![[monologue]](http://blog.graydesign.com/wp-content/themes/franklloydwright/images/header_title.gif){kind=small}
social awareness: round two
This project has been interesting, to say the least. Our initial project requirements included contacting a non-profit agency to perform work for. After looking at the choices of some of my classmates (Humane Society, Pediatric AIDS, GreenPeace, etc.), I decided that I wanted to pick an agency that would reflect my faith. I did some research, and after considering a few options, I chose International Christian Concern, an agency committed to informing Christians of persecution around the world, and helping persecuted Christians through legal and social action. After reading more about their marketing efforts, I decided to produce church bulletin inserts to inform western christians about the scope of persecution, and a master brochure design to inform christians about persecution in specific countries.
Although I spent many hours working on the project, and despite the appopriateness of the end product for the market, the professor was not happy with the end result. After reviewing her comments (reproduced below), I can only come to the conclusion that she did not understand the christian target audience, or that she had some antogonism toward the presentation of this aspect of the gospel. I included elements of iconography that are vital to a complete understanding of the flyers: a cross to represent christian suffering (”take up my cross”; identification with early church martyrdom), drops of blood to represent death and suffering (clearly identified with Christ’s drops of blood at Gesthemane; a demonstration of the suffering inherent with following Christ), and a crown of thorns on the final poster to directly identify with Christ (identification with the suffering of Christ in our redemption, thus Christ’s suffering is the reason for our own suffering). These icons are carried through in some form to the brochures, although in a diminished sense. The texture of the two pieces defines the gravity and violence of the topic, and unifies the two pieces as part of the same campaign.
As the comments below clarify, the campaign obviously held depth of meaning and message to classmates, but, for whatever reason, this feeling was not shared by the professor of this course. Although I have no regrets for presenting the gospel in this context, the incompatibility of subject matter for the professor may have resulted in a less than desirable grade.
Additional Downloads
Project 2 Classroom Brief
Project 2 Personal Design Brief
Additional Notes
February 20, 2006
Professor Casem
I reread your Brief to see what your goals were but none were stated except for the general strategy of the ICC itself. I can only assume it would be fundraising and general awareness? I’m not sure how hard it’s working toward either of those goals. Nothing outside of your headline addresses religion or Christianity — or persecution for that matter. Your headline would be more effective if you dropped the nation and just said,
“What would it be like
to be persecuted for your faith?”
The rice paper or paper texture is pleasant. The color connotes bloody.
I’d agree, it’d be stronger with soft edges all around.
Let’s see if you can get more of the subject matter into it.
February 27, 2006
Professor Casem
I agree with Matt. The style difference is so drastic from one to the other… Aren’t they supposed to be pieces of the same campaign?
On the brochure — is this the outside of the brochure or is it only a two-sided card? The photo is great in that it says “China” but I’m not sure how it relates to religious persecution.
–The typeface is so modern and ordered that I don’t feel any tension as I believe it should if the subject is persecution. We’re talking PERSECUTION here and it feels like a pleasant travel brochure almost. Shouldn’t persecution be painful, mentally or emotionally, if not physically? Where’s the outrage? the hostility? the deep faith? You’ve not tapped into that. It feels more decorative.
Flyer
You have added some content but not very innovatively. The type feels like an invitation to a garden party. “What are you willing to do for your faith” has more emotion in it than the entire flyer.
– why not ghost back the cross, multiply in P’shop? so it looks more subtle? Or what about the “fish” icon?
I still have a problem with 3 straight edges and one deckled.
I don’t feel you’re digging emotionally into the subject. This should feel more like pain and courage.
March 1, 2006
Colin Gray
I have a few questions regarding my final project for OL social awareness. I have been working with International Christian Concern (persecution.org) on a few items for informational and awareness purposes. From the helpful comments you provided, it seemed that we were looking at this campaign from two separate vantage points, perhaps compounded by my potentially non-comprehensive brief. You had recently suggested a grittier (for lack of a better word) approach to the subject, and someone else suggested amnesty.org as a source of inspiration. After working with my contact, they made it reasonably clear following my initial design consultation and later contacts, that these materials were for a very broad audience in a church setting, and thus had to be “toned down” for family appropriateness (I had originally suggested a stronger approach as an option). I tried to accomplish both ideas (grittiness and family appropriateness) by utilizing heavy texture (unusual for a church application) and thought provoking copy, thus leaving a “fill in the blank” for people to think out for themselves. You had also remarked that the two pieces (brochure and flyers) didn’t look like they were in the same campaign; they were never really meant to be used side-by-side, and were presented as two separate projects that needed work by the client. The flyers are more meant for overall awareness and thought, and the brochures are designed for detailed informational purposes for a specific country, thus they are not really going to be deployed together. That being said, I did initially explore texture, but found that it limited the clarity and amount of copy that could be placed, thus defeating the purpose of the informational brochure for this application.
