OUGD503: "Water is life"

The one which I want to develop is the idea that dirty water does cause death and diseases because a lot of campaigns focus on how fantastic clean water is. However due to the facts I've seen it is still an incredibly horrific that a large amount of the world don't have clean water. 

The quote which gripped me the most was the one based on children:

They are definitely the most vulnerable as when they have their mothers milk they have the immunity against diseases. 

Colours & colour combinations/ schemes:

I want to work with a limited colour palette to allow for the message to be minimal and understood.

Water often seems to be represented as being blue, although in fact colourless it is the light which is reflected which makes us assume water is blue. Blue as a colour is often seen as pure, clean and hygienic which I suppose is why often sanitation businesses and graphics surrounding cleanliness and water often use blue. Although in my poster it is important to concentrate on the idea of dirty water and therefore darker colours which contrast would be a better idea. 

Colour black:

"Black is intimidating, unfriendly and unapproachable because of the power it exudes."

http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-black.html

Large amounts of black can often be seen as depressing or in western culture associated with death and funerals. 

I started off with thinking about drawing a skeleton drinking dirty water but through feedback it was suggested I could draw a hand instead and this could be slightly more subtle. I tried it in a few different colour ways but found that it was perhaps best done as black with white. 

From my initial ideas I really liked the cracked ground and therefore used a font which was slightly textured to represent lack of water. 

I started off thinking I wanted to use children's handwriting, I initially used my own hand writing and then looked at fonts. However it doesn't really work with the title at the top or the skeleton hand. Therefore I looked at a thicker stamp-like font which would work with the title in a similar weight but without the cracks. 

I started off with the hand incredibly large to be the main focus however I think it looks much more balanced when made smaller. 

The hand also needs to be placed at the side because it simply looks odd without the arm of the person/skeleton.

I also wanted to photographically add the 'dirty water' as this would appear more realistic than if it was painted using water colours or similar medium. I looked at my own photographs and changed filters on photoshop to change them from blue and green tones to darker muddy looking natural colours.

The image initially looked quite flat so therefore I edited a tonal range into it:

I have also used a limited colour palette because these could be easily changed to be a 3 or 2 colour screen print depending on whether the logo would be used. As the dirty water could be changed to a texture using one singular colour. 

Submission:

Poster:

Description: "Even though the positive effects of having clean water are phenomenal. It is important to remember that change needs to be made throughout the world. Shocking statistics show children die each day from water related diseases. The skeleton's hand is to represent a person's hand. Through drinking the dirty water their fate is inevitably death. A vast change needs to be made to ensure this doesn't continue."

I am pleased with what I have been able to produce in an incredibly short space of time. It is a global issue which needs change and I would love it if I was part of the exhibition/chosen as one of their designs. However it has definitely proved to me that I enjoy non profit and charitable design as much as designing for products and companies that sell. Designing for good as we discussed in context of practice (ethics) is definitely something I continuously want to be involved in. In creating artwork for this project I have definitely produced something which is visually incredibly different to what has already been created in previous years and I think if I had more time I would like to of been able to create a set or a series which could work for different quotes and imagery.