what it looks like more than people who don’t abuse the unknown substances. The use of the words ‘psychoactive substances’ is on the first line of informative text which is also found amongst my merchandise, we are addressing the same subject and using the same terminology. Both of the pieces feature a ‘toxic’ or ‘deadly’ symbol to show the seriousness of the topic. The use of green amongst the polices’ poster represents an organic feel, I have used less green because I did not entirely create the ‘oil spill’ image that is the background, if I had more time I would of created the background image myself and there would be a lot more green used within the merchandise to emphasize the organic feeling.

Are your finished pieces fit for their intended purpose?

Within the informative text the poster lists the effects of using legal highs, my merchandise is similar to this in the way on the back of the packet is a list of side effects to certain chemicals that are found in psychoactive substances. A similarity between the campaigns is that they have a QR code, I have also created and included one on my two posters, this is a modern thing and I believe it is becoming increasingly popular.

Do they communicate your message clearly?In my opinion I believe that the message I am trying to get across to my audience is clear. My campaign was attempting to dishearten people from wanting to take legal highs, encourage people to stop using legal highs and remind people that peer pressure is not ok. I got this message across by using images of two people acting like friends and also using lots of facts and packing the campaign with information about the dangers of legal highs. Different messages are shown in different parts of my work, the peer pressure message was portrayed using the two posters, one is aiming for a female audience and the other at males, this makes each one even more personal. The Legal High packet and the Rizla packet I created are part of the merchandise, this shoots facts at the audience in hope they no longer want to use legal highs or they never want to try the substances.

The feed back I received from my survey informs me that I have successfully got the message across, people read it differently but overall my target audience had a strong understanding of what the campaigns intention was. It was reassuring to see that my campaign was executed correctly and was strongly understood by this variety of people amongst my target audience. People understood my intention to educate people by using a variety of facts, they understood my target audience was younger people, it was attempting to stop people from using legal highs before they’ve tried it and if they’ve already began using the substances. The responses below show a few of the responses I got.

My target audience is people aged between fourteen and twenty, the reasoning behind this is because at the tender age of fourteen people are just beginning to understand themselves and try new things, it’s a common age for people to begin smoking and start socializing with friends while reaching further and making new friendship circles. At the age of sixteen people are starting college, making decisions on their own and making new friends, caving to peer pressure and not knowing what a healthy friendship is. By the age of eighteen and reaching into immature twenty year olds addictions are more easy to come by, this is why my target audience is this age group, im attempting to appeal to people who have not yet tried legal highs while also creating a personal connection with people who are using psychoactive substances in an attempt to make them stop.

I believe that the products I have produced for this campaign is appropriate for my desired audience. The posters colour scheme is darker, giving it a grimier feel attempting to portray negative emotions and unfriendliness. I did not want to bombard the audience with information because for people in my target audience this may be off putting, this is why I created and included a QR code because then if the viewer was interested they can find further information on the website the barcode sends you to. If my posters were to be printed and displayed they would be presented in Schools, Colleges, Youth Centers, Drug Clinics etc. these specific places are swarming with my target audience. The reason why I believe my posters are appropriate is because they are truthful but not too brutal as to scar the viewers in the long run, they hit a realization nerve in people who smoke legal highs to socialise with friends, I believe it would make them realise that the friendships they have created due to legal highs are not healthy. The imagery is not too graphic and the information not too gruesome, its truthful and scientifically proven which I think is appropriate for my desired audience to view and read about. The packet has a more upbeat, playful colour scheme, it contains the most facts out of all of the pieces I have created for the campaign, it’s a different & unique approach. I think the design can be appreciated by people with an artistic eye and the concept appreciated by everyone who has an interest in psychoactive substances.The Rizla packets are coloured according to legitimate packets that are available to the public, people who smoke or are around smoking equipment are most likely aware that the colours of the packets are almost identical to rolling papers you can purchase in a shop. I strongly believe that this is appropriate for my desired audience because if they are mature enough to smoke legal highs, they are mature enough to know the scary facts about them.

Are they appropriate for your target audience?

Are they appropriate for your target audience?The feedback I received from my finished pieces were from people of the same demographic as my target audience. I received twelve responses, eight of which being female. This is similar to what I saw previously when researching legal highs, most of the responses I received were from female audience members, this informs me that the products of the campaign are more interesting to a female audience member. From asking this question I know that most of my responses are from a female perspective.

