Submission Boards

https://issuu.com/kathrynbrown3/docs/design_boards

Outcome

The design that brings together each of the successful aspects of the explored designs, identified through feedback comments have been coupled together to produce the final response.The proposed design for one of the largest supermarkets, ASDA, therefore fulfils the original aim set for the brief: To produce a design that is visually encouraging and informative to the audience, as well as influencing them to change their behaviours towards the environment in a positive way. This had been achieved through the design process and therefore supports the statement that graphic design can influence change in society. This therefore links and supports the critical writing piece as well as the comments made by Scott, 2012; Perkins 2006; Berman, 2009; Shea 2012. 

'the designers job is to communicate and inform people and prompt them to make educated choices about what they do, how they act and what they consume’ Scott, D (2012)

‘The graphic designer has an immense power over their surrounding, due to the nature of their work; work that can be very powerful and persuasive and can influence how we engage our world. 

(Berman, 2009, p.1)’

‘By utilizing our ability to effectively communicate and build interest, we can generate awareness and further cause to end global warming.’ 

(www.designcanchange.org)

Distribution

Double sided demonstration:

Taking into consideration the most successful designs highlighted through the comments made in the survey and the distribution of the bag, the following design has been put together. Considering the distribution of the design to reach as large an audience as possible, the most obvious solution would be for the larger supermarkets to take on such designs and use them for their plastic carrier 5p bags. This coupled with a pattern design would increase the audience's awareness to the plastic bag as well as encouraging them to reuse or recycle the plastic bag. The shock fact further encourages the audience to recycle the plastic bag, which is supported by the text on the front of the carrier bag. 

The bags would be commercially printed and therefore an offset printer would be the most efficient machine to use (from the research conducted). It would be important to ensure that vegetable or other environmentally friendly inks were used, to maintain the green design element. Although the plastic that the bag is made out of is the main issue, this is a material that will continue to be used until a better alternative has been developed and it is therefore the design on the bag that is of importance. 

Outcome

References from critical writing/research:

'the designers job is to communicate and inform people and prompt them to make educated choices about what they do, how they act and what they consume’ Scott, D(2012)

‘The graphic designer has an immense power over their surrounding, due to the nature of their work; work that can be very powerful and persuasive and can influence how we engage our world. (Berman, 2009, p.1)’

‘By utilizing our ability to effectively communicate and build interest, we can generate awareness and further cause to end global warming.’ 

(www.designcanchange.org)

The above quotes are from three of the main influential texts read that influenced and guided the critical analysis and visual investigation. The outcomes have both been shown (through feedback comments) that they would influence an individual to recycle and reuse the plastic carrier bag. This is in terms of the bag being received at a supermarket or local store. The designs therefore are prompting the audience to make educated choices about what they do, further demonstrating the power of a graphic designers communication with society. 

Product Survey

To identify the most appropriate design in terms of encouraging the audience to recycling and reuse the plastic carrier bags, the designs were tested through the use of a survey. This survey was directed towards the target audience (the general public aged 16+). 

The first question asked the audience to identify the design that they felt influenced them most to recycle the bag. Through the 50 responses made, the most popular selection was for design number 5 followed by design 2.  

5. 

2. 

Q: Please state why you chose the selected design.

5 -28 votes

- It is a provoking and shocking statement. The bold type will make others look at the bag and provoke them to recycle too

- It is more in your face with the damage being caused

- Makes me think about the consequences of not recycling

- The red writing makes the idea behind saving the environment seem serious, it is almost like a personal threat that if you don't recycle the bag then I will be the cause of what the bag states

- The shock tactic really works and is emphasised by the the negative connotations of the red text

- This statement is not something that I was aware of and it would therefore shock me into recycling the bag

- This fact is not something I would typically expect to see on a plastic carrier bag - it is different from your typical supermarket bag so draws my attention to the design more

2 -20 votes

- Visual of what a difference recycling can make

- I would never think to relate plastic bags and park benches. This demonstrates what the material can be used for if recycled and therefore influences me

- This design shows what the bag can be if recycled and therefore gives me an insentive to do so

The overall comments made towards design 2 follow similar lines to the responses documented above. Nearly all of the responses given indicate positivity towards seeing a visual of what a plastic bag can be if it were to be recycled and this is something that would influence them to do so. 

However, when comparing the responses to the ones given for design 5, there is a lack of enthusiasm and subsequently less votes for design 2. As this is only the opinion of the 50 respondents, a conclusion can only be made on the smaller selection of the target audience.  The remaining 3 designs were not selected to a significant value to be recorded. 

The second section to the survey asked the audience to select the design that influenced them the most in terms of reusing the carrier bag. This was a use that came from identifying that a number of individuals reuse carrier bags before 'binning' them, a purpose identified through the first survey.

As can be seen in the results chart above, the most popular choice was design 3. A number of the coments made were:

- Stylish design and exerts the importance of reusing. Will catch the eye of others and encourage them also

- Pattern design makes it more memorable and I would therefore reuse it for another/the same purpose

- I like the design so would be more likely to use it

- Stylish but is still making the point of reusing/recycling 

The summary of the comments shows that a pattern/more decorative design would encourage the audience to reuse the plastic bag.