From looking at other student projects and reading over the design guidelines posted on the site, it appeared that this project was largely guided by the non-profit client. Although I understand that, for logistical and objective grading reasons, the client cannot control the entire process, it did seem that the client’s wishes were a definite guiding factor. I am perfectly willing to make alterations to these pieces and redesign if necessary, but at this point, the client is pretty happy with the results. I suppose what I’m asking is whether you want me to keep on pushing the project for the classroom experience, even if the result isn’t necessarily appropriate for the target market? Any comments would be appreciated. I would like to do well on this project, and am willing to work hard for a good result, but would appreciate guidance in making that happen. Thanks for your time.
March 1, 2006
Professor Casem
Thank you for your note. I understand what you’re saying about the client being happy but we all know that clients are not
the best judges of good design — which is why I’ve continually said you all need to create work worthy of graduate level
design. That is your priority. If it satisfies the client, great, but if it doesn’t, you still need to honor the class project
requirements.
You can go ahead and give these to the client if you like but you need to create several more pieces AND bring these up
to grad level standards based on the commentary I gave earlier. The two pieces you have now would perhaps be
acceptable on an undergrad level but they need to evolve enormously for this class for your sake. As they are now, they’re
not working at all. Dig deep. Try to get inside the head of someone who’s being persecuted. See if you can express the
fear and the pain along with the faith.
March 6, 2006
Jeff Knight
The imagery you use in this campaign really caught my attention. I’m a big fan of the texture and the use of symbols to get your point across. I don’t know what the religious tolerance there is in China, or other countries in the world, for Christianity, so I’m not going to comment on the appropriateness of the message.
I’m assuming you’ve done your research and you’ve come up with evidence to support your goals. However, I’m not sure how much you want to connect the concept of fear with specific countries. It seems to lend a part in apprehention for visiting those countries. Like your tagline says, Would you go to church if it wasn’t comfortable? On the same hand why would I visit the country if they were persecuting Christians? this might be stretching it a bit far, but I think a lot of people will associate with this and it of course depends on ones personal beliefs). Just a thought.
I will however say you’ve done a great job in getting my attention through the design you’ve created. In terms of the brochure, I really like the background, it helps separate some of the elements in the foreground nicely. The text is easily readable and the fonts you’ve chosen are nice as well.
The posters really make an impact. The colors are very vibrant and engaging. I think on the green one the cross could be bumped up in darkness a little.
Overall, I really like the design you’ve created and it definitely achieves it’s goal of being noticed. Good work!
March 8, 2006
Colin Gray
I just received my grade for my process book, and I have to say that I’m a bit confused. When I turned my book in at midterms, I received full points and no comments, so I assumed that I was following the format and content level that you wanted. When I turned in my final book in identical format, apparently the format was not acceptable.
You noted in my grading comments that “Your process books was supposed to be one seamless PDF file for each project. It should be well organized and contain the project assignment, original thoughts, the Brief, research info, sketches and revisions to final comps.” According to the guidelines on the website, posted below, the “pages” were merely supposed to be organized in a folder. Nowhere did you specify that they were to be in a combined pdf file. If you have specified this, I would have been more than happy to make it happen. Also, since you had approved my earlier book with a full score, I didn’t know that you wanted our research and original assignment in the book, and it was never noted in the assignment itself. I have pdfs of all of these elements, but thought you wanted primarily project development in the actual book. At this point, I feel like there has been a communication lapse, and the posted project description was never specific enough to convey the information you expected. If you would allow me to resubmit or supplement the material I have already provided with the other materials I already have on hand, it would be most helpful. Thank you for your help.