For some unknown reason, one source skipped the second question which was “How old are you?” so these responses are out of eleven responses. It is clear in the graph that most of the people who answered my survey is aged between sixteen and eighteen (8 people to be exact). By discovering the age of the people responding to my questions helps me learn if people are within my target audience so I know if my responses are from my desired audience. The one source who is aged between twenty six and thirty stated that the campaign should be more colourful, other than that, they understood the aim, message and appreciated the designs and consistency throughout. This particular person does not fall within my target audience but including more colour would probably draw more attention to the campaign, other legal high campaigns use bright, vibrant colours so this is something to consider.

And finally, seven of the people who responded to my questionnaire are in full time education with three people being employed part time, one person being employed full time and then one person being unemployed. My target audience are commonly students or employed part time, from the results I received from these two fields they state that the content works effectively which I therefore believe means it is appropriate to their personnel.

Compare and contrast your original intentions with the outcomes you arrived at.

One idea I featured on my mood board was the idea of a postcard or letter either to or from a loved one who passed away due to legal highs. This idea was not taken any further because it was a weak thought with various ideas related to this postcard or letter theme. This was my original intention and without this thought I wouldn’t of come up with the idea of creating a female and male based poster without this asset within my moodboard.

One of my merchandise ideas came from my mood board, the inspiration was taken from the Funeral Homes & Crematory lighter. I was amused by the cocky yet witty sarcasm within the text presented on the merchandise. Since my campaign can be related to smoking products I took this particular idea further and created the lighter design. The inspiration was taken from this legitimate piece of merchandise and I reworked the idea to create an entirely different purpose so it suited my campaign comfortably.

The Herbal Haze packet displayed on the right is another image I included in my moodboard, this asset inspired me to create the merchandise packet for the campaign. Imglad a took this idea further because I believe it is a strong component within the campaign. My original intention with this piece of merchandise was to create something as similar looking to a real packet as possible, during the production time I created an awfully similar layout but used crazy, bold, eye-catching colours and shapes to appeal to a younger audience and make the piece stand out.

The FRANK posters were reoccurring amongst my mood boards, I was fascinated by the simplicity and cartoonist style set throughout making each one recognisable to the same campaign. The cartoonist idea did not last long before I discovered deeper, darker sides to legal highs. Once gathering my research from sources this also reminded me that realism is a better option for subject that is psychoactive substances. An original intention was to create cartoonist posters and merchandise but this may not be taken seriously so I therefore took a realism route.

Is the content effective?

Due to the nature of my campaign I was unsure what content would be most effective, this encouraged me to research the most popular legal high campaigns and take note of what made them so well-known and effective. I discovered that visual content within something can increase the likelihood of it being viewed so this is why my posters are made up of more imagery than facts and figures. I believe the content is effective because it creates a personal relationship with both males and females of different ages. The models ages are not obvious therefore, the pieces create a relationship with a varied age group.I have been made aware that my content is effective because only one response said the content did not work well. All other responses stated they think the content works well, the comments above and below are some I received from the comment section when I asked “Do you think the campaign’s content works well?” so with the statistics and written responses for this particular question my audience also believe I the content was effective.

The impact I hoped my campaign would have on my audience was that it was rather educational and it felt personal to certain audience members. I think my desired audience will think the merchandise is appropriate because its quite fashionable but I don’t think as many members of my audience will take the posters personally as I hoped for. The responses I got proved that my audience find the campaign suitable for them and interesting, one particular responses that says “Photography is rad and merch is dope, and your logo is sick too” informs me that I hit the right target audience. Although the content may have been effective, the feedback received stated that the majority of my audience did not learn anything from the campaign. I asked the question “Do youthink you have learnt anything about legal highs from this campaign? Please elaborate.” The outcome was disappointing because I believed the facts I included were interesting and different to the normal facts and figures other legal high campaigns throw in the audiences direction. Once I read the comments I realised my audience already had a relatively strong understanding of the subject. Some members of my audience state they have already done research themselves out of curiosity, this is reassuring that people are eager to find out the effects and laws & regulations off their own back. The reason why my audience did not learn anything was because they already knew the information I presented to them, one source stated that even though they had a strong understanding there is a fair amount of information for someone to learn if they have no idea.

