rest of the report

Now i have the copy for the report i can carry on with it.
I wanted the main body of type for the report to be quite standard, and sticks to a strict grid system as it will just be typography.

I used a six column grid system, but to create a more dynamic look i didn't use all the columns. I wanted it to be asymmetric to make it look more interesting.

I used the black borders so the type didn't look as though it was floating.

I still wanted to keep the same styling from the previous pages, so used the type and colours to keep consistency.

Eventhough there is a lot of type on these two pages, it works because of the grid system.

The mix of type just makes it look a little bit more interesting, with the different colours typefaces and point sizes.

These are the rest of the pages, keeping the layout with the black borders to keep consistency, and using the same orange and blue type for the type that needs to stand out.

I also used the dotted lines from the logo, to reinforce the brand.

Mock ups of this will be in my development folder.

success stories

I kept to my word of using one page for a black and white image and the other for typography, this is what i came up with.

I used the same layout and grid system as the previous page so it would be easier, but also look as though both pages are from the same brochure. 

I also kept the same statement typography, i think it just adds something extra rather than just plain type. I also used the corporate colours to keep the theme of the company going.

Again not much has changed with this success story in terms of layout, apart from what pages are used for the type and image. I decided to swap them round to just to add aesthetic interest.

I also changed the colour of the background to grey as i felt it worked well with the colours used in the typography and it has a nice contrast with the image.

It's simple, but it works and i feel it has a strong effect.

ideas for annual report

I wanted the annual report to reflect the posters to keep consistency. So decided to keep the same brand colours and black and white photos throughout the whole annual report.

 

This is the first layout for the front and back cover, i used the same styling as the posters using the black mouth covering, filled this with the logo and annual report 2011. I think it still gets the message across well. 

I used orange for the background colour to add more interest to the brochure, it's the same orange as the brand colours. I also extended the black box across the back of the brochure, to show a bit of contrast and i took inspiration from the BP annual report.

 

This is the first double page spread of the annual report, i wanted to make a statement of the aims of the company, just to set the tone for the rest of the report, Again i kept the same styling from the posters, just added one extra colour. I used blue as it's opposite on the colour wheel from orange so it has a nice contrast.

I have also made a statement of the dotted lines to isolate the typography, i want to make a feature of the dotted lines as i feel they work well with the photography used.

I used orange on typography to create hierarchy and to make the more important information stand out more. I made the type in blue bigger to make it look more interesting.

 

This is the layout for a success story of the report, I like the page with the grey brick wall it still fits in well with the overall look of the posters used and the front cover. However i'm not too sure about the other page, i like the colours and the brick wall coming through the blue background. but not the layout and the image used.

I will try another layout with another layout, making the quote more prominent.

 

I got some inspiration from books on brochures and annual reports for the typography.

I made it the story of the girl on the previous page, as i didn't want an image on it because i felt it added cluttered that wasn't necessary.

I think it works well with just a page full of type as it adds contrast to the other page because its image. My idea for the next success stories to just have a full page image of the person in black and white and the other page being the success story. 

I only did the first success story like this because i used an image on the previous page, but i still think it works well.

 

 

annual report design

I needed some inspiration when it comes to the annual report, because they are generally quite boring. So i decided to look on the internet to see whether i could find any decent ones.

This is annual report for BP, this is the least interesting one i could find. It is still quite nice looking though, as it has a lot of white space considering the amount of typography used.
I really like how the company colours are used throughout the brochure, it reinforces the brand. But it just common sense to use them.

I really like the design on the front cover, how it overlaps both pages, i may have to consider this for my own. I also like the black and white photography with the use of colour from the logo, this is something else i will consider because i will be using black and white photograpy in my own designs.

This is the annual report for Helly Hansen, again the annual report reflects the company really well, as they specialise in outdoor gear. I really like the front cover made from wood, gives it a really handmade feel.

The colours used throughout are kept to earthy colours to reinforce the overall brand. Again there is nice structure of typography and heirachy. It looks very sleek but does well portraying the company.

 This is Billabongs annual report, it is really vibrant and has a lot going on within the brochure. However i really like it, it just shows me i can make the annual report anything i want it to be.


I don't feel as restricted now looking at all these the Billabong one has really opened my eyes to how it can look. Even the finanicial overview still has the design feel and looks as though it belongs with the rest of the report.  It carries nice structure and a grid system.


Now come the design layouts.
 

adding typography

Now i had an idea to how my poster was going to look i decided to play around with some type of the poster and this is what i came up with.


I tried it with a different image to see wether it would be appropriate on all the images used.

Getting the type to work on the poster wasn't hard, i wanted it to be the same typeface used on the mouth covering, this is to keep consistency.

I also used the Silent Cities colours so it looked as though it belonged to the company.

To make the type at the bottom more visible i used white for contrast on the dark background and used the orange border used in the logo. I did this to again keep consistency, but to also stop the type look as though it is floating.