-colin gray
Process Book
Submit your completed process book, detailing the development of Design Projects 1 and 2.
The contents of the book must be digitized in reasonably accessible formats, such as PDF, RTF, or MS Word (image files should be embedded in these formats).
Place all “pages” of the book in a folder named “jdoe_processbk”. (Replace “jdoe” with your first initial and last name.)
Zip the folder, and submit it via the “Submissions” link in the course menu.
March 10, 2006
Professor Casem
The midterm process books is a yes/no submission. I acknowledge its submission with a 100. If not submitted, I give a
0 but the process books is not graded and carries zero weight. The one at the end of the Quarter is the only one that
counts. I thought you submitted it in pieces only because it didn’t count for a grade.
I would think that since this is not your first Quarter at SCAD as a grad student, you would already be aware of what’s
appropriate for a process book and what’s not. Grad reviews include and give strong weight to a thorough, organized
process book. You were the only person in this class and previous classes who submitted piecemeal files so I must
assume other students are aware of and do understand what constitutes a Process Book. I was going to attach a typical
one from our class so you could see what should be included but the files are all too large. The number of pages varies
from 52-108.
In the course Syllabus, Prof. Boylston (the writer of the online course) wrote this about graduate Process Books:
Your process book is both a scrapbook and a journal which details the process by which you developed your designs in
this course. Because files are submitted electronically, you will need to digitize the contents and “the book” in reasonably
accessible formats, such as PDF, RTF, or MS Word (image files should be embedded in these formats). You will be asked
to submit your process book at midterm (complete through Design Project 1) and at the end of the term (complete for
Design Projects 1 and 2). Note that your process book is an important document, for it illustrates your progress as a
designer. A well-written, well-kept process book will assist you in the 15-Hour Graduate Review required of all MA
candidates. The Graduate Review is a committee review of your work in the program after completing 15 graduate credit
hours. Students are asked to submit 6 of their best graphic design projects in addition to their process books, design
narratives, transcripts and a resume.
As you can see, “The Book” he describes is not plural. It’s a single file. However, since you claim ignorance and I didn’t
take any specific steps to correct you at midterm, I will raise your grade to a C for the process book. I would highly
recommend however that you redo it completely before you get to your Grad Reviews or that alone will cause you to fail.
Ignorance is no excuse. At the grad level, you must take responsibility for your education.
This project has been interesting, to say the least. Our initial project requirements included contacting a non-profit agency to perform work for. After looking at the choices of some of my classmates (Humane Society, Pediatric AIDS, GreenPeace, etc.), I decided that I wanted to pick an agency that would reflect my faith. I did some research, and after considering a few options, I chose International Christian Concern, an agency committed to informing Christians of persecution around the world, and helping persecuted Christians through legal and social action. After reading more about their marketing efforts, I decided to produce church bulletin inserts to inform western christians about the scope of persecution, and a master brochure design to inform christians about persecution in specific countries.
Although I spent many hours working on the project, and despite the appopriateness of the end product for the market, the professor was not happy with the end result. After reviewing her comments (reproduced below), I can only come to the conclusion that she did not understand the christian target audience, or that she had some antogonism toward the presentation of this aspect of the gospel. I included elements of iconography that are vital to a complete understanding of the flyers: a cross to represent christian suffering (”take up my cross”; identification with early church martyrdom), drops of blood to represent death and suffering (clearly identified with Christ’s drops of blood at Gesthemane; a demonstration of the suffering inherent with following Christ), and a crown of thorns on the final poster to directly identify with Christ (identification with the suffering of Christ in our redemption, thus Christ’s suffering is the reason for our own suffering). These icons are carried through in some form to the brochures, although in a diminished sense. The texture of the two pieces defines the gravity and violence of the topic, and unifies the two pieces as part of the same campaign.
As the comments below clarify, the campaign obviously held depth of meaning and message to classmates, but, for whatever reason, this feeling was not shared by the professor of this course. Although I have no regrets for presenting the gospel in this context, the incompatibility of subject matter for the professor may have resulted in a less than desirable grade.
