The Persuasive Posters. Week 4.
This week I created five different advertising posters based off an object found in my house. I chose gum boots/wellington boots/rain boots, whatever you call them. I call them wellington boots so went with Wellies as the brand name.
As this week's theory suggests, as the image maker I must use visual language to convey the message to the audience. This involves designing appropriate posters for each of the target markets.
Young Adults (20-25 high SES)
Technique.
0.1 Copic Marker, 2.0 Artline Permanent Marker, Colouring pencils. on Cartridge paper.
Process.
For the Young Adults age group, I wanted something subtle but that also related to the younger audience. Unlike families or the other target groups, young adults are interested in love and living boldly and excitingly. I related wellington boots to being in the rain and spontaneously kissing someone new. I first sketched out the pairs of boots, the girl's leg flicked up to show they are possibly kissing. This is slightly humorous and is more targeted at the 20-25 age group. The title is placed at the top of the poster and the thick text contrasts to the rest of the poster styling. I decided to only colour the wellington boots as this draws attention to the product which is important in advertising.
Reflection.
I liked how I tied the object to the age group in this poster. It is simple and not too busy, with the by-line 'Perfect for every moment'. I think the colouring of just the boots works well and highlights the product.
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Main Strength - Brand name at the top of the poster - first and most important thing viewers read.
Main Challenge - Drawing legs from a side on perspective was a challenge.
Families with young kids (35-55 yo parents with small school-aged kids)
Technique.
0.1 Copic Marker, 2.0 Artline Permanent Marker, Colouring pencils. on Cartridge paper.
Process.
For the families with young kids age group, I knew that the best way to target the parents would be to incorporate a family type shot to prove the Wellies are suitable for their whole family. I went with a family of 4 and drew 4 pairs of wellies in varying sizes and joined them to legs, some with socks or jeans to show personality or character.
Reflection.
I loved the minimalistic style of this poster sketch. By placing the Wellies text large in the bottom left hand corner, it is easily readable and one of the main focuses of the poster. I am pleased with my decision to colour in only the wellington boots and not the rest of the poster as it creates appropriate contrast. Looking at the poster now, the angles of the text is lop-sided, as I often draw things from a side-on perspective. This would not be a problem if this poster was produced digitally.
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Main Strength - Symmetry of the drawing composition.
Main Challenge - Text placement was more difficult in the landscape format.
Young Kids (3-7 yo)
Technique.
0.1 Copic Marker, 2.0 Artline Permanent Marker, Colouring pencils. on Cartridge paper.
Process.
For the Young Kids target group, I thought about how or why young children might want gum boots. Young kids love jumping in puddles in the rain, so I decided to draw a happy young person in rain boots in a puddle. I drew the young girl in a simple cartoon style in order to hopefully draw the attention of young viewers. The boots are spotty and colourful which is kid-like and playful. The text is large for easy visibility.
Reflection.
Different to the other 3 posters, this poster included a full-body shot of a young character. I think this works well for the young audience. Once again the writing is lop-centred due to not viewing the poster straight on when sketching. I like the symmetry of this poster and how everything is centred which I view as visually appealing.
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Main Strength - Very symmetrical composition. Text is large and easy to read in the middle of the image.
Main Challenge - I was worried that placing the text over the illustration would be hard to read.
Over 70's living a healthy independent life
Technique.
0.1 Copic Marker, 2.0 Artline Permanent Marker, Colouring pencils. on Cartridge paper.
Process.
For the over 70's target group, I thought about why they might use the product. I know a lot of over 70's people who are healthy and enjoy gardening, which is a prime example of when they could be wearing gum boots. As they are the oldest age bracket, I decided to keep things simple but the poster could include a further by-line to explain the product. I went with 'lightweight, supportive, durable', which might be what slightly older people would be looking for in footwear. I began this poster by sketching the large wellington boot in the centre of the image and drew the cupped hand underneath. Plants were added to add detail and dimension. The large by-line at the top of the poster helps target the demographic of older gardeners.
Reflection.
I loved the minimalistic style of this poster sketch. The Wellies text is large and very visible. I like how the elements of the poster and centred and only the product is highlighted with colour. I think this is one of my favourite posters for its simplicity.
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Main Strength - Large shoe is the main focus. Use of colour provides interest and excitement.
Main Challenge - The subheading placement was difficult to place.
Digital Reproduction of Poster no.4
Technique.
Adobe Illustrator. Scans of hand-drawn poster.
Process.
My favourite picture in the poster series was probably the last elderly one, due to its simplicity but ability to still target the older group. This digital rendering process began with the scanning of the initial hand-drawn poster. I decided to digitally render this poster to make it look more professional or more finished. After scanning in the poster, I applied the paint daub effect to the gum boot in Adobe Illustrator. I then photographed my hand and after the removing the background, placed it below the boot. Adding a shadow to this made the visual look more life-like and in my opinion, less kid-like. A variety of green copic markers were used to draw some greenery and this was scanned and placed in the background of the poster (the paint daub effect was also applied to this). After looking through various fonts, I decided I liked the way I wrote Wellies, and scanned this in and image-traced the text. This gave a more original creative feel to the poster which I liked. In order to also attract the older audience, the Australian-made stamp was included, as I know my grandparents are interested in buying local products. Whereas if this poster was for younger children, this stamp may not have been included.
Reflection.
I struggled with ensuring this poster didn't look too young or sketchy which would appeal more to a younger audience. However decided that was the brand aesthetic and could still work for an older target group. I like the large Wellies text and the simple text elsewhere. Similarly to the initial poster, I enjoy the symmetry of this design and the way most aspects are well centred. I think using real life photography makes the poster appeal more to the demographic as it's not as sketchy or playful.
