Katy Fleetham

Social Action Campaign- Evaluation

I believed that my finished pieces are appropriate for my target audience and are

therefore fit for their intended purpose. To begin my production, I started with a logo, as this is one of the most important things for any campaign to have. I downloaded specific fonts from online that I believe would add more aesthetic quality to my work, and appeal to an audience aged 16-24. I later went back to my logo designs and added another, featuring my client’s logo too. This made my work more specific to my client, so that my campaign can be associated with The Angelus Foundation.

Below, I have included my first logo design, as well as my logo specific to

my client. I believe that the second design is better suited for the intended purpose of the task. I believe that the first logo communicates a clear message about legal highs, due to the large cross in the background, which shows they have a negative impact. I originally started with red and black, which carry many negative connotations, although I found that some people may find the logo difficult to read; for this reason I used colour overlays to experiment with different colours. I believe that my logo designs are appropriate, and well targetted to my audience. The rough, messy style is likely to appeal to a certain audience, within the age range, that I believe may be interested in legal highs. By grabbing the attention of this specific audience I intend to sway their decision on legal highs, by educating them. Out of the 7 people who completed feedback for my work, 4/7 people said that they prefer the second logo. Comments say that the brighter colours ‘give a more gentle approach which looks more appealing’. Due to the reasonably even split, it would appear that the first logo is also very effective because people believe that it is ‘bolder and more memorable’.

I believe that my posters fit the intended pupose of educating people about legal highs. I decided to tell people the effects of legal highs, so that they are able to make their own decision, rather than telling them what they should, or should not, do. I believe that for this specific age range of 16-24, educating them on the effects of legal highs would be more effective than telling them what they cannot do, as they may simply want to rebel against the command.

Katy Fleetham

The first poster that I created stated, in very simple phrases, the effects of many different legal highs. This is information that I found out through research. The text is written in the colour red, which has many negative connotations, such as danger. I created other designs similar to my first poster, mainly focussing on text. Comparing this to a smoking campaign that I looked at previously, as part of my research, I have found that mine is much less effective. Santa Casa De Misericordia De São Paulo’s Anti-Smoking Campaign has a much more effective and professional poster than my own. Their poster consists on white text on a black background. They use a

font that is easier to read, which makes their poster stand out much more than mine. To improve my poster, I could consider creating it again in a similar style to this (see final page for redesigned poster). After creating my first poster, I then decided that I should use imagery to show people the effects of legal highs as ‘an

image speaks 1000 words’.I rotoscoped in detail, an

image of a young woman that looks rough, due to the effects that drugs have on facial appearance. I used the colour range tool to ensure that the rough, imperfections of her face were not missed out. I then decided to include a large quote to give out a more personal message to my audience. I followed this by a fact

and a link to my clients website if they wish to seek more information on legal highs. I believe that this poster commmunicates a much clearer message to the audience because the imagery and the quote makes it more eyecatching. A response from my feedback stated that, “the poster of the woman also creates a more deeper meaning as it shows it ruined her life and how it has affected her”. Many comments from my feedback stated that the short sentences and facts are very effective and memorable. I believe that this piece could be improved hugely. A lot of th eoriginal picture texture is still in the rotoscoped image, whereas with my later rotoscoped pieces, I found that they looked better because they did not contain color overlays.

I later experimented with a different style of posters that would fit the same intended purpose. I decided to create a poster informing people of the consequences of driving under the influence of legal highs. I believe that this is

Katy Fleetham

very appropriate for my target audience as they are at the age in which they may begin to drive. They are also in the age group that cause the more road accidents. I believe that by listing the consequences in a clear font, this poster communicates the message that I am trying to send out, clearly. This poster included much brighter colours and much more imageryt than my previous style. I used a blur on the road to show how a persons driving ability can be impaired by the side effects of legal highs. 100% of the people who gave me feedback believed that this poster is effective. The people completing my questionnaire also believed that the most important aspect of a poster is the imagery, closely followed by the text. This suggests that the posters I created with large amounts of imagery are likely to be more effective to my target audience.

