Revised VBCB (not final)
This isn't completely done yet but I feel like I'm getting closer. I'm posting it in case anyone has some time and wants to give some feedback.
Creative Brief
Potential Names for Conference:
Founder
Haagen-Smit Symposium
Mary D. Nichols Conference
American Lung Association Seminar on Air Pollution
WHO Talk on Air Pollution
Overman’s Conference on Air Pollution
Explanatory
Air Pollution
Stopping Air Pollution
Breath of Fresh Air
Breathe Easy
Change in the Wind
Winds of Change
Expressive
Breatheasy
Lighter than Air
Breathe Deeply
ClearSkies
Clarity
Areo
Airato
Luftia
Symbolic
Wind
Aether
Storm
Bird
Cloud
Sky
Acronym
CLA Clean Air for All
AQA Air Quality Awareness
WYA What’s in Your Air?
HA Healthy Air
GAIO Good Air Indoor and Out
Final Infographic
I uploaded the illustrator file because the pdf file wasn't showing correctly.
Designerly Curiosity
I've done a few things so far for DC.
I attended an EPIC meeting last week where we brainstormed about brainstorming. It was interesting to try out new brainstorming techniques. One of the exercises we did I enjoyed a lot. We separated into groups and sat in a circle. One person said a word and then the next person said the first thing that came to mind. We did this around the circle until we got back to the person who started it. We then took the first and last word said and tried to come up with some sort of product or service. It was sort of like a verbal thought map.
On Wednesday Marina and I went to see a film showing at Herron called Gerhard Richter Painting. This wasn't on the list of DC options, but it was something I don't usually do and about something I know nothing about, so I thought this might apply. The film was about a German painter, Gerhard Richter. He has a unique way of painting with squeegees. He uses only black, white, red, blue, and yellow paint. The film showed him creating some pieces and talking about his life. The painter talked about his life in Germany, exhibition experiences, and his feelings about painting. He spoke about how things were in Germany when the east and west where separated. He was stuck on one side with his parents on the other, he never got to see his parents again. The situation in Germany at that time is something I know little about. Hearing a person talk about it who lived there at the time made me realize how much it really affected the people. The scenes where he was panting were strangely relaxing. It would be very quiet when he used the squeegee until then end of a scape, where he quickly and loudly scraped to finish off the wipe. I enjoyed this movie.
I've begun a Wookmark account. You can see my account here:
http://www.wookmark.com/profile/1355
I've been reading a Pulitzer Prize fiction book called Tinkers. It is about an old man dying in his bed at home. His family is there but he can barely remember their names and has vivid hallucinations about his home falling down on top of him. He knows he is dying. He thinks about his life but can't control which parts he thinks about. The book switches back and forth between the life of the dying man and his father. It's a very interesting book. It isn't broken up into chapters but instead 4 sections. I'm not sure what the author is trying to say yet, I'm still in the first section. But the descriptions are very engaging and it has a quick pace. I'm curious to see how the story will change and end.
I've been listening to NPR for a while now whenever I'm driving. There have been many people talking about many different things, I'm sure I'll forget to mention some of them here. Some of the stories include:
the life of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology and Dianetics
the risks of fracking
various people stepping down and being elected
President Andrew Jackson and a scandal
some doctors prescribing opioids and their patients overdosing
doctors and patients working together to diagnose
importance of donkeys to the people of a country, the name of which I can't remember
the situation in Egypt and Syria
a woman being raped and killed in India
new controversial reality TV shows such as "All my Babies' Mommas" and "The Sisterhood"
Energy drinks being classified as dietary supplements instead of drinks by the FDA
Graph planning
I've developed some plans for a graph or chart on the Number of Premature Deaths caused by different types of air pollution. I made some quick illustrations which would be patterns in the chart to help explain the different kinds of air pollution. Technical terms are used for classification but are difficult for the viewer to fully understand what the thing actualy is. This is why I developed illustrations. Any thoughts?
First Draft of Infographic
I have already found problems with my infographic. I think I have enough information but I need to work on presentation. One thing I know I want to do is put in graphs or images of some kind for the Health Risk section. I think all the text is a bit too crowded as well. I plan on creating another, more developed draft before class tomorrow.
Narrowing Topics and Beginning Phase 2
I came up with 8 potential topics; some had smaller categories in them which I thought could also be worthwhile to pursue. The criteria I used for selecting the most promising topics were: amount of information available, people's awareness of the topic, whether or not it is controversial, the impact the topic has on the world and people, and finally my own interests, knowledge, and biases toward the topic.
The 2 topics I have chosen to pursue are Renewable Energy and Air Pollution. At this point I haven't completely decided on which is my fallback.
I've begun to answer the questions from the textbook, here is what I have so far:
Air Pollution
What is our challenge? What is our goal?
create a symposium about the effects air pollution.
Who is the core audience?
environmentalists
What is the audience’s perception of the brand or group?
The audience perceives the group as environmentally friendly, the topic as negative and needs to be fixed.
What would you like the core audience to think and feel?
to become aware of the issues and motivated to make changes to improve air quality
What specific information and thoughts will assist in the change?
Facts, statistics, photos, presentations, debates
What is at the core of the brand personality?
environmentalism
What is the key emotion the will build a relationship with the core audience?
hope, empathy, responsibility
What media will best facilitate our goal?
conference, internet, maybe magazine or newspaper ads, environmentally friendly media.
What are the most critical executional elements? What is the budget?
speakers, presentations, facts, photographs. The budget is potentially infinite at this point
What is the single most important takeaway?
Air pollution has a direct effect on health and the environment.
What do we want the audience to do?
We want the audience to make changes to improve air quality.
Renewable Energy
What is our challenge? What is our goal?
create a symposium about renewable energy
Who is the core audience?
energy companies and those concerned about energy production and its effects
What is the audience’s perception of the brand or group?
environmentally friendly, efficient, perhaps curious about the topic
What would you like the core audience to think and feel?
knowledgeable about renewable energy and have confidence in it
What specific information and thoughts will assist in the change?
Facts, statistics, photos, presentations, debates
What is at the core of the brand personality?
improving energy and environmentally friendly
What is the key emotion the will build a relationship with the core audience?
excitement about growth and opportunity
What media will best facilitate our goal?
conference, internet, ads, other environmentally friendly media
What are the most critical executional elements? What is the budget?
speakers, presentations, photos. The budget is potentially infinite at this point
What is the single most important takeaway?
Renewable energy can potentially provide sustainable, efficient, and cheaper energy. (I might tweak this more is I get further into my research.)
What do we want the audience to do?
We want the audience to invest in, transition to, and use renewable energy.


