OUGD505: The Candy Shop

Helen suggested to watch short film, The Candy Shop, a film which initiative is to help fight against child sex trafficking. The film is being made for the Doorpost Film Project, and with support from 12Stone Church and Street Grace. The Candy Shop is a Fairytale/Parable about the child sex trafficking epidemic that has overrun the city of Atlanta. They are using the film to not only raise awareness but provoke meaningful action towards this issue taking place in our own backyard.

Up to 500 underaged girls a month are trafficked for sex in the city of Atlanta. It’s the number one city in the country for child sex trafficking.. The 10th in the world.

This film represents the spearhead of a citywide and possibly a nationwide campaign.
It is not a documentary. It is not a PSA. It is the beginning of a movement.

It was a wonderful and creative parallel film about a very sad, sinister, and greedy operation. I suppose some people could even watch this and not realise its on sex trafficking, girls turning into candy to be sold is a very powerful analogy, it takes away their identity. Its a good way of spreading awareness to this brutal reality. I particular like the fact that there was emphasis that this behaviour cant be stopped easily with the candy shop owner saying "Ill always be here"which is a horrible truth for now. I don't know how you could have such exquisite aesthetic taste in transmitting an idea of such horrendous theme.

Research into Existing Posters

I began by doing some initial research into existing posters on trafficking. I came across this project on behance called 'fractured fairytale' as many of the women trafficked are promised of brighter futures. I love the aesthetic of it, I only wish I had thought of this myself! It is a poster series based on the designers made up twisted fairytale of Peter Pan, the sex slave being in 'neverland'. I like the Jamie Reid-ness of it, looking at the ransom letter type. Its not obvious but I would say its hard-hitting. 

Below, the element of photography makes human trafficking seem a lot more real as well as a real life story. I think its a shocking poster and makes you feel very uncomfortable reading and looking at it. 

Another poster I found on Behance. I've noticed a lot of the posters for trafficking use black & white with the use of red type. The connotations of red being energy, passion, action, ambition and determination.

Another really nice campaign I found, the promotional zine called 'red thread movement' a nonprofit organisation that rescues people out of human trafficking in the country of Nepal, and raises money for refugees' education through fair trade of red bracelets handwoven by the rescued themselves.The zine's purpose is for awareness, as well as informative to the viewer of the entire organisation. It comes with a red thread bracelet, and a poster. I like this idea a lot, I want to do something similar but not copying it could be an issue, but I would like to have wrist bands, badges, tote bags etc. 

Poster design for the 'Anti-Human Trafficking Network' based in Bangalore.

Another project I found on Behance, it is the brand identity for Innocence Atlanta, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to ending child sex trafficking. I quite like seeing the colour pink instead of red, I understand pink is a stereotypical 'girl colour' but here I think it really works and is very effective. I also really like the statement, 'His Fantasy.Her Future' and 'My voice. Her future' its matter of fact and work and most importantly bold and rememberable.  

I found a lot of stuff like this below, 'give her identity back' 

Disobedient Objects

Over the weekend as a course we visited Disobedient Objects an exhibition examining the powerful role of objects in movements for social change. It demonstrates how political activism drives a wealth of design ingenuity and collective creativity that defy standard definitions of art and design. For someone, who isn't a massive fan of exhibitions (the pretence, the air etc) I found the exhibition actually enjoyable and very engrossing. Seeing the banners, and badges up close, rather than seeing them in photographs in the media made it a lot more real.  

I felt inspired by the possible outcomes I could have for this brief, such as stickers, banners, tote bags, badges etc. Overall, the exhibition was useful and very relevant and I enjoyed my time in London. 

Trafficking Campaigns

I have begun looking at existing trafficking campaigns across the world which help survivors and at-risk communities. 

1. Not For Sale -http://notforsalecampaign.org/

To break the cycle of exploitation, Not For Sale provides survivors and at-risk communities with shelter, healthcare, and legal services, first attending to the most basic needs of individuals who have suffered extreme trauma. We are dedicated to addressing the profound and enduring effects of violence and exploitation. Only once their physical and emotional wellbeing is established can we begin to work together toward long-term opportunities for education and employment.