What are the technical and aesthetic qualities of your work?

Technical qualities within my work are strong, I used a wide variety of tools and techniques to create each individual piece. The colour scheme in the posters is dark and grungy, this is set in both posters, the models are dressed in darker shades and the mood in general has a negative energy. I used the burn tool to darken assets while keeping the colour bold, I used a lot of drop shadows to highlight different parts of the image and there is also a fairly even balance within the image, the models have a similar amount of text on each side with the barcode and logo balancing that out even further. I believe that the pieces are aesthetically appealing because the text positioning and font style suit the image and theme effectively, the font style is also repeated in various different assets of the campaigns advertising and merchandise to keep within the set theme. The similarity between the two posters is aesthetically pleasing because it’s a very similar image with a different main feature to entirely change the way the poster is seen by the public.

The technical qualities within the logo is the use of the polygon lasso tool, noise increase in the stroke to create the powdered effect and opacity changes. The very little colour that is featured reduces printing costs if they were ever to be printed and it is subtle but the colours have valid reasoning behind them. Aesthetically speaking, the logo (without FRANK below) is relatively symmetrical, the parts knocking the image way from being symmetrical is the cracked tooth and bleeding nose. I like the mandala themed outer circle it makes the logo fashionable; the powdered edges make the image less clear on a lighter background but when placed on a darker colour it becomes a lot bolder.

Logo enhanced to make it visible

Same logo positioning and contrasting against the background

Photoshop created flame

Link to psychoactive stop

Modern approach

Smokey to make the text clearer and dim the image behind

Repetition of smoke to keep within the theme and make the image overall more interesting.

Typed font style with a stroke to make it stand out

In line with the previous line of text to make it flow better

Repetition of text, keeps within the theme

In both images the center of the image is the main focus, its in between both parts of the text and its where there is most colourso this is where the audiences attention is.

Lighter part of the background to make the image lighter as whole

Photoshop adjusted to stand out clearly

Repetition of the same photoshop tools used

Stands out against the smoky background

Dark edges of the image to create negative space and draw the audiences attention to the middle of the image

Process of poster creationSaturday 10th October

During this out of hours session I put together contact sheets so I could begin selecting the images I want to use for my campaign. The first four rows of images were test shots so they were not even considered for being the main image of my campaign; these images were testing the lighting, camera positioning and vantage point. From the male contact sheet I selected IMG_9874. (This is the final image) From my contact sheet you can see a similar lighting was used throughout because it gave me the best exposure. Towards the end of the photoshoot I put a jacket on the model wearing white to bring him off the background more, this also makes the image appear darker so overall I am happy with this decision because I think it is the most effective image captured from the photoshoot.

Part of the male contact sheet

The image on the right is the very first edit I did. I decided on a wall background and I cut out the models to place them in it. Clearly this image still has a long way to go but its definitely a start. I also tried the image with the models monochrome to add emphasis to certain parts of the image but this was unsuccessful as it did not look as natural as I want it to appear.

My logo is my favourite asset within each piece of work created. I think this is fit for its intended purpose because it suits the campaign. There are subtle things within the image that make it more relevant and interesting.

‘fluffy’ edges were added later on in the logo process, they represent the powdered side of legal highs. This is more obvious when placed on a darker background.

I left the eyes transparent to avoid printing costs and I believe it adds some mystery to the image, I have also done this because I'm trying to portray the missing soul in people using legal highs.

I added a subtle yellow to the teeth, if it were to be printed this minor asset would cost more but I added this because it represents a smokers yellow teeth.

Underneath the nose of the skeleton I used a scattered paint brush tool to create a subtle red line, this is representing a nose bleed which can happen if legal highs are inhaled in this way.

You cannot see this part of the design in anything, this is something I would of done differently if I was creating it again. There is a tiny crack in one of the skeletons teeth with intention to represent the bad teeth of people using legal highs

Repetition of patterns, this is the same shape as the outside of the logo.

The name of the logo is Frank, this is because it can be closely related to FRANK the drug campaign.

The font is handwritten to make it personal and come across like a signature. It also makes the logo look more official.

