Produce a set of three posters of one Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign. The posters will be 36” x 48” and produced in full color. These posters will not be printed but finalized on the computer.
The goal of this assignment is learn how to generate original, clear ideas and to produce a clear, quick-communicating, conceptually-strong PSA poster set.
There are a few keys to the successful completing of this assignment:
Please note: I find that my most productive time is when I spend quiet alone time to ponder. The best time for me is during a commute or some 60 minute+ block of time that I’m not needed. I set a few of these times aside for each brainstorm.
Public service announcements, or PSA's, are short messages produced as posters, on film, DVD, CD, or as a computer file and posted in a public area or given to radio and television stations to air.
"This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?"
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste."
"Friends don't let friends drive drunk."
"You could learn a lot from a dummy."
How many of these phrases ring a bell? These widely recognized slogans from national public service announcement campaigns by the Ad Council have become a part of our culture. While the above examples were all big-budget campaigns, your own public service announcements (also known as PSA's) -- even if they're a simple poster -- can be a great inexpensive way to get your message out to the public.
Designers need strong words to successfully create a concept or brainstorm, even if the words are not used in the design. Designers need to forcefully take a position by clearly defining a message to communicate and use that clear message to brainstorm. In the end, your concept or message is your foundation. If you start with a strong message, you’ll have a strong product. Conversely, if you begin with a weak message and you can’t help but end with a weak product.
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This means you’ll need to look through much more than 20 to narrow down to your favorite 20. Categorize your favorite PSA posters. Some categories might be: humorous, eye-opening, headline reliant, clever, image reliant, comparison, etc. Narrow down your favorites by identifying which of the 20 are your 3 favorite.
To do: Create a post that shows your 20 favorite, mark your top 3 and write why you like each of those three in your blog post. Create a similar page for your process book documenting this step of the project.
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List 20 topics you could use for your PSA poster, for example: obesity, texting while driving, soft drink usage, drinking and driving, talking with your children, etc. Select the topic you feel strongly about that you’d like to use for your PSA posters.
Many times designers need to act as copywriters. You can't successfully brainstorm without having a strong direction to brainstorm. If you have a weak message, you'll have a weak concept.
For instance if your topic is Skin Cancer Prevention, soft and ineffective messages would be: Be careful in the Sun, Cover Up in the Sun, or Watch Out for Skin Cancer. Much more effective messages are either exaggerated or go fully one way to communicate. For example: Go with Your Own Glow; Prevent. Detect. Live.; or SPOT Skin Cancer.
Using posted comments and any feedback you’ve garnered from friends, family and roommates, select your final message.
To do: Create a post showing your possible 20 PSA topics, your selected topic, and 10 slogans/messages that communicate your topic. Survey your friends, family and/or roommates to help select your final message. Post your final message. Create a similar page for your process book documenting this step of the project.
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Based on feedback from classmates and your instructor, select/reselect your final message. Write your message on the top of a blank piece of paper. Underline the keywords from your message you will need at least 2 words and no more than 4. For example, if your message was “Start Early, Talk to your Kids”, you might only underline “early”, “talk” and “kids”. Brainstorm a list of 30 words under each keyword in your slogan. In a brainstorm there is no editing. Any crazy idea can and should be put down. These could be word associations, similes, words that remind or are somehow linked to your keyword.
For example, using “early”, “talk” and “kids”, your list for “early/young” might include: baby, toddler, pregnant belly, baby in swing, pacifier, bottle, crying baby, diapers, dirty diapers, small feet, small hands, stroller, baby swing, baby bouncer, baby car seat, etc.
Words from a “talk” brainstorm might include: open mouth, speech bubbles, whispering, animated conversation, chat, small talk, words out of mouth, text, letters, etc.
Words from a “kids” brainstorm might include: toddler, small braids, little hand holding big hand, infant, holding infant, silhouette of child, children drawing, children writing, small clothes, small shoes, toys, etc.
(This example may not be the most effective as I’ve combined early/young and the kids, so I essentially have two items to pull from.)
To do: Post your brainstorm to your blog. Create a similar page for your process book documenting this step of the project.
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Next create combinations of brainstormed words.
Pick a word from each brainstorm list and combine them with the goal of creating an interesting and unique visual. Combinations based on our example might include
Thumbnails vary in size and detail based on the individual. These are really personal notes on layout, value and content. Sizes are based on format but are about .75" to 2".
To do: Complete 10 combinations from your brainstorm that communicate your message and create a thumbnail of each. You will have to create more than 10 combinations and thumbnails to create 10 that communicate your message. Select 10 that communicate your message and post your match-ups and thumbnails. Create a similar page for your process book documenting this step of the project.
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If you don’t have enough good thumbnails, go back to the brainstorming phase, re-match word combinations, and thumbnail again. When you get 3 clearly communicating ideas with great layouts, create color comps. Review your thumbnails. Which communicate your message? What do they communicate? Are any off message? Ask for help from others especially classmates and instructors.
Remember a poster series should go together in concept, color, and style.
Create color comps. Color comps are larger, more detailed thumbnails. If thumbnails are .75" to 2"; a color comp may be 3" to 7". Layout details are explored. Definitely values are explored and colors are explored. Decisions should be based on your message.
To do: Create a post showing three final thumbnails as color comps. Show exploration of values and colors. Color explorations could be shown as swatches near the color comps. Apply color decisions to the 3 final poster ideas. Create a similar page for your process book documenting this step of the project.
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Be sure your posters relate to one another so they can stand together in a portfolio. To do: Create the final versions of your posters at full size and post to your blog. Create a similar page for your process book documenting this step of the project.
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To do: Create an AV Presentation presenting your process and final assignment. Post a link to your AV Presentation and a link to a pdf of your process book to your blog. Create a similar page for your process book documenting this step of the project.