2. theTrade Foundation https://www.supportthetrade.org/?gclid=COzXv7bIxcMCFQ7KtAodNn8AJw

The Trade Foundation exists to fight global sexual slavery and exploitation by teaching women how to cut & style hair. This training establishes micro economies, which allow women to leave behind lives of prostitution, abuse, and extreme poverty. The social and economic impact is absolutely life changing as they develop a new set of skills as well as the sense of dignity and self respect that comes with them. In addition to hair & make-up instruction, we train our students how to run a small business and add value to their surrounding communities.

3. Stop The Traffik http://www.stopthetraffik.org/

"We are a global movement of activists around the world who passionately give their time and energy to build resilient communities and prevent human trafficking. We are a campaigning organisation that seeks to build a traffik-free world!"

We prevent trafficking by:

• Equipping people to understand what trafficking is, how it affects them and what they can do about it. We gather and analyse information from communities about how and where trafficking is happening.
• Campaigning for change!
• Building a global movement
• Individuals, communities, organisations, front-line professionals, faith groups, businesses, schools and charities are all part of STOP THE TRAFFIK.

4. American Himalayan Foundations http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/

Stop Girl Trafficking - The problem is huge. Every year, as many as 20,000 girls from the poorest parts of Nepal are trafficked – lured by the false promises of traffickers. These girls, some as young as nine, end up in Indian brothels or as domestic servants in countries as far away as the Middle East. In either case, they’re slaves. Many are HIV positive within two years, and dead before they reach twenty.

Their approach: The way we combat this modern-day slavery is revolutionary – and surprisingly effective …We go to the source, into the villages where girls are at risk, and put those girls into school. We counsel them and their families about the dangers of trafficking. By keeping at-risk girls in school and living at home, they are less vulnerable to being sold or lured by promises of jobs, only to find themselves in brothels or trapped as slaves in households. For a small investment – $100 pays for everything: school fees, books, school uniforms, tutoring – we can keep a girl safe for whole year. Persuading families to educate their daughters was slow going at first, but 10,000 girls later – without one being lost – the idea is gaining traction.

Human/Sex Trafficking Statistics

I want to know some statistics on Human and Sex trafficking so I have an idea of the number and scale of humans being trafficked. I found the statistics really shocking: 

Human Trafficking is the world’s fastest growing global crime - (Due to the hidden and illegal nature of human trafficking, gathering statistics on the scale of the problem is difficult. The following statistics may represent an underestimation, but are the most credible and frequently quoted)

1.2 million children are trafficked every year— Estimate by UNICEF

Human trafficking is the second largest source of illegal income worldwide exceeded only by drugs trafficking.

600,000-800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Approximately 80 per cent are women and girls. Up to 50% are minors.— US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2007

At least 20.9 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide. While it is difficult to establish a precise amount, conservative 2012 research estimated trafficking victims as comprising some 44 per cent of this figure. —ILO 2012 Global Estimate of Forced Labour

There are even reports that some trafficking groups are switching their cargo from drugs to human beings, in a search of high profits at lower risk. — The UN Office on Drugs and Crime

The majority of trafficked victims arguably come from the poorest countries and poorest strata of the national population.— A global alliance against forced labor, International Labor Organisation, 2005

1 million – Number of children exploited by the global commercial sex trade, every year. Source: U.S. Department of State, The Facts About Child Sex Tourism: 2005.

50% – Percent of transnational victims who are children. Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Report to Congress from Attorney General John Ashcroft on

80% – Percent of transnational victims who are women and girls. Source: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report: 2007.

70% – Percent of female victims who are trafficked into the commercial sex industry. This means that 30% of female victims are victims of forced labor.

161 Countries identified as affected by human trafficking: 127 countries of origin; 98 transit countries; 137 destination countries.

12-14 – Average age of entry into prostitution. 