Additional Downloads
Project 2 Classroom Brief
Project 2 Personal Design Brief
Additional Notes
February 20, 2006
Professor Casem
I reread your Brief to see what your goals were but none were stated except for the general strategy of the ICC itself. I can only assume it would be fundraising and general awareness? I’m not sure how hard it’s working toward either of those goals. Nothing outside of your headline addresses religion or Christianity — or persecution for that matter. Your headline would be more effective if you dropped the nation and just said,
“What would it be like
to be persecuted for your faith?”The rice paper or paper texture is pleasant. The color connotes bloody.
I’d agree, it’d be stronger with soft edges all around.
Let’s see if you can get more of the subject matter into it.
February 27, 2006
Professor Casem
I agree with Matt. The style difference is so drastic from one to the other… Aren’t they supposed to be pieces of the same campaign?
On the brochure — is this the outside of the brochure or is it only a two-sided card? The photo is great in that it says “China” but I’m not sure how it relates to religious persecution.
–The typeface is so modern and ordered that I don’t feel any tension as I believe it should if the subject is persecution. We’re talking PERSECUTION here and it feels like a pleasant travel brochure almost. Shouldn’t persecution be painful, mentally or emotionally, if not physically? Where’s the outrage? the hostility? the deep faith? You’ve not tapped into that. It feels more decorative.Flyer
You have added some content but not very innovatively. The type feels like an invitation to a garden party. “What are you willing to do for your faith” has more emotion in it than the entire flyer.
– why not ghost back the cross, multiply in P’shop? so it looks more subtle? Or what about the “fish” icon?
I still have a problem with 3 straight edges and one deckled.I don’t feel you’re digging emotionally into the subject. This should feel more like pain and courage.
March 1, 2006
Colin Gray
I have a few questions regarding my final project for OL social awareness. I have been working with International Christian Concern (persecution.org) on a few items for informational and awareness purposes. From the helpful comments you provided, it seemed that we were looking at this campaign from two separate vantage points, perhaps compounded by my potentially non-comprehensive brief. You had recently suggested a grittier (for lack of a better word) approach to the subject, and someone else suggested amnesty.org as a source of inspiration. After working with my contact, they made it reasonably clear following my initial design consultation and later contacts, that these materials were for a very broad audience in a church setting, and thus had to be “toned down” for family appropriateness (I had originally suggested a stronger approach as an option). I tried to accomplish both ideas (grittiness and family appropriateness) by utilizing heavy texture (unusual for a church application) and thought provoking copy, thus leaving a “fill in the blank” for people to think out for themselves. You had also remarked that the two pieces (brochure and flyers) didn’t look like they were in the same campaign; they were never really meant to be used side-by-side, and were presented as two separate projects that needed work by the client. The flyers are more meant for overall awareness and thought, and the brochures are designed for detailed informational purposes for a specific country, thus they are not really going to be deployed together. That being said, I did initially explore texture, but found that it limited the clarity and amount of copy that could be placed, thus defeating the purpose of the informational brochure for this application.
From looking at other student projects and reading over the design guidelines posted on the site, it appeared that this project was largely guided by the non-profit client. Although I understand that, for logistical and objective grading reasons, the client cannot control the entire process, it did seem that the client’s wishes were a definite guiding factor. I am perfectly willing to make alterations to these pieces and redesign if necessary, but at this point, the client is pretty happy with the results. I suppose what I’m asking is whether you want me to keep on pushing the project for the classroom experience, even if the result isn’t necessarily appropriate for the target market? Any comments would be appreciated. I would like to do well on this project, and am willing to work hard for a good result, but would appreciate guidance in making that happen. Thanks for your time.
March 1, 2006
Professor Casem
Thank you for your note. I understand what you’re saying about the client being happy but we all know that clients are not
the best judges of good design — which is why I’ve continually said you all need to create work worthy of graduate level
design. That is your priority. If it satisfies the client, great, but if it doesn’t, you still need to honor the class project
requirements.You can go ahead and give these to the client if you like but you need to create several more pieces AND bring these up
to grad level standards based on the commentary I gave earlier. The two pieces you have now would perhaps be
acceptable on an undergrad level but they need to evolve enormously for this class for your sake. As they are now, they’re
not working at all. Dig deep. Try to get inside the head of someone who’s being persecuted. See if you can express the
fear and the pain along with the faith.