My other idea was to have the orange border around the mouth covering:

As i found it hard to choose which poster looked the best, i gave justine an email to get her thoughts and views on them both. She liked the orange around the mouth covering, she thought it was very strong, I however like the look of them both. I suppose its down to my personal opinion, but i will ask fellow students their opinions also.

This may not be the final layout, adjustments may be made if needed, i.e the typography at the bottom may need enlarging. I will sort this when i have done some trial print outs.

further ideas

After running this idea past my tutor, i decided not to use the QR code as it would only aim the charity at one target audience-  students that know about technology, anyone else may not know what it is. Plus students are less likely to be interested in charities anyway as they are usually pretty skint.


Time for a re- think.


I looked back over the research and i really liked the NSPCC idea of ripping the area of the mouth away, i had thought of this idea originally then found it on the net, but i my still do it depending on what else i can think off.


Below shows an example of how it may look

I don't think it looks too bad, obviously when it has all the relevant type on it and is actually ripped it may add to the effect a lot more.






Or i was thinking about doing a censor type strip that goes across the mouth, black box type of thing what is commonly used.

Out of the two images i prefer this one, i'm not sure wether it's because it looks better because the other one is a mock up. I think it's because it's black and the photo is black and white. so the colours fit nicely into it. It's simple but gets the message across, however i don't know wether it's been done too many times before. I just really like the visual look of it.

I thought i'd try it with the rip just to see what it looks like and now i can't decide between the two of them.

They both send out the same message but in a slightly different way. i may have to consult a few people to see their views on it.


Before i asked though i just wanted to try something out with the black rectangle over her mouth, just to see what it would look like.

I used the original slogan of make the hidden heard, which also works well as the lips are hidden. i have also used the orange from the Silent Cities logo for the type to keep consistency. I don't mind how this look, by adding the typography enforces what the poster is trying to say.

slogan ideas

I need a slogan for the promotion, i want it to link in with the image so it needs to be something to do with silence and/or voices that can't or aren't be heard. So that it also links in with Silent Cities as a company.


I found this image which i think will be helpful when thinking of a slogan:

 

But instead of the word 'visible' link it with sound, so something like heard or understood. As i can't use the same slogan.

MAKE THE HIDDEN HEARD- which i think would work really well as it links with the person being hidden because they don't have a voice, therefore they can't be heard.

Also hidden because the QR code hides it until it is scanned.

I don't know wether i will be able to get away with this because it's a bit to close to Nike's slogan, so i will think about other possible slogans.

  

lightbulb!!

Thinking over the idea i suddenly got 'the lightbulb above my head'.


Looking back through what a QR code could do, the text coming up on the phone seemed really dull. That's when i say the video option that i had forgotten about previously and thought about having the same duct tape across the mouth with the QR code on top but instead...


Have a link to a youtube video of that person's mouth,( that will be placed over the image of the duct tape) talking about how Silent Cities has helped them. This will them make the image look as though it's talking for real, almost life like.


I really hope i can pull this off, it's not so much the making of the QR code because i've had a practice and it's really easy. It's the fact of how it's going to look. 
Fingers crossed i can pull this off.


This will be either the same size or a bit smaller than A4, which will include the image of a person, the Silent Cities logo and a catchy slogan ( that i have yet to think of ). Which will be handed out in public, it could also be used on other media such as billboards/adshels, its a possibility if i have the time.




Below is a quick mock up of how i see my idea looking, i may develop it further depending on what it will actually look like. I decided to get rid of the duct tape, because it looked slightly tacky, i feel the white space where the phone goes works better than what the duct tape did. So decided to stick with it.
The image will be different obviously, it will be an image of someone that has been helped by Silent Cities. However i like the black and white image as i feel it gives of the right mood for the promotion.

first ideas

Still keeping along the lines of people being silent, my first initial thought was to show someone with duct tape across their mouth, then have type underneath it.

This would be ok to use but there is nothing exciting about it. It would just be another boring

 poster. As i kept my search going i found an image of a mouth as a zip.

At least this has a bit more something going for it, this image gave me the idea of some sort of direct mail, where the mouth is zipped up and you'd somehow unzip it to reveal what the person would be saying. However i wasn't too sure how i would actually make that so gave up on that idea.

The final image i came across was this one, this has to be the one that triggered my idea to expand further.

Again going back to the duct tape idea, this instantly gave me the idea of placing the QR code on top of the duct tape, so when scanned, type will pop up on the phone showing what the person is saying.

Doing it this way keeps it silent but makes the audience interact will the image, which i feel just adds something extra. I really the idea of this and it has definitely made my idea clear in my head, so i will be sticking with it.

Mental Block

After all that i found myself at a dead end, slightly panicking about the whole brief and thought about changing my mind until i got talking to a friend.


It was really random how i got this idea, but i feel it could work.


