Maria Bailey

Through this lecture I learnt that I really hate the aesthetic of post modernism. I understand the modernism style was getting too plain and boring and architecture and design needed a refresh, but I think the combination of classic style and modern generally looks ridiculous, almost humorous in some cases. I still found the lecture to be interesting and found myself looking at building on the bus ride home that had a combination of design styles incorporated.

I found this lecture interesting because I have always really enjoyed modernism in architecture especially. I liked the idea that design took a step back from embellishments and followed the ‘function’ for inspiration of form. Though I think sometimes the design can become a little too bare and boring, but for the most part I think it looks better, is more functional and I really like the notion of the truth being connected to beauty.

This lecture was interesting because I don’t know much about behaivourism so I found it really interesting to learn about. When Alan used his cat as an example of behaivourism I thought about how my cat always follows us around the house at a certain time of day because he knows its around the time he gets fed. It was interesting to think that people can always be trained in the same way, there are certain things that you do because your parents have conditioned you in to those ways.

This lecture was shocking to see the old advertisements that were once allowed. Some of the ads are so sexist and ridiculous that if they were released now, they would be reported for being inappropriate and talked about on a news piece. Its unbelievable to think that not that long ago the social norms were completely different and all the advertising surrounding these women would have confined them to play the happy housewife. 

This lecture was interesting because while I was already aware that certain colours and products are pushed towards boys and girls, after watching the examples alan played during the lecture and then noticing ads on tv during the day I realised how intense the difference is between the stereotypes that are cast on kids. Its sad to see how from such a young age children are put in to a certain box and told they have to like pink or blue, trucks or dolls etc

After learning about Freuds theories the previous week I found this lecture interesting as I tried to figure out which theory I believe, does your character depend on your childhood or on your social class? I definitely think Marx theory would be easier to follow in terms of observing a persons development.

I found this lecture so interesting. The different stages of development got me thinking about how normal it has become to hyper sexualise advertising, especially in the food industry. After the lecture I was dumbfounded by how many highly inappropriate adverts are out there and how much they related to what was said in the lecture about fixating in the oral stage with alcoholism and over eating, themes which the advertising industry exploit.

History Of Modern Thought  I find it most interesting to see how much art and architecture varied through the ages and how often we come back to old styles. After the lecture I noticed many buildings built in the gothic style

Overall I really did enjoy this assignment and I am proud of the work I put out. I feel as though I learnt a lot about my brand and the idea of iconic brands in general. I almost feel like the brand wasn’t randomly chosen but was selected for me. This project had an effect on my personal life as I have adopted some of the methods Greenpeace suggests to reduce your environmental impact which is something I had not anticipated, but their facts and writings on various issues threatening the planet took me by surprise. 

When I envisioned this publication finished, I could see it sitting on a coffee table or in a stack of magazines you could find at places like magnation. I’m glad I switched to an A4 size in the end, it feels more reflective of Greenpeace’s own work and I had worried that a smaller size would make the publication feel like a guide book and take away from the visual impact of the photographs which turned out really nice on this size & stock. 

Some pictures of the cover and a few spreads 

I planned to print on the Friday week before the publication was due but unfortunately came down with a stomach bug the night before and was unable to get my publication printed which left me in a bit of a time crunch, I wanted to give myself a few days between printing and when it was due incase anything went wrong so I would have time to fix it. I went in on monday morning and was told my book would be done by the afternoon so I waited around all day, but when I went to check before they closed they had not printed it and there turned out to be a problem with a key font not printing because it hadn’t been embedded which I hadn’t anticipated since there were no warnings on my laptop. This made me panic as I knew I would have little to no time to sort a second option if it didn’t go right the following day. I got there before they opened on Tuesday and thankfully everything went smoothly and the publication was complete in just under an hour. Upon reflection I wish I had done a smaller font size I think its maybe 1 to 1.5 point sizes too big which is my own fault but aside from that I am very happy with how the book turned out. I used 150 gsm silk matte stock inside and the cover was 300 gsm silk matte which made the photos look really nice. I knew something would probably go wrong since I seem to have bad luck with printers but I know for next time to sort my files out a few days earlier so I can buy myself some time. 

When I think of Greenpeace, I think of a movement. This is a brand centred on people taking action, even if its just small changes in their everyday lives to benefit the environment. I wanted the publication to reflect that they aren’t just tree huggers like people may think, and that their ideas have real value. To do this I wanted to make sure the book looked professional, but still had sparks of Greenpeace’s confrontational attitude. I found the use of a grid system really crucial to give my spreads direction and a touch of formality while still being able to play with the photographic & typographic elements. 

Originally this image was on the inside of my book as a kind of opening image but I decided that I wanted to use it for the cover because I think it represents Greenpeace in the most simplistic form. An activist looking out over the natural environment around her. Since imagery is such a huge part of my publication I thought it should be the same for the cover, I think covers should be a reflection or hint of what’s to follow. 

Most of the images were obtained through greenpeaces photo site which lets you download high quality images 14 days after they have been posted for free before they become private and harder to get access too. A few images are from news articles or reports when I couldnt get what I needed from the official site. The images have been an amazing resource for my publication as Greenpeace take incredible photographs. 

My secondary audience is graphic designers and photographers. I am really thankful that I was able to access the incredible images that Greenpeace has and download most of them at 2500px, it really shaped how my publication turned out as the images are the ‘hero’s’ in the spreads, I think photographers especially would have an interest in looking at some of the imagery in this publication and maybe researching the artists from the resource list. 

Target Audiences - I am mainly aiming this publication at people who want to learn more about Greenpeace or those who may already support them as a way to give insight in to the organisation. Other viewers would be possible competitors/ NGOS starting up and graphic designers.