Logo process

The text beneath the logo was found on a website called DaFont and it is called Shimes Two. In some assets of the campaign the ‘signature’ is not included because it is featured elsewhere on the product, what I like about my logo is that it is subtle yet relevant to the campaigns purpose, it can be separated to become an image with no text and the text can be used alone. I believe because it can become two different assets (as shown on the merchandise) it gives the campaign a bit more character, making it more memorable and using repetition without over using the logo. While creating the logo it was approaching Dia de los Muertos in Mexico (Day of the dead) so my inspiration was taken from a sugar skull but reworked to suit the topic, which is psychoactive substances.

Within the packet design there are loads of different technical qualities used; a variety of different blurs have been used such as Gaussian, Motion and Lens, opacity adjustments made throughout and a plastic wrap filter was tried on different assets of the packet to add the the realistic feel. Appearance wise, I believe the packet is overwhelming with its bright colours and different colour scheme but regardless of this is still fits within the collection of pieces and is recognizable. I really like how real the packet actually looks, it wouldn’t stand out if placed on a shelf alongside other legal highs. Aesthetically, I think it works effectively because it has been created at a professional level. If I were to create this piece again or make adjustments I would sharpen the edges and corners while removing the plastic wrap filter so I would have a designers copy as well as an accurate representation of how the packet would actually look.

The technical qualities to the way the lighter was created goes as follows, I used the polygon lasso tool frequently while attempting to create the joint, a drop shadow was also applied to give the image further shape while adding a sense of realism to a cartoon image. I also warped and reshaped a rounded eclipse to create the speech bubble. The aesthetically appealing assets I think is the similarity between the font used to create this piece of merchandise, because it is the same font used in the poster, this small feature can connect the two pieces closer together. It incorporates text with imagery in attempt to create one, looking at the design now I’m not too sure on the barcode, I think something better could have been put there or simply nothing to make the other side stand out more.

When creating the Rizla packets I did not use many technical qualities because this piece of merchandise is different so a lot of tools were not required. I did however frequently use colour overlays so the main colours could be easily changed and adjusted to create a new product, I also used the ruler tool and polygon lasso tool to ensure it was straight and measured correctly. Each version is different, be that in the colours or slight adjustments to the text that’s what I like about this piece of merchandise, it’s a set made up of the same concept but with different appearances. The aesthetic qualities I like is the similarity between a legitimate cigarette rolling papers packet and the design I have created, I'm also glad I included personal stories in hope of this last asset may dishearten the audience.

What are the technical and aesthetic qualities of your work?

Legal High Packet

‘Fatal’ in chinese.

Darker eclipse behind the logo to draw attention to the center of the packet while reducing the brightness behind the logo, making details clearer.

Dotted ‘rip’ line to add authenticity.

Black font to be clearly seen while being closely related to the logos black edge. The rectangle is similar to a legitimate packet.

Lightened yet dimmed assets created using the Gaussian blur tool, adds further imagery to the packet.

Own created warning symbol, similar positioning to a real packet.

Repetition of font style and similar to a real packet.

The same layout to a authentic packet.

Looks like a signature box, signing to prove authenticity.

A collection of chemical compounds that are found in legal highs, this also gives the audience more imagery to look at.

Red font to add colour, the same font as shown on the front and also the same text that is shown on a legitimate packet

A list of chemicals that can be found in legal highs, larger, capitalized words are the chemical names, this draws attention to them.

The same as found on a real legal high packet.

Approximately the weight of the paper inside the packet.

Clarification of what is actually in the merchandise.

Stars are to give the back of the packet some further imagery while drawing attention to the merchandise content.

Legal High Packet Design Process

While creating this piece of work I continuously kept examining current legal high packets that are available. This ensured I was designing something realistic and similar to an actual product, I decided these would be free pieces of merchandise even though the production costs could be expensive, it just isn’t a piece of merchandise that people would be interested in purchasing. I started by finding the background design I wanted, I chose this image because it is ‘trippy’ and can be closely associated with drugs so I thought it was ideal for this piece. I created a clipping mask over an image of a legal high packet to give me a shape as similar as possible. I soon flipped the design; this gives it a smoother flow as an image. I lowered the opacity to make it less intense so attention is not directed away from the text and images that will be featured. I included two shapes at the bottom of the front of the packet because something very similar is featured on the particular legal high packet I was examining. I also lowered the opacity on this while adding a Gaussian blur to make it subtle but gives the packet a bit more body and makes it more interesting.