Every 30 seconds, another person becomes a victim of human trafficking.

Chosen Topic: Human Right Campaign//Sex Trafficking

For this project I have decided to do a human rights campaign in particular focussing on sex trafficking, I feel this is something I am interested in finding out about as well as passionately against the exploitation of women. My current and past COP essays have been largely focussed on misogyny and women in advertising/exploitation of women/feminine ideals etc. Also, I have always swayed to doing rather 'wooly' topics and have never done a project on something really hard hitting before so hopefully this will be a challenge. I've set myself some questions... 

UN Definition of Human Trafficking: 

"The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation"

What is human trafficking?
A $32 billion annual industry, modern day trafficking is a type of slavery that involves the transport or trade of people for the purpose of work. According to the U.N., about 2.5 million people around the world are ensnared in the web of human trafficking at any given time.
Human trafficking impacts people of all backgrounds, and people are trafficked for a variety of purposes. Men are often trafficked into hard labor jobs, while children are trafficked into labor positions in textile, agriculture and fishing industries. Women and girls are typically trafficked into the commercial sex industry, i.e. prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation.

Not all slaves are trafficked, but all trafficking victims are victims of slavery. Human trafficking is a particularly cruel type of slavery because it removes the victim from all that is familiar to her, rendering her completely isolated and alone, often unable to speak the language of her captors or fellow victims.

What is sex slavery/trafficking? 

Sex trafficking or slavery is the exploitation of women and children, within national or across international borders, for the purposes of forced sex work. Commercial sexual exploitation includes pornography, prostitution and sex trafficking of women and girls, and is characterised by the exploitation of a human being in exchange for goods or money. Each year, an estimated 800,000 women and children are trafficked across international borders—though additional numbers of women and girls are trafficked within countries.

Some sex trafficking is highly visible, such as street prostitution. But many trafficking victims remain unseen, operating out of unmarked brothels in unsuspecting—and sometimes suburban—neighbourhoods. Sex traffickers may also operate out of a variety of public and private locations, such as massage parlours, spas and strip clubs.

Adult women make up the largest group of sex trafficking victims, followed by girl children, although a small percentage of men and boys are trafficked into the sex industry as well.

Human trafficking migration patterns tend to flow from East to West, but women may be trafficked from any country to another country at any given time and trafficking victims exist everywhere. Many of the poorest and most unstable countries have the highest incidences of human trafficking, and extreme poverty is a common bond among trafficking victims. Where economic alternatives do not exist, women and girls are more vulnerable to being tricked and coerced into sexual servitude. Increased unemployment and the loss of job security have undermined women's incomes and economic position. A stalled gender wage gap, as well as an increase in women's part-time and informal sector work, push women into poorly-paid jobs and long-term and hidden unemployment, which leaves women vulnerable to sex traffickers.

Who traffics women and girls? 

Organised crime is largely responsible for the spread of international human trafficking. Sex trafficking—along with its correlative elements, kidnapping, rape, prostitution and physical abuse—is illegal in nearly every country in the world. However, widespread corruption and greed make it possible for sex trafficking to quickly and easily proliferate. Though national and international institutions may attempt to regulate and enforce anti-trafficking legislation, local governments and police forces may in fact be participating in sex trafficking rings.

One overriding factor in the proliferation of trafficking is the fundamental belief that the lives of women and girls are expendable. In societies where women and girls are undervalued or not valued at all, women are at greater risk for being abused, trafficked, and coerced into sex slavery. If women experienced improved economic and social status, trafficking would in large part be eradicated.

How are women trafficked? 

Women and girls are ensnared in sex trafficking in a variety of ways. Some are lured with offers of legitimate and legal work as shop assistants or waitresses. Others are promised marriage, educational opportunities and a better life. Still others are sold into trafficking by boyfriends, friends, neighbours or even parents.

Typically, once in the custody of traffickers, a victim's passport and official papers are confiscated and held. Victims are told they are in the destination country illegally, which increases victims' dependence on their traffickers. Victims are often kept in captivity and also trapped into debt bondage, whereby they are obliged to pay back large recruitment and transportation fees before being released from their traffickers. Many victims report being charged additional fines or fees while under bondage, requiring them to work longer to pay off their debts.