One of the posters that I created in the different style, similar to my driving one, can be compared to a poster that Frank released. I created a poster which uses the same powerful phrase, ‘legal highs are tested on you’. Frank’s poster is very effective ue to the negative imagery that it uses, showing the devastating effects of legal highs. It also uses the bright colours of yellow and red, which indicates danger. For my piece I decided to use an image much less graphic, with a much lighter colour scheme. I wanted most of the focus in my poster to go to the the text, and my logo. I believe that my poster is better than the one above as mine looks more clean and professional. I think that the red filter they have used on the photograph makes it look unprofessional.

The next step that I took in the production process, was to create merchandise. To start with, I created a t-shirt with a logo design that I had

previously decided I wouldn’t use. I found that this design better suited a t-shirt because it expressed a clear message to anyone that

would see it. I used the same font as I had used already for the logo and the posters, for consistency. This would make the different aspects of the campaign more recognisable to

people. I also decided that I would include the logo on the front of the shirt, as well as much larger across the back. The t-shirts raise awareness to the topic of legal highs, and therefore they are fit for the purpose I intended for them. I came back to this design later on in the project and I decided that I wanted to make another set of t-shirts in a different style. This is when I came up with the black shirt which I believe will appeal more to my audience, as I believe that the colour black will appeal more to my audience than just a plain white tee.

I also used the purple and yellow logo on this design as I thought the bright colours would stand out really well on a black t-shirt. The shirt still has the same phrase of “say no to legal highs”, but it also includes the web address for my client’s website, where they can find out more

Katy Fleetham

information about legal highs. My t-shirt is similar to one that I found during my research, which consisted of a black t-shirt with white writing that states “just say no to drugs”. I liked that this style was very simple and the white-on-black looked very effective. I decided that I would follow a similar idea, but with a more interesting font and the use of bright imagery to make the design stand out more to the audience.

I then thought about what types of merchandise I would be able to give away for free as part of the campaign, as I believe by handing out free merchandise, that this would raise awareness. I decided upon a collection of pens, keyrings, badges and wristbands. These all included various designs that I believe would appeal to my target audience of both males and females aged between 16 and 24. As these are all very cheap to produce, they could be distributed amoungst many people more easily, since they will be free. I designed three pens, all of which include a different phrase that gets across a clear message about legal highs. I have also included the website address on all the pens, as well as the keyrings, and some of the badges too. I believe that these products will appeal to my audience as ‘freebies’ that they may pick up at a freshers fair without really thinking about it. But these do raise awarenesss for legal highs. 5/7 people who completed my questionnaire, stted that they would wear the merchandise in support of the campaign. People mentioned that it would be a great way to raise awareness and that they believe the designs are creative and effective. One of the people that voted ‘no’ wrote that the clothing did not suit the kind of clothes that they wear. This suggests that I could think about creating more designs in a different style, to appeal to a wider audience.

For the fourth aspect of my campaign, I decided that I would design the home page for a website that I could run as part of the campaign. The intention of the website would be to educate people about the effects of legal highs as well as letting them read about other people’s experiences, being able to contribute

themselves, as well as to get in contact with somebody if they wish to seek help. I used the same fonts that I have used previously for merchandise, posters, and my logo. I have also made my website compatible with mobiles, so I have included a design of how the page would appear. I have included a navigation bar, to make the site easy to navigate, plenty of imagery, to make the page interesting, and

Katy Fleetham

social media links, for people who wish to view more regular updates on what the campaign is doing.

I thought that it would be important to make the site mobile-friendly due to the age of my target audience and their mobile phone usage. I have included live feeds of the campaigns twitter and facebook on the right hand of the screen. The use of social media, I believe, will appeal to my target audience. The website promotes the merchandise that I have made also, with the intention to make people aware and encourage sales. Back to my research, I found that the films the Angelus Foundation created were very effective in educating people on the effects of legal highs and their consequences, therefore I included these on my home page. 100% of my feedback stated that people believe my website will appeal to 16-24 year olds that were seeking information on legla highs. This is a very useful figure, as 100% of the people who completed my questionnaire were of this age range.

