Social Action

Evaluation

Is your advertising campaign fit for purpose and why?

I think that my campaign and products work well for their purpose because they catch the viewers attention with the bright colours and happy images. They are straight to the point and simple to understand with non-complex meanings or messages. My products would tie in well with what SASH already have as they follow the same colour scheme and shade of green. They also follow SASH easily because they are all happy images with a positive message rather than sad, upsetting ones. I feel that my campaign is fit for purpose as it holds all of the necessary information without giving to much for people to need to understand. The posters have been kept simple with minimal copy and large information, the leaflet goes into more depth and detail and the bookmark and sticker is very simplistic also. I think the posters would be effective because you could put them up on walls and places for people to see and they would immediately know their purpose and what they need to do whilst also being able to look at the leaflet for more information and people’s stories. The bookmark is something that can be carried around with the person as a constant reminder and will always be there with them, which means its easily at hand and will imprint on the persons mind each time they look at it, similarly with the stickers.

Does it communicate your message clearly and why?

I think my campaign communicates the messages clearly and simply so that everyone reading them and viewing them can easily interpret them. I have used a simple vocabulary so that anyone viewing the products will understand what I am getting across. I used words such as “you” to talk directly to the reader and make them feel involved and part of something and used “we” to also involve them, making them feel part of something, ensuring they know it requires everyone working together. Using words such as “go” gives direct instructions and means that the reader knows exactly what to do and can easily understand is as they are gaining instructions and being told how to get help rather than them having to work out for themselves what I am trying to say. I have featured the SASH logo on every piece of publication I have created as this means the reader immediately knows which charity the campaign is for and it also gives the direct message to which audience the campaign is for and lets the volunteers know they will be helping a teen/young person rather than taking an adult into their homes. It also helps the young people understand we are working to help them specifically and they will feel more important as they are not just ‘another homeless person’, they have something specifically designed for them and their ages which will show them people do understand and know what to do for them. The message of my campaign is that homeless youths can get help and there is somewhere for them to go and get housed. It informs the reader through the copy of information as to what SASH does, contact details, etc and one of my pieces of work also features a photograph of a young person sleeping in a bed which could be communicating with the reader to show them they can get warm beds and somewhere safe to stay.

Is it appropriate for your target audience and why?

My products are suitable for their audiences as they look professional and grown up without being too formal and overly adult-like. They are sleek and well finished with mature language but at the same time keep a younger touch to them. This helps ensure that they capture their younger audience (the homeless) and their more grown up ones (the volunteers/public). The fonts I have used help make the products appropriate for their audience. The headline font which grabs your attention is bold and stand out with a fun feel to it whilst also being easy to read. The main text font I have chosen to use is a sans serif style which is easy to read and also has a slight hand written look towards it. Using sans serif makes it easier to read as there are no ‘flicky’ bits which can distract the eye and make it harder for some people to read easily. The overall tone and mood of my campaign is a happy one which helps make it suited to the target audience. The happy tone will make the young people feel like SASH can make them feel happy and safe too whilst the volunteers will feel happy because they are helping someone and will feel good. The colour scheme is appropriate for my target audience as it is neutral and can be used for male and female. It is a lightish shade of green which is vibrant and attracts your eye quickly but doesn’t look to childish and immature. The images I have used are appropriate for my target audience also as they physically show who the campaign is aimed at through using photographs of young people and also hypothetical volunteers.

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

Contact Information

Title

Text

One of the similarities between my plans and my end product is that I have managed to keep the title and logo in roughly the same position I had planned on doing. The text is in a similar place also but has slightly changed to be left aligned rather than going all across the page. The contact information has changed position to be part of the main text body on the left of the page instead of on the bottom as I originally proposed to have done.

Another change which I have had to make it the location of the image. I originally proposed to have a banner style image across the top section of the page but through my production I have discovered this was not possible in all posters so instead opted to use an image filing up the right hand side of the page on some of my final pieces.