Often, before servicing clients, women are forcibly raped by the traffickers themselves, in order to initiate the cycle of abuse and degradation. Some women are drugged in order to prevent them from escaping. Once “broken in,” sex trafficked victims can service up to 30 men a day, and are vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection and unwanted pregnancy.

Who purchases trafficked women and girls?

Many believe that sex trafficking is something that occurs “somewhere else.” However, many of the biggest trafficking consumers are developed nations, and men from all sectors of society support the trafficking industry. There is no one profile that encapsulates the “typical” client. Rather, men who purchase trafficked women are both rich and poor, Eastern and Western. Many are married and have children, and in some cases, as was reported in one New York Times article, men have sex with trafficked girls in lieu of abusing their own young children.

What is the impact of sex trafficking?
Trafficking has a harrowing effect on the mental, emotional and physical well being of the women and girls ensnared in its web. Beyond the physical abuse, trafficked women suffer extreme emotional stress, including shame, grief, fear, distrust and suicidal thoughts. Victims often experience post-traumatic stress disorder, and with that, acute anxiety, depression and insomnia. Many victims turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain.

Sex trafficking promotes societal breakdown by removing women and girls from their families and communities. Trafficking fuels organised crime groups that usually participate in many other illegal activities, including drug and weapons trafficking and money laundering. It negatively impacts local and national labor markets, due to the loss of human resources. Sex trafficking burdens public health systems. And trafficking erodes government authority, encourages widespread corruption, and threatens the security of vulnerable populations.

My Thoughts:

After reading through some initial information on sex trafficking, it upset me greatly as I had no idea it was as bad as it was, I felt incredibly moved and upset by what these women go through. What I found the worst was the fact these women were sold by their own families and partners and were promised of a brighter future. Its a terrible and disgusting crime that needs to stop.

For further research I want to look at statistics, campaigns and charities out there as well as   reading into some sex trafficking stories. I think this is a cause I am very passionate about, and look forward to moving this project further. 

Further Research

Although I haven't yet specified what direction I want to go in with this brief, I began researching posters that I like to gain some inspo. 

Ficciones Typografika

Ficciones Typografika is a project dedicated to typographic exploration in a public space, their Tumblr is one of my favourite sites for typographic inspiration. 

One of the projects I like on the site is seeing I . It was created for Mark Farid, “a social-artistic experiment that questions how much of the individual is an inherent personality and how large a portion of the individual is a cultural identity. For 24 hours a day for 28 days, artist Mark Farid will wear a Virtual Reality Headset through which he will experience life through another person’s eyes and ears.”

The project is all about being connected online even when we're hiding away. Its about the illusion of companionship without the demand of a relationship, reduced to text rather than talking to one another. These simulations blur between Fiction and reality. Its about being a spectator as well as spectacle, are our identities eroding away? as we've grown up with technology, we assume technology has grown up too. We've become more isolated as technology progress's. The distinction between physical reality and its simulation is blurring and if our consciousness is experienced through the perception of sight and sound and our conception of knowledge. To what extent is it really our own. 

This is a topic area I am interested in doing, we rely way too much on technology and we forget what its like to truly be alone.

 

The poster below is designed by Elisabeth Workman following gun violence in her community. 

Typo/Graphic Posters

typo/graphic posters is a platform for inspiration and promotion of good design through the poster culture. Their main focus is exclusively on typographical and graphical posters, especially those that challenge type, colours and shapes to express a message. It is almost a curated gallery with a graphic design point of view. I am always scrolling through these posters as a source of inspiration. 

Jamie Reid//Banksy

When I first read the brief and it was on issue oriented design I immediately thought of artist Jamie Reid and Banksy. 

