Quote from essay - 'Visually the poster was simple and bold in its execution; using the iconic pink triangle as a symbol of the fight. The pink triangle originated from Nazi camps where ‘suspected homosexuals’ were labeled with this symbol as a mark of shame. In more contemporary uses of the symbol it has been used on flags at activism protests and this Gran Fury poster campaign; as an attempt to turn the stigma into a mark of pride and change.'
Pink - is iconic in the visual activism for the LGBT community so it is appropriately informed; also then links the visual identity of the campaign to the name. I decided from an initial point that the shade of pink would be pastel - this is informed by the pastel pink stock I observed during my primary research looking into LGBT underground press (FAN newsletters and zines). It then means that any printed visual aspects within the final production should/can be printed on a similar pink stock. The use of coloured stock was used due to a lack in money/access to print in the times of underground press, colour printing would of been expensive so coloured stock created a more colourful and bold visual aesthetic for the publications without it being costly.
Blue - Blue is considered to be the adverse of pink, representative of 'man/male'. I think in this respect it would be appropriate to use as the secondary colour for the identity.
IK BLUE - IK blue is a high contrast ultra-marine shade of blue, it can be produced on screen effectively and gives a high impact visual aesthetic instantly grabbing attention. It cannot however be produced using standard inkjet or lazer printing methods as it is out of the CMYK spectrum. In terms of print methods for this brief I suggest no standard forms of printing be used, both down to this limitation and due to the fact historically many zines and underground press publications would of used other methods of printing.
Print methods - Most appropriate forms of 'DIY' printing informed by historical production of LGBT+ underground press and activism campaign materials are as follows
- Photocopying (How most zines would of been produced)
- Risograph printing (effectively a more advanced version of a photocopier)
- Screen printing (An effective and historical method of DIY printing, can be used to produce posters, t-shirts, publications, print on pretty much any material.)
All print techniques used should be capable of printing the IK blue if used correctly.
Web production - The use of online tools and a visual web presence for the campaign is key due to the target audience and focus on digital media as a pose to physical and printed matter.
Essay quote - 'More current research into the buying power of the LGBT community by eMarketer, shows how technological advancements have changed the way the market is visually influenced. The use of social media sites such as Facebook has been recorded showing that, 88% of US lesbian and bisexual female internet users said they used Facebook for personal communications, and 79% of gay and bisexual males reported the same.; this targeted research into newer platforms of advertising gives brands the power to fully understand the market. Further statistical studies show that ‘Data indicates that GLBT Internet users spend significantly more time online than their heterosexual counterparts,’; this information tells the advertisers that communication with the LGBT community will be more effective via online and social media platforms rather than other forms. This niche target market could even show more packback success than heteronormative themed counterparts. The success of targeted advertising has also been statistically studied as a 2006-07 study showed 94% of LGBT internet users would me more likely to purchase products or services, that were advertised using gay themes (eMarketer, 2016). US Census Bureau (2005). also recorded that 52% of gay consumers had bought something online at least once a month (2003) this figure considered to be large in comparison to only 32% of overall users doing the same. All such related statistics surrounding the buying power of the gay market suggests they are a market worthy of targeting specifically; but there is still little to be known on the most effective ways of doing so.'
This research shows the importance of creating at least partly an online campaign as the LGBT+ community are even more engaged with online advertising and interactions than their heterosexual counterparts.
Creating a physical version of the manifesto is still appropriate as people appreciate something you can hold in your hand; it is also more likely to have an impact when sent to busy advertising agencies. Such busy brands and companies are likely to see hundreds of emails a day so would be likely to ignore an online campaign but if something physical was sent it would have immediate impact. It also gives me the opportunity to used informed print methods and aesthetics using my primary research into the underground press.
Conclusively I will produce an online platform for the manifesto and its promotion and physical versions to appeal to both the LGBT+ personal audience and more high end brands that id like to sign onto it.
Typeface - Due to the nature of the campaign the typeface and overall aesthetic of the brand needs to be friendly and appealing to show clear contrast to the potentially damaging adverts that already exist. I have chosen Avenir Sans for the main typeface - it is legible, available on Google web fonts (applicable to website formats), available in many different weights and variations and overall a friendly looking typeface.
Animation - The kind of advertising agencies, graphic designers and brands targeted through this campaign need their attention to be held through a strong and engaging brand. To ensure the web platform and online persona of the manifesto is appealing and hold attention I will incorporate animation as a form of boldness and interactivity.
This is an example of what the basic welcome page for the website could look like using animation. The typewriter style of animation is informed by the use of typewriters I observed in my primary research into underground press. Many of the publications were created using a typewriter then photocopied for reproduction. This animation style then links the historical values of the research with the contemporary campaign.
This alternate version of the welcome page shows a 'warped' ending to the animation. The reason being representing the warped views of the LGBT+ community currently shown in advertising. This could however lengthen the animations too much if used for all of the type on the website so it might be more appropriate just used for the title.
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