OUGD401 | Production & testing

I decided to print my designs on A3 newsprint. The idea behind this was that the posters would be cheap to produce so the message could easily be spread. Newspapers are also common vehicles for promoting gender stereotypes and inequality so it seemed appropriate to change the message printed on such papers. The paper also has a fragile feel, which I felt represented the fragility of this issue, it often makes people feel uncomfortable so this was shown through the physicality of the paper. Finally, there were small errors and tears in the paper as it was too thin to go through the printer - this further expressed the fragility of the issue as well as the damage it so easily causes, yet this remains ignored. 

Unfortunately, the ink in the printer ran out whilst I was printing the posters meaning one is a slightly faded red compared to the rest. However I do not feel this would affect my campaign as the message is still strong with the image and text on this. The colour simply reinforced the existing message on the posters and aimed to grab more attention. I feel that the images are controversial enough to catch the eye with out this colour filter. 

Final posters - 

As a form of testing my posters I put them up in the studio and left some basic questions with a pen next to them. I actually felt quite uncomfortable putting them up because of how explicit the images actually were, so I hoped the shock factor would be achieved. I sadly received comments from males suggesting they liked the image being up and there was definately more of an interest in them from the male side of the class. This showed me the reality of today's society and how it has become expectable to gaze at women in such a way and make crude comments. But also, seeing how drawn in certain people were I can understand why advertising agencies use it as a technique to grab attention. 

The first question I asked was "How do you respond to the posters? e.g. how do they make you feel?" for this question I wanted some suggestion of questioning advertising, starting a conversation or wanting to take action. However I expected that no one would answer the question in such a way. Funnily enough I recieved feedback such as "awkward" and "horny" from males, whereas women tended to respond with comments such as "uncomfortable" "had to do a double take". 

The second question I asked was "Do you think the message is clear/successful?" as I was unsure if this was the case. It is hard to see if the message is clear if you already know what it is. Thank fully the response was a resounding yes!

Finally I asked "What do you think the posters achieve?". My campaign had fairly broad aims, the main one being to grab attention and begin that conversation, perhaps more biased towards a negative. The response I received was "creates a shock factor", "shows that women are powerful", "women are an object to promote products in a sexual manner". There was a question of "where are the men?" but I am pleased that someone asked as this is all part of the overall discussion! 

In hind sight, I made my booking too late to carry out some more thorough testing as I asked questions from a small, biased sample (my graphic design class).  Part of me felt quite embarrassed to show others the posters simply because of how intense the images are, however next time I would push myself to ask people because the issue is real and by hiding it the message won't be received and society will carry on thinking this inequality is acceptable.