Jamie Reid is an English artist and anarchist with connections to the Situationists. His work, featuring letters cut from newspaper headlines in the style of a ransom note, came close to defining the image of punk rock, particularly in the UK

I've been a fan of Jamie Reid work since I remember however, his work has never been reflected in my own work. I think this brief will be a challenge hopefully pushing my creativity to do something quite different. Jamie Reid's work he captures anarchy and anger at the government. The use of ransom lettering feels very relevant as it removes the idea of an identity. This is definitely an idea I would like to experiment with. The letters take away any clean minimal aspects of the design and instead implies mayhem and anger. Below, are my three favourite designs, 'god save our forests', 'god save the queen' and 'sex pistols- fuck forever' 

Banksy is a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.  His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. I can't say I am a massive fan of his work, but it does make a statement by reaching to a wide audience as people see his work through passing through day-to-day to life. The political issues he focuses his work around raises current issues and makes the viewer question the issue in a humorous way.

Current: Je suis Charlie

I thought it would be useful to look at some current campaigns going on at the moment, Je suis Charlie is a slogan adopted by supporters of free speech and freedom of expression after the 7 January 2015 massacre in which 12 people were killed at the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France. It identifies a speaker or supporter with those who were killed at the Charlie Hebdo shooting, and by extension, a supporter of freedom of speech and resistance to armed threats. Some journalists embraced the expression as a rallying cry for the freedom of self-expression

Provocation, satire, and commentary are some of the sharpest tools that graphic designers possess. The ability to pair words and images to create a dialogue—however controversial it may be—is at the core of what we do. Cartoonists across the world are standing up to terrorism by drawing their outrage at this attack on freedom of speech.

Others, like Bill Donohue, president of the US Catholic League, have angered many when he issued a statement saying that the Muslims have a right to be angry. Donohue also said the killing should be condemned, but that we should not tolerate the actions that provoked the attack.

Studio Brief 01: Issue Oriented Design//Initial Research

To kickstart this project I am going to begin researching posters and looking at potential directions for Design Practice 2. I want to create an expansive archive of creative outputs that have responded to issues within society. You are required to undertake your own research to uncover material that reflects your own interests.

I thought I would start my research by looking at the iconic Barack Obama ‘Hope’ Poster designed by Shepherd Fairey, 2008. It consists of a stylised stencil portrait of Obama in solid red, beige and (pastel and dark) blue, with the word "progress", "hope", or "change" below. The design was created in one day and printed first as a poster. I was fond of it when it was first released, however after so many imitations its lost its charm. ha. 

I love these french one colour screen prints. The police were interferring in art schools, and the art students took to the streets. Thee posters are symbol but have a really clear message, I love the aesthetic. 

Continuing from the screen printed French posters I looked at Grafika Fidalga, a printing service. I've been crawling through their work, I love the lettering and the gradients used. They are really eye-catching. I think letterpress has been used as well. 

Breathe

Really clever campaign poster, I guess its on domestic violence. The element of working duct tap into the design, by tapping the poster to the tree, to show he has been made to stay silent is really clever. 

I love this this Attica Brigade Anti-War March Poster (1971) The paper cut look, I guess it is a two colour screenprint, two colours perhaps because they needed to be produced quickly. I love the aesthetic of the paper cut illustrations and the type in the top corner. 

OUGD504: Module Evaluation

This module has been incredibly beneficial to me, it has taught me about designing for web and the restrictions that come with that as well as designing for print and branding. Overall, the module has given greater deeper understanding of the design process.
I feel my time management and commitment to the course has developed, as well as my ability to quickly work up designs within a studio environment. I think this is because I am much more confident  with the adobe software, and I have stopped worrying about what anyone thinks. This first semester of study I feel I my idea generation processes has grown, creating insightful, and established responses/concepts to design challenges.

My first one week brief was to create a folded leaflet of our personal understanding of our design process. For the first couple of days I struggled with ideas and getting in to the swing being back in the studio. Especially after a few months of summer relaxing, it almost felt stressful. I attempted to design a folded leaflet that is considered and effective. Everything has been carefully arranged even though it is to look casual. I have designed and used vector illustrations to go on my leaflet which helps communicate my design process effectively. 