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

Title/Slogan

Text/Information

My banner plans and final products vary from each other a fair amount. The title is kind of in the same place as it is located at the top but it is also different from the flat plan as it is left aligned and not centered. The logo has been kept in the same location as originally planned but the main text body has been right-aligned rather than going directly across the whole of the banner. The logo is smaller than I had planned to make it and it used up the bottom corner only rather than being enlarged to fill up the whole space up to the title.

One of the main differences would be that when I planned out my banner I didn’t intend on inserting an image/photograph to it other than the logo and for my final piece I have included something visual along with the copy other than just the feature of colour.

If I was to re-do this design or to improve it I would change the image I have used. In the original copy of this image the sofa was red and I have manipulated it to become green. Looking closely at the image you can see that it has not been totally successful and so I would either change the image completely or I would take more care with my manipulation to gain a more professional and sleek looking image.

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

Throughout all of my publications and pieces of work I have maintained the same colour scheme. I have used the colours green and black for the text each time to help keep consistency and all of my work to flow together. I made the main text body black whilst using green to highlight important bits such as the title, contact information and any direct instruction that needs to stand out. I also used the same fonts in every piece of work. I used ‘happy hell’ for the title or headline and ‘clement’ for the main copy and any other pieces of writing. I maintained consistency through the imagery also because I only used happy images where they cast a positive tone and feel to the campaign. I made sure everyone was smiling and looked to be enjoying themselves and their lives. Keeping this level of consistency and keeping as many things the same as possible helps to keep the professional look and feel to my work and ensures everything works together and compliments each other well for the set.

SASH Publication

My work

One of the similarities between my work and the official SASH leaflet is that I used their idea of making an image into a Polaroid with a shadow effect to lift it from the page. I did this to make my work tie in with theirs and so that it looks like a set and they work together. Another similarity between my work and the leaflet from SASH is that both feature a page explaining what SASH do and what it is, which ensures all the leaflets are informative and any that you opt to look at will tell you about the organisation. I have maintained the same colour scheme that SASH use of green, black and white. This also helps maintain consistency, professionalism and keeps everything working together as a set. A slight difference however may be that the green I have used appears slightly more vibrant and bright than the shade SASH have used. This captures the viewers eye from a distance and could also attract the younger audience to read as it is a more ‘fun’ shade of green. Both leaflets use a bolder font for the headlines to make them stand out on the page. The font I chose to use looks slightly younger and more youth looking that the SASH font as theirs looks all straight, neat and tidy.

SASH Mine

Here I have placed my bookmark next to one that SASH have created and out out to the public. When you look at them next to each other the first thing you can see is the difference in images chosen. SASH have used a more negative style image whereas mine us happy and positive. I think my image is effective because it sets an overall happy and positive tone to the publication and also to the company itself. It shows that there’s a positive outcome and everyone gets a chance at happiness in life, no matter what their situation. The bright colours used in the image I have used are eye catching and vibrant rather than being dull which also helps enhance the positivity and brightness of the life the person could lead. My bookmark compared to the one of SASH is very simplistic and minimalistic. This helps get straight to the point and ensure everyone knows what to do without reading lots of extra information or bits that aren’t useful to their situation. My work also features contact details so that you have them with you if you’re out and about and need them at hand. Another difference you can easily see is SASH have not included their logo onto the bookmark they created whereas I have made it large and at the top of the bookmark to easily identify the organisation and what they do. A similarity between the two pieces of work is the colour scheme. Both use green to separate things and highlight key parts and black for the main text and copy with a white background to ensure everything stands out and is easy to read.

SASH

Mine

At first glance there is an obvious difference between the two pieces of work. SASH have kept their poster portrait, whereas mine is landscape. I used this orientation because of the picture I wanted to use, I thought it looked better and more professional rather than having it portrait with a lot of empty white space. Both the posters have the same title location at the top of the page. This helps to make the main headline stand out and grab your attention immediately, quickly displaying the point of the campaign. Another similarity between the two posters is that they both ask the reader questions to make them think and to involve them directly. These posters are similar because they are both campaigning to get people to give up a bed and room in their house for a homeless youth.

How effective are the techniques you have used and why?

