Project Brief
Project Description
Author and design an infographic poster that uncovers the unexpected and considerable amount of carbon dioxide emissions associated with mowing one's lawn and how carbon emissions contribute to the degradation of Utah's air quality.
Client(Sender)
Myself on behalf of the Weber State University students, staff, faculty and those affiliated with the On Air event series.
Message
Be aware of the ways that you are contributing to the rise of air pollution. Even if you are doing something as seemingly unrelated as taking care of your grass.
Audience
Weber State University students, faculty, staff and donors. (All of the audience lives in Utah on the Northern Wasatch Front. Everyone has most likely mowed their lawn or they have seen someone mowing the lawn.)
Purpose (Objective)
To get the audience to question their habitual tasks and daily routines. After the audience learns about lawn mowing and its adverse effects, they will hopefully question other habitual tasks and ask, "How does this effect our climate?" and "Is it worth the cost?".
Specifications
The optimal dimensions for the On Air Infographic Poster are 40in x 60in. The poster should be presented on ¼ inch piece foam core.
Other Considerations: The metal frame from which the poster will hang is 44 inches wide with an adjustable height to about 72 inches tall. Width accommodations must be made for wire mounts. The current posters displayed in the bridge gallery are 40in x 60in. These poster are given 2 inches of breathing room on each side, which seems sufficient.
Schedule (Budget)
Creative Brief: September 17th
Rough: September 26th
Revamp: October 10th
Final: October 15th
Hanging: October 17th
Design Concept (Thematic State)
"One Big Polluter, Right Under Your Toes". The idea that regularly mowing your lawn, a seemingly harmless task, can considerably contribute to air pollution
Content Outline
Who: Weber State University staff students and faculty will receive a message from myself and essentially from themselves too. Using empathy I have framed this problem in such a way that I am showing the audience information that is pertinent to them perhaps something they have thought about in the past and wanted to know more about.
What: My message will take the form of a 40 x 60 information graphic hung in accordance with On-Air event series.
When: I took advantage of an overlooked issue (lawn mowing and its effect on air pollution) that has been going on for many years, but I am looking at it through the P.O.V. of the air quality & air pollution issues of the present time.
Why: In Utah we are faced with many air quality issues and most of them we have little control over. But mowing one's lawn is a very personal endeavor. It is something that we do voluntarily and regularly with out thinking about the air quality consequences that it may present. People need to know that mowing their lawn directly negatively effects the Utah's air quality.
How: The audience will receive my message about air quality through various forms of data using a "lawn mowing" theme. Through the combination of typography, photography, illustration and other information graphic tools, the audience will be informed about the surprising effects that mowing their lawn has on Utah's overall air quality.
Poster Content
Graphic 1: "One gas mower spews 87lbs of CO2 every year"
Graphic 2: "One hour of running a lawn mower produces the same amount of volatile organic compounds as driving 350 miles."
Graphic 3: "Each weekend million Americans are using 800 million gallons of water).
Graphic 4: "Gas mowers represent 5% of air pollution in the United States."
Resources
Volume and weight of carbon dioxide:
(http://www.thegreeneconomy.com/what-is-a-carbon/)
Basic Air Pollution Information:
http://www.weber.edu/WSUImages/sustainability/Sustain%20Resources/Air.pdf
(http://www.thegreeneconomy.com/what-is-a-carbon/)
Basic Air Pollution Information:
http://www.weber.edu/WSUImages/sustainability/Sustain%20Resources/Air.pdf
Concept Map
. . .
Visual Research
Roughs
Sketches
Tighter Comp
Tighter Comp Critique Summary
- Interesting P.O.V. because mowing the lawn seems so unrelated to air pollution issues. It is such a habit that we take it for granted. Hopefully the facts will be eye-opening for your audience.
- The design is very simply structured. Maybe there is a way to unify all the elements clearly without boxing them in.
- I don't know what the lines mean whether they are didactics or some sort of graphic.
- The title functions as a good hook
- The use of type creates a gestalt effect and it helps the enforce the graphics itself
Tighter Comp Critique Response
I agree with Justin on all of the points that he made in the critique of my poster. Some of the points that he made which I want expound on are: simply structured design and the use of typography for achieving the gestalt effect.
Justin mentioned that I might want to experiment with the layout a little more and I totally agree. I think that the boxed in and sectioned off look works, but it might not activate the viewer as much as a dynamic and integrated layout would. I would like to see more interactions between the pieces of data while still keeping them grouped and organized well.
Justin also suggested that I utilize the type as structural tool to achieve an enhanced gestalt effect. This is definitely something I need to keep in mind as I continue working on this project. I will be more cognizant of the spacing, similarity and the orientation of the typographic and illustrative elements in my composition. I plan on developing the typography and illustrations into like groupings that will hold value on their own, but also do their part to contribute to the whole.
Comp
The Latest Comp
Final