March 6, 2006
Jeff Knight
The imagery you use in this campaign really caught my attention. I’m a big fan of the texture and the use of symbols to get your point across. I don’t know what the religious tolerance there is in China, or other countries in the world, for Christianity, so I’m not going to comment on the appropriateness of the message.
I’m assuming you’ve done your research and you’ve come up with evidence to support your goals. However, I’m not sure how much you want to connect the concept of fear with specific countries. It seems to lend a part in apprehention for visiting those countries. Like your tagline says, Would you go to church if it wasn’t comfortable? On the same hand why would I visit the country if they were persecuting Christians? this might be stretching it a bit far, but I think a lot of people will associate with this and it of course depends on ones personal beliefs). Just a thought.
I will however say you’ve done a great job in getting my attention through the design you’ve created. In terms of the brochure, I really like the background, it helps separate some of the elements in the foreground nicely. The text is easily readable and the fonts you’ve chosen are nice as well.
The posters really make an impact. The colors are very vibrant and engaging. I think on the green one the cross could be bumped up in darkness a little.
Overall, I really like the design you’ve created and it definitely achieves it’s goal of being noticed. Good work!
March 8, 2006
Colin Gray
I just received my grade for my process book, and I have to say that I’m a bit confused. When I turned my book in at midterms, I received full points and no comments, so I assumed that I was following the format and content level that you wanted. When I turned in my final book in identical format, apparently the format was not acceptable.
You noted in my grading comments that “Your process books was supposed to be one seamless PDF file for each project. It should be well organized and contain the project assignment, original thoughts, the Brief, research info, sketches and revisions to final comps.” According to the guidelines on the website, posted below, the “pages” were merely supposed to be organized in a folder. Nowhere did you specify that they were to be in a combined pdf file. If you have specified this, I would have been more than happy to make it happen. Also, since you had approved my earlier book with a full score, I didn’t know that you wanted our research and original assignment in the book, and it was never noted in the assignment itself. I have pdfs of all of these elements, but thought you wanted primarily project development in the actual book. At this point, I feel like there has been a communication lapse, and the posted project description was never specific enough to convey the information you expected. If you would allow me to resubmit or supplement the material I have already provided with the other materials I already have on hand, it would be most helpful. Thank you for your help.
-colin gray
Process Book
Submit your completed process book, detailing the development of Design Projects 1 and 2.
The contents of the book must be digitized in reasonably accessible formats, such as PDF, RTF, or MS Word (image files should be embedded in these formats).
Place all “pages” of the book in a folder named “jdoe_processbk”. (Replace “jdoe” with your first initial and last name.)
Zip the folder, and submit it via the “Submissions” link in the course menu.
March 10, 2006
Professor Casem
The midterm process books is a yes/no submission. I acknowledge its submission with a 100. If not submitted, I give a
0 but the process books is not graded and carries zero weight. The one at the end of the Quarter is the only one that
counts. I thought you submitted it in pieces only because it didn’t count for a grade.I would think that since this is not your first Quarter at SCAD as a grad student, you would already be aware of what’s
appropriate for a process book and what’s not. Grad reviews include and give strong weight to a thorough, organized
process book. You were the only person in this class and previous classes who submitted piecemeal files so I must
assume other students are aware of and do understand what constitutes a Process Book. I was going to attach a typical
one from our class so you could see what should be included but the files are all too large. The number of pages varies
from 52-108.In the course Syllabus, Prof. Boylston (the writer of the online course) wrote this about graduate Process Books:
Your process book is both a scrapbook and a journal which details the process by which you developed your designs in
this course. Because files are submitted electronically, you will need to digitize the contents and “the book” in reasonably
accessible formats, such as PDF, RTF, or MS Word (image files should be embedded in these formats). You will be asked
to submit your process book at midterm (complete through Design Project 1) and at the end of the term (complete for
Design Projects 1 and 2). Note that your process book is an important document, for it illustrates your progress as a
designer. A well-written, well-kept process book will assist you in the 15-Hour Graduate Review required of all MA
candidates. The Graduate Review is a committee review of your work in the program after completing 15 graduate credit
hours. Students are asked to submit 6 of their best graphic design projects in addition to their process books, design
narratives, transcripts and a resume.As you can see, “The Book” he describes is not plural. It’s a single file. However, since you claim ignorance and I didn’t
take any specific steps to correct you at midterm, I will raise your grade to a C for the process book. I would highly
recommend however that you redo it completely before you get to your Grad Reviews or that alone will cause you to fail.