I think the techniques I have used are fairly effective. I have used happy images to create a positive feeling and tone to my work. This helps reassure anyone considering using the service and can show them there is a positive outcome to their negative situation. The positivity and smiles within the images may cause homeless youths to feel safer and more comfortable with SASH and want their help. I feel the use of the shade of green which I have used is effective also because it is a calmer shade rather than a bright, vivid one which is vibrant. This can be used to represent the calmness of the environment the homeless person will be moving into and it can also represent safety and serenity which will also be found within the volunteers houses. It is also effective on the publications directed towards the volunteers because it could be a silent promise to them that they will still keep a quiet life and their safety will be kept as well as the persons that they have chosen to take in. I have tried to keep the same layout throughout my products as best as I could to maintain consistency throughout my work. I have located the organisation logo in the bottom left hand corner in most pieces and have placed the title at the top of every piece of publication. This is effective because it helps tie all the different pieces together into a single unit and doesn’t make them appear as separate things because they are all related to each other. Using the different fonts and colours is effective because it helps separate pieces of information and make the important bits stand out to become easier to see and grab immediately. It also makes the information easy to read and understand as it is a simplistic and basic font I have used.

Is the content effective and why?

I think the content is mostly effective as it holds all the essential information and pictures without being a mind overload and rambling on about unnecessary information. The happy images are effective because they will show people they will be gaining a happy life, whether it be a youth or a volunteer. The language and writing style used is effective because it quickly and easily gets to the point. It used direct language and rhetorical questions to make the reader feel important and part of something rather than just reading as a general outsider. The emotive language makes the reader feel guilty in some aspects and this may persuade them to give up a room to a homeless person and it could also be useful for if someone knows someone who is homeless, it might make them speak up and help a friend. Including SASH's contact details is very effective because it allows people to get in touch with SASH if they need to, whether that be to get help or more information on volunteering. Without the contact details people would never be able to get help and the problem would just get worse so this is a crucial piece to include on the products and is effective because people are getting in touch and improving their life styles rather than sofa surfing or sleeping on the streets and benches. The company logo was effective because it clearly shows the company the campaign is for. Even if it is the only thing you see, the company logo holds a lot of information. It displays the company name and their main aim which tells a viewer a lot if that’s the only thing they know. Having the logo on every piece of publication also helps tie everything together and keeps it working in a set.

What impact do you think your advertising campaign will have on the public and why?

I think my advertising campaign and products will have a positive influence on the public. I think this because the positivity in the images may rub off on the viewers and make them feel happy through knowing people in similar situations to them can still smile. The direct instructions in my copy will have a positive effect because they are directly telling the reader what to do as well as involving them through rhetorical questions and words such as “we” and “you”. It will persuade people to seek the help they need and gain anew home other than a park bench and could also make the public consider donating a room to a homeless teen and give them a new lease on life. Seeing the posters on walls and leaflets laying around will help for people to see them and even at a quick glance over, people will remember them and it will remain in their minds. A leaflet can be picked up also so they can be taken home to read through or given to someone in need of help so they can look into getting the help they need. Bookmarks and stickers will have a good impact because they can be carried around with you or worn on your clothing as a constant reminder and handy piece of publication if you ever need the contact details or information to help someone.

What are the technical and aesthetic qualities of your work?

I think I have used Photoshop well in most cases because most of my publications and pieces of work look sleek and well finished. I used some more complex methods to create imagery where I placed a photograph into a Polaroid frame and tuning a photograph into a house shape using a clipping mask on the leaflet. I think both of these effects have turned out well as the images look well finished and smooth but no mistakes and they could have been created by a higher leveled Photoshop user. Another Photoshop technique I have used would be using the polygonal lasso tool. I used this to cut people out from the backgrounds so I could place them on the white background of my posters. This mostly worked well but there was one instance when it could have been improved. The banner I created using a man on a sofa needs improvement as I changed the sofa from red to green and there are errors where you can clearly see a red outline and it does not look professional. My publications are overall very good in my opinion as I have used the space wisely and have not left masses of empty space, nor have I overlapped images with copy and text.