My website can easily be compared with that of FRANK’s, which gives advice on all drugs. Frank’s has a similar colour scheme, which consists of it being mostly black with some white, and a small amount of colour. I added more colour to my website because I thought that it would make it stand out more to my target audience. Frank’s website uses direct questions on their home page, which is a very effective technique to use. To improve my website, I could use a similar technique.

Once I had completed all the work above, that I had included in my plan, I found that I had time to spare. I used this time to then add more to my project. The first extension task that I set myself, was to create a moving advert, that I saved in the form of a GIF. The intention of this was to educate people on a specific legal high, Black Mamba, which has an increase in cases in the west midlands in particular. I quoted statistics from May, July

Katy Fleetham

and August showing the increase in phone calls related to the side effects caused by Black Mamba. I felt that it was important to address this significant increase in cases, to raise awareness of the consequences of young people taking legal highs. I believe that this piece makes a great adddition to my campaign, fit for my intended purpose to educate young people. By timing the GIF so that small phrases appear at a time, it communicates the message more clearly. I used a variety of fonts for aesthetic qualities, as well as to interest my target audience.

To bring together all my merchandise, I then decided that it would be a great idea to design a freshers stall. As part of the freshers stall I decided that the cheaper merchandise, such as pens, keyrings, wristbands and badges, could be given away for free to promote the campaign, to gain support and to raise awareness. The stall will be run by campaigners/representatives, who wish to educate people on the effects of legal

highs. The stall could be set up at events in secondary schools and universities, in order to reach out to their target audience more easily.

I thought that a freshers stall would be a great way to promote the campaign, but alongside the freshers stall I decided that I would need to create leaflets, booklets and flyers. The intention of these additional pieces is to educate people, to campaign against legal highs, and to offer help. The flyer and the booklet are targetted at my audinece aged 16-24. The flyers include the social media addresses for the campaign so that young people could support the campaign and follow its journey. The booklet is aimed at helping young people who may be in contact with legal highs, or may be concerned about a friend. The booklet woud include a list of helplines as well as information about legal highs and FAQ’s.

I decided that I would complete the leaflet in a different style to my other pieces, as I wanted to create something that I could aim at

parents. I decided that in order to educate young people more thoroughly on legal highs, first we need to educate their parents. By informing parents what to look out for and where they can get advice and help if they believe their child could be getting involved with legal highs, we are raising awareness. In comparison to my previous designs, the front cover of this booklet has fonts that

Flyer Booklet Leaflet

Katy Fleetham

are much more simple and easy to read, as well as less bright colours and no block lettering.

For my feedback, I asked people which free items they would take away from the stall, these included: pens; keyrings; wristbands; badges; or nothing. 1/7 people said they would take nothing, which suggests that my campaign will not appeal to everyone. The most popular products were the wristbands, closely followed by pens. People commented to suggest that they would wear/use these items regularly, to raise awareness for the campaign. They also mentioned the practicality of pens, which makes them beneficial.

Looking back at my early planning for the campaign, the finished result matches my original intentions. On the other hand, I was able to produce more work in the time scale given, than originally planned. The main intention of my campaign itself, was to raise awareness, and I believe that I have successfully met this target. With the extra time that I had for production, I was able to create new pieces if work in a different style, with the same or even different intention. For example, my ‘Think! Road safety’ poster about taking legal highs and driving had a completely different intention to the rest of the work in my campaign, and is is made with a very specific purpose. This piece contrasts with the planning that I created for my posters, as it follows a very different style. In comparison to my other posters, I believe that it is more effective due to the use of imagery, and the feedback it received was very positive. Many believed that the poster was very relevant and impactful.

I have included another ‘Think!’ poster for comparison. This poster is from a motorcyclists’ point of view, but the purpose is similar in certain aspects. The intention of the poster is to remind people that they need to give the road their entire attention to avoid road accidents. This purpose is similar to my own. Their poster is effective as it uses a point-of-view photograph, similar to my rotoscoped piece. I too, have made the road out-of-focus to show the lack of concentration. I believe that their poster is more effective because it uses shorter, more impacting phrases. I could consider making my poster again using a more block font, making it easier to read, and shorter phrases to make my poster more effective. Although I like the simple rotoscoping I have used for my poster, and the bright colours, I could consider remaking the poster using photography, which would show more skill in my work, and may have a more professional outcome.

