OUGD501 - PROJECT STATEMENT

PROJECT STATEMENT

The aim of my essay was to explore the influence of graphic design within politics, researching into 'good' and 'bad' design, and how much they can impact a political campaign. Researching into political campaigns that have used design both successfully and unsuccessfully, and comparing them both gave me an insight into how effective the design of a campaign can be. The Obama 2008 presidential campaign used design to represent what Obama was proposing to do if he were to be made President of the United States. The design was fresh and exciting, especially in comparison to his opponents and previous presidential campaigns. A more recent example is the 2017 Presidential campaign, where Donald Trump's campaign focused more on personality politics, rather than the aesthetic. I wanted to gain an understanding of the effect of design, and whether it actually has any real impact on the result of a campaign. I found that colour was a heavy influencer when it comes to design in politics. We often make subconscious associations when it comes to colour. They are often used by particular parties, for example blue for the Conservatives and red for Labour. 

My practical work was based on designing a campaign that would appeal to younger people and encourage them to vote. In my research I found that a very small percentage of young people vote, and that they often feel as though their vote is not going to make a difference. My aim was to design a fresh campaign that would inspire young people to vote by moving away from traditional political methods, and instead using styles that young people are attracted to. 

In terms of relating my practical work to my essay, I took my knowledge from the research I had gathered for my essay to apply to my techniques within my practical. The information about colour and its effect on people made me select my colour scheme very carefully, attempting to avoid any colours that are associated with political parties. I also discovered that the use of slogans and phrases within politics can highly influence peoples actions, so I decided to apply this to my design and use slogans that could be associated with my brand. 

Overall, I believe that I have successfully explored the use of design within political campaigns in great depth. Whilst at times the essay became difficult to write, it was interesting reading about the affect of design and how governments are now investing more money than ever into the design and aesthetic of their campaigns, in order to appeal to greater audience. I have applied techniques that I discovered within my research in my practical work, which is what successfully ties the two together.