Ignorance is no excuse. At the grad level, you must take responsibility for your education.
March 12th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Colin,
I ran across your blog after doing some random surfing. It is very interesting to read the perspectives of a BJU grad working on his masters at SCAD.
Statements like “I can only come to the conclusion that she did not understand the Christian target audience, or that she had some antagonism (sic) toward the presentation of this aspect of the gospel” do nothing for your grade, testimony or reputation of your school. It is damaging to you, BJU, and especially the cause of Christ. Even if you sincerely feel this is the case, I would advise against airing it in a very public forum. Although I was not in your critiques, nor did I have Professor Casem for this class, based on the statements reproduced below and your work, I see no prejudice, and the statement itself comes across as extremely bitter.
As I recall, your style was always clean and simplistic; nothing wrong with that, as I am an advocate of the same. The general aesthetic at SCAD is generally deconstructed and grungy. That doesn’t mean that the professors cannot properly grade your work. Looking at your posts, I can see many of their criticisms. Your simplicity is probably being construed as laziness - there doesn’t appear to be much effort put into them. The typography is especially weak. I would recommend you look at some well done clean, simple work; BMW immediately comes to mind, as do some of the books by Tufte. Right now, based on the work seen below I do not believe you will pass your reviews. If your professor failed to see your message, it is you who failed in presenting it, not an aversion to the message of the gospel. That is the point of design; to present things in a manner that all can understand.
Interestingly, it was in this particular class, and on this project that I received a public and humiliating smack in the face so hard that I immediately saw that I was also being lazy and probably wouldn’t pass reviews; I didn’t read the brief, got up to do a interim presentation and was publicly humiliated. I had never been so humiliated in my life, and it was 100% my fault, and I immediately acknowledged it. Take comments like “at the grad level, you must take responsibility for your education” to heart. I got a D on that mid review, but I buckled down, redid the concept (in a grungy style, to expand my design palate and diversify my portfolio) and got an A on the final presentation. Do everything you can, and make everything, even your process book, top notch work.
Be careful you don’t see yourself as a victim of the “evil liberal professors”; I found them to be open-minded and very helpful, something I was not expecting. One thing that bothered me at BJU was people preaching to me about how I should act and feel and noticing their obvious power trip out of it. I am not doing this. I hope you find this constructive criticism.
Good luck,
JDooley
BJU graphic design major and SCAD MA graduate.
March 12th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
Jeremy,
Thank you for your honest comments and commentary. I have actually posted a mea culpa in response to many of your concerns. I have grown to understand how the SCAD culture operates, and heretofore, my experiences with the academic environment and professor relations had been largely positive. I am constantly evaluating and reevaluating my work in light of criticism and commentary from professors and peers. I believe that I am beginning to understand the direction of SCAD’s graphic design program, and, honestly, it does not mirror my goals or aspirations. My pursuits and thoughts are largely academic, and my ultimate goal is more philosophical in nature, less preparatory for a design career. What my experiences at SCAD have taught me, more than anything else, is that my affections do not lie in advertising design or related commercial design fields. Over the past year, I have increasingly embraced intellectual pursuits in art history and methodology to the exclusion of business-oriented graphic design production. I hold no ill-will toward Professor Casem, or any other professors I have interacted with; my only desire would be their salvation and complete knowledge of Christ. I have received valuable advice from numerous professors, and their insight has been helpful in augmenting my intellectual and experiential knowledge of graphic design. In fact, it is through my desire to “take responsibility for [my] education” that has driven me to correspond with professors, even those I do not agree in regards to design methodology, in the evalutation of projects. Many hours have been spent designing, rethinking, and redesigning based on the comments of professors and peers. My goal is clarity and intrinsic communicability; often clarity is misunderstood as laziness, and I have attempted to demonstrate my intellectual commitment throughout each project. In most cases, this additional effort has been rewarded; I will continue to strive for design excellence regardless of the preferred design style of the viewer. Thanks again for your perspective. I hope that my comments have clarified my attitude and intent.
-colin
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
These posters are awesome!!! I was searching designs for a class I am taking and I was so inspired by these. Thank you.