Another piece that contrasts with my original intentions is the booklet

which I created for parents. In comparison to my previous designs, the front

Katy Fleetham

cover of this booklet has fonts that are much more simple and easy to read, as well as less bright colours and no block lettering. I made these changes in order to appeal to the older audience, and to raise awareness amongst this age group, so that they could educate their children on the dangers of legal highs. This is the only piece in my campaign that is not aimed at my target audience of 16-24, but by creating this piece, I have opened up my campaign to a wider age range.

I have included the Angelus Foundation’s front cover from their parents handbook, which you can download from their website. Their front cover uses red as it is eye-catching and has the

connotations of danger. The front cover is very plain, yet very sophisticated and suitable for their audience. They have used a very different style to my own, and

there is a lot of contrast in terms of the content of the frongt page. My front cover was designed to be eye-catching and intriguing to parents, therfore I used imagery and text together, as well as short impactful phrases to persuade parents to educate their children. The front cover from Angelus Foundation

does not need all these aspects, as parents will not see the handbook, until after they have requested the digital copy. This means that it is simply there to fulfil the purpose to educate, and it does not need to appeal to its audience visually to such an extent.

I have used a range of techniques as part of my campaign to raise awareness of legal highs. For example, in terms of technical elements in my posters, I have used creative fonts to make the text stand out for some posters, and for others I have used imagery to show the devastating effects of legal high consumption. My first collection of posters consisted mostly of text and short phrases that I hoped to be effective. My questionnaire results gave me evidence that my posters were effective. Alongside these posters, I created some more, using imagery, from rotoscoping in Photoshop. I found from my feedback that the posters with imagery were more effective as the elements are eyecatching and draw in the audience. My feedback stated that 100% of 16-24 year olds, who took part, believed that my posters were effective.

Katy Fleetham

On the other hand, some aspects of my work were not as effective as others. From my feedback, I found that certain products that I have produced as merchandise did not appeal to the audience. The badges were the least popular amongst the free items at my ‘freshers stall’, according to my questionnaire. Keyrings were also not very popular. I believe that the keyrings may be unpopular due to the age of my target audience, and that the keyrings have no productive use. This may be the same case with the badges, in which case, I could consider not producing these as merchandise, or redesigning them to make them more appealing. A comment suggested that they thought the badges ‘are very creative’ so I could consider keeping them as part of the campaign, but producing less of them, or adding more designs so that they could appeal more to my audience.

As a whole, people have described my campaign as ‘effective’, ‘impactful’ and ‘professional’, which I believe is great feedback. In general, the feedback I received was very positive, pointing out the most successful elements of the campaign and specific pieces of work that they thnought were effective. Although I asked if there is anything that I could change about my campaign or improve on, there was no feedback suggesting that this was necessary. I believe that my camapign could have a very positive impact on the public. I hope that it brings about change in young people, through educating them on the effects of legal highs, so that they can make their own educated decision. Hopefully the merchandise and ‘freshers stall’ will help to raise awareness for the campaign, allowing it to grow.

New OldSanta Casa De Misericordia De São

Paulo’s Anti-Smoking Campaign have a very effective set of posters, which inspired me to change my poster layout for a similar effect. I have used a black background with a list of white text that raises awareness to the effects of legal highs on a persons

Katy Fleetham

health. I took these effects from my existing poster, and displayed them in this format as it is more effective. To make the text easier to read, I used a serif font. I then combined this with a sans serif font for the phrase “legal highs kill”, to make the poster more aesthetically pleasing. I believe that this poster is more fit for its intended purpose than my original style, as it is simpler. The contrast in the white on black, makes the writing stand out significantly better than my red text on the off-white poster. Having removed the unnecessary words, this poster communicates the message that I am trying to get across, much more clearly. I also feel that this poster would appeal more to my target audience as it has a very basic colour scheme, and a very bold design. This poster follows a very different style to my original, and contrasts with both my planning, and my original intentions. I feel that this poster will have a bigger impact on the public. I also recreated my second poster in this style.