I struggled most with the web brief. The purpose of this brief was to design a multi-page website that effectively informs a user about the interesting and informative facts, figures, observations and visual content that you have discovered within the summer brief. Over summer I travelled to Hong Kong and was inspired by these sacred spaces I visited, which is why my website is based on Sacred Geometry and Architecture. Sacred Geometry involves a sacred universal patterns used in design of everything in our reality, most often seen in sacred architecture and art. The basic belief is that geometry and mathematical ratios, divine proportions (golden ration) etc. As a designer, I felt it was important to have an awareness and draw inspiration from ancient design.

To this day, I feel like I didn't showed my full potential with the web brief, I think this is due to the fact we were unable to code and make our websites live. This was due to circumstances out of my control. However, I did learn a lot about  about web safe colours and html & css, as well as the restrictions when designing for web. In the the future I would like to revisit/teach myself to code. 

Overall, I am pleased with my website, I have really enjoyed learning about the subject and design for web. Ancient design and civilisations have always interested in me. I think as a designer I think its really important to have an awareness of ancient design instead of only focusing on current design thats happened in the last century. 

Also, the way I approach a project has changed, I find I a lot efficient and quicker at making decisions. I have found that my final outcomes are a lot more conceptual than last year, especially when considering industry, culture and audience. I feel I design for the audience, instead of what I think looks good. I also consider media, format, methods and communication a lot more. 

I have started appreciating grids especially when designing for screen and print, I find they are a really useful tool, in creating visually pleasing design. 

The Augmented Reality brief. There were time limitations with this brief, as we only had a week to print our work when the print room was fully booked. However, I managed to get into drop in for digital print as well as screen-print. Giving myself a lot of work to do and trying to complete it as best as I can, it’s amazing what you can accomplish within a week by focusing and committing fully.

Overall, I have pleased how the module has gone, I feel I have developed a lot as a designer and I am looking forward to the rest of the year. 

Augmented Design: Evaluation

The aim of this brief was to produce a print-based advertising campaign across at least 3 print-based advertising deliverables (e.g. poster, flyer, billboard, etc.) to accompany my 'A brief history of...' website that features an element of interactivity. There are several methods, platforms and technologies available that can be exploited in providing interactive elements to print media therefore it is important that you research these thoroughly in order to develop an effective augmented design. Time management over the project.

To accompany my website I wanted to create an exhibition on sacred geometry to get people interacting with the exhibition and visiting/promoting the website. I wanted to promote sacred geometry and encouraging people to take a deeper interest in ancient design. I think this ties in nicely with my website as the purpose of it was to encourage people to take a greater interest in sacred geometry, ancient Egypt/orion mystery and more. I have taken aspects of my website, such as all the symbols and diagrams I have designed. However for my advertisements I want to introduce colours as my website is black and white. As my topic is rich in history and ancient, I want this to be reflected in my print and advertising by using gold screen-print. 

Overall, I am happy with the print deliverables I have created I think it looks professional, clean and minimal. I used a matt card to print the poster,leaflet and tickets on. This felt most appropriate for how they were going to be used, they needed to be sturdy but still flexible. The tickets have been perforated so that the stub would be torn off upon entry.

I am most happy with my a3 posters, I think they are eye-catching and different. I incorporated digital print with screen print over-layed I felt this gave it a really authentic touch and reflected the subject. 

I used Brandon Grotesque as my main font, it a really nice rounded typeface which carries distinctively soft curves that give it a sense of friendliness which is what I wanted in promoting an exhibition . 

Overall, I am please with how the project has gone I found my subject really interesting and saw it as a challenge. I think I have been successful in making this project augmented by creating an exhibition the public can interact with.

Augmented Design: Final Outcomes

Final Outcome

A5 Leaflet

Poster

Augmented Design: In context

To make my project more interactive, and to my promote my website. I will display my posters and leaflets around leeds, in bus stops, cafe, local newspaper etc.