For the back of the packet I tried to create similar shapes and assets of similar text and images. I began with the basic shape of where the text will go, I then I created guidelines of where text and images would sit to match the back of the actual packet. Before filling in the boxes I quickly researched he most popular chemicals in legal highs, the results are shown in the ‘head shop legal highs’ image below. With this information I found out what seven of the effects were of taking this chemical. I then used this information to fill out the largest section. With the chemicals mentioned I then decided to find the chemical compounds in scientific forms to make the packet appear more official which I think makes it look professional. I also included the chemical compounds because it adds additional images to the piece making it more interesting to look at rather than excessive amounts of block text. And finally, the part of the logo presented at the bottom of the packet acts like a signature, I think this asset also looks professional because it looks official and the box acts like a box designated for the signature.

The image below is a design of the two different notes that can be found within the legal high packets. The information stated has been directly taken from the FRANK website, this keeps me closely related with my client while stating genuine facts. The design is basic and the paper can be folded in half vertically to fit comfortably within the packet. The text is in bold block characters to emphasise the importance of the content.

Lighter Design & Process

The same font used on the posters. This use of repetition creates a similarity between the pieces.

Dim cherry to give the cartoon image a sense of realism, This was creates using an circle shape with the opacity lowered and a guassian blur added.

Modern speech.

Connects the text into the imagery, the writing is also raised to prevent the merchandise being defaced.

Acts as a signature at the base of the lighter as well as being part of the branding.

Minimum size of a QR code, staying away from the angled sides of the lighter.

Repetition of logo, flipped to keep it a bit more interesting.

The only bit of colour on this side of the lighter is the skulls teeth, this reduces printing costs but also makes this asset of the logo stand out.

The first steps were to select an image of a lighter on google because it is more editable than taking my own photograph. I purchased a lighter that is similar to the one I am designing, this allows me to look at physical sizes etc. because of this I researched the absolute minimum size a QR code could be read from a mobile device, it is two centimeters by two centimeters. This made me aware of how small the QR code would appear on the actual lighter. The first part of the process was to create the joint that would be displayed on one side of the lighter; this took a lot of work and several attempts at getting a reasonable looking shape, I added a drop shadow to give the image a bit more shape and the red part shows the cherry of the joint, to create this I used the eclipse tool using a red fill and I applied a motion blur with a low opacity, I think these effects worked well because it looks subtle yet effective. I then created the other side of the lighter, I played about with how many times the logo could fit on the back, where it could be positioned and how it would look upside down etc. I decided that the logo repeated four times looks good on the screen but it isn’t very professional looking and it would be very cramped andunclear on the lighter itself, because of this I decided to feature the logos twice.I used the same font that I used in the posters; this subtle similarity keeps within the theme and can be related to each other. The font in the speech bubble is different but I believe it’s playful and personal. Part of the logo is displayed at the bottom of the lighter as a reminder of the brand. The ‘to legal highs.’ Line is angled because it links closer to the image; it also makes it harder to be defaced. To make it even more difficult to be vandalized I designed all of the text to have small white bumps lifting off the lighter (feels like braille) so the text cannot be easily removed. The image below demonstrates this, while the image on the right is a screenshot taken from the number of dots I added to the text. Finally, to finish this piece of merchandise I removed the white colour from the skull found in the logo because this reduces printing costs and it would also be more interesting on different coloured lighters, if I were to print this onto darker coloured lighters I would have to adjust the colours used within the design, it could also increase the printing cost.

Lighter Design & Process

Rizla Packet Design & Process

‘From Responsible Resources’ similarity.

The same to a legitimate packet.

Repetition of logo.

Similar box design as a Rizlapacket.

Stands as a title.

Identical wording and placing to a legitimate

packet.

Upside down because when it folds together it works efficiently. The facts

change depending on the colour of the packet, this keeps it interesting.

The barcode is also upside down. I used the barcode to

remind people of the website.

Identical wording and placing to a legitimate

packet.

The same font as a Rizlapacket and the first actual

written web address.

Where the edges of the packet would be stuck

together.

The colour of the skull is the same to the packet colour, the size of the logo is also attempting to encourage

people to open the packet.

The story on the inside changes depending on

the packet colour.

A play on words while putting the point across.