What lead me onto it was a chat with a friend, as i have just recently got a new phone i wasn't sure about all the apps pre loaded onto it. As they have the same phone they were going through it with me and thats when we came across QRdroid.


Which is a scanner for the QR codes found out and about, i didn't have a clue about them so googled what they were.

I've always wondered what they were, but never knew the correct name for them or what they did. After doing a bit of research on them i found out they could do many different things. i.e. include text, links to images, websites, videos, contact details and many other options.

After a long think i decided this could be the way forward for my promotion, it nothing like i've done before and by using it still gives me lots of options of how to promote Silent Cities, because i still have a choice of what the QR code could link to.

advertising vs promotion

When looking for clever ways of promotion to get ideas, everything shown seemed to be advertising and i was getting a little confused between the two. So i decided to look at the definitions of both:

So basically promotion is just short term, therefore i need to do something that will get people interested straight away. As there are no boundaries to what sort of promotion it could be i would really like to mix some aspect used typically for advertising, i.e Tv adverts/video, as i feel it would be a challenge and a lot different to what i've done before.

I feel if i did a video/advert etc, it would fit into what Silent Cities do as a company. As one of their activities to help the silent community is arranging Digital media projects  – eg DIY Community films, the Silent Sheffield radio show, silent bloggers.

It would be nice to reflect this within the promotion if possible. If not i'm sure i will think of other suitable ways.

similar charity promotion

I haven't got any ideas in how i could promote Silent Cities at this stage so wanted to look at how other charities that help similar people promote themselves.


I wanted to focus on the charities that are linked with people who can't express how they feel or have their say, because i would like to incorporate the 'Silent' issue within my promotion.
Therefore i looked at poster campaigns for the abuse, i.e The NSPCC/ChildLine.


Even though i'm looking at just one particular type of area that Silent Cities help with i feel it's more appropriate for the time being. If none of these campaigns trigger an idea i will look into other campaigns.

These posters show a variety of ways of how to show silence but link it in with the type of abuse the person is suffering from. i.e The domestic abuse poster may look like the simple way of showing silence, by covering the mouth with a hand but looking deeper into it the hand has more meaning. As domestic abuse is often linked with punching and hitting.

I also think the poster with the little boy works really well with the computer hand. The hand represents the 'sshhhh' noise when told to be quiet, but also the link with online abuse. Very simple, but an effective way of getting the message across.

Out of all the NSPCC posters this has to be my favourite one, purely for the fact of the how simple the creative thinking is that has gone into it. But it works really well. I love how the mouth has been ripped from the picture to portray he can't talk or doesn't have a voice. I will consider things like this for my own promotion as it's simple but quirky and the same time, while getting the message across really clear.

Again this is another poster for people with hidden voices, this time however it's for the homeless. The message is saying the homeless are like ghosts because no one can see them and therefore their voices can't be heard.




There are some really good campaigns here that i will be taking into account when it comes to my own promotion. However i want to look into the more quirky ways of promotion as i don't want my promotion to be just a poster campaign etc, as i want variety in my portfolio.

Looking Deeper

As i was still unclear about what Silent Cities was about, i decided to check out their website to get some insight into the company. This is what i found:

What i understand from this is that Silent Cities help people in silent communities i.e homelessness, sex working, mental ill-health, disability, addiction etc through the means of creativity. 




Their aim:
There are many silent voices in society – isolated, demonised or unheard. Silent Cities is a new social enterprise which aims to build creative environments where silent voices can flourish.

The types of activity include:

1. Empowering communities through:

• Digital media projects  – eg DIY Community films, the Silent Sheffield radio show, silent bloggers
• Creative volunteering opportunities
• Training and development in digital media to empower disadvantaged communities, including workshops, intergenerational mentoring schemes and creative apprenticeships
• Premises – affordable supportive work-based environments for emerging social entrepreneurs and creative sole traders – ‘Place at my table’.

2. Creative services for the third sector:

Provided by professionals supported by creative volunteers and silent apprentices.

• Workshops – vision and values, customer segmentation, making your values visible, thinking creatively, board away days.
• Branding and marketing materials
• Websites

3. Creative Consultation

Innovative methods of public consultation for agencies city-wide.

By looking at this website has given me a heads up on what they do as a company and what they want to achieve from the Silent Cities Program.

What i understand is that Silent Cities help show people of the Silent communities their own potential, but to also to give a voice, informal learning and employment opportunities to disadvantaged communities.

Now i understand what the company are about i feel a bit more relaxed and confident about the overall promotion of the company.

A brief incounter

For the Workshop brief i couldn't decided between the None profitable CD promotion or the General Promotion for Silent Cities as a company.


Having gone over both of them and getting a clear idea in my head about what both of the tasks were. I decided on the General Promotion as i felt it seemed more open and i could really express a different type of promotional device, whereas the CD promotion didn't really excite me and seemed a little boring.


So General promotion it is then, so to get an idea of what Silent Cities are i will begin by looking at their website.