GD Capstone 09

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TITLE: Kees

Your Bag, Your Choice

DESIGNER: Maryam Abdulrazaq Al Zarouni - 200521561

COURSE: ART 499 GRAPHIC DESIGN CAPSTONE

INSTRUCTOR: YUNSUN CHUNG-SHIN

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TABLE OF CONTENT

BACKGROUND

1. 09 CAPSTONE BRIEF
2. GENERAL SUSTAINABLE DESIGN RESEARCH
3. EMOTIONAL STATEMENT
4. INSPIRATION(S)

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CAPSTONE BRIEF
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RESEARCH

1. PROJECT SPECIFIC RESEARCH: PROBLEMS
2. CASE STUDY PROJECT(S): SOLUTIONS
3. DESIGNER(S)
4. VISUAL COMMUNICATION STYLE(S)
5. SURVEY: QUESTIONS AND RESULTS

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ART DIRECTION

1. CONCEPT (BIG IDEA)
2. BRANDING: NAMING, LOGO, SYMBOL, TAG-LINE
3. STYLE (LOOK AND FEEL)
4. TYPOGRAPHY
5. COLOR

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DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT (FROM SKETCHES TO FINAL)

1. SKETCHES
2. ELECTRONIC VERSIONS (1-3 STAGES)
3. FINAL VERSION

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CAMPAIGN APPLICATIONS

1. POSTERS
* ART DIRECTION
* DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
* FINAL 3 POSTERS
2. MEDIA: PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENT
* STORY
* ART DIRECTION
* DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
* FINAL SCREEN SHOTS 3-6 IMAGES
3. OTHERS
4. CAMPAIGN EVENT
* WHAT AND WHY
* WHEN
* WHO
* WHERE
* HOW

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EPILOGUE (REFLECTION SUMMARY)
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BACKGROUND

1. 09 CAPSTONE BRIEF
This is a graduation project (Capstone) for Graphic Design students. The main theme or subject is Green Design. We were told to come up with a Design solution for environmental problems or issues in Dubai. Each student should make her own campaign or company that will benefit Dubai’s environment and solve its problems.  “This project aims 1)to understand sustainability problems and solutions 2)to envision city images and formulate customized solutions to address environmental issues specifically in Dubai from an Emirati perspective 3)to develop a campaign interacting with the public to participate in proposed campaign activities.”

2. GENERAL SUSTAINABLE DESIGN RESEARCH
In the beginning of the semester we had a lot of time to do some research on the environmental problems that the world is facing. I think I learned things I did not even think about. From reading the amazing book “Cradle to Cradle” by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, which I think was very useful as a start for my research, I learned many things. This book made me think a lot about how do I reach my goal in making an effective green design that would actually work and not harm the environment. At first I thought it was impossible to do it, since it says “recycling is not good” and “Being less bad is not good” either. This book’s main case study is Ford Company and how it started as the most successful company. However, by time it went bad and it is not good anymore for working in, and the environment surrounding its factory became dangerous for living. So instead of closing it down and starting new somewhere else, Henry Ford wanted to rebuild the place and go green, and he did. Then, Ford Company became one of the most successful companies that went green and won some awards for that. I like how Henry Ford went through all the research to make the factory sustainable and even their production are being made from less hazardous materials. With the little knowledge he had and from the knowledge of the professionals in their fields, he went with it, and if there was something wrong they would change it till it is perfectly green. I am neither a chemist nor a scientist, so from my research and the knowledge I have I will precede my goal and I hope that it will have an effect on the people.

Also, the Internet was a great help in finding many facts and statistics about the environmental issues the world has nowadays. Dubai has many environmental problems that the people may or may not know about or are aware of. These problems are contributing to Global warming and make our ecological footprint even bigger by the passing years. People of Dubai have to admit that they went too broad with the consumption of the resources and start acting toward this huge problem. Look at all the waste issues we have. Total waste collected in 2005 was 11.3 million tons compared to 6.6 million tons in 2003. Each person in Dubai produces 1676 kg of waste per year! (in 2004).  The government by itself won’t be enough if not every individual living in this country participate in making the change. When something we thought was helpful and made our lives easier goes out of control and begins damaging more than it helps, we should ban it and find an alternative, just like how we came up with that idea in the first place. We are the creators of our own lifestyles, so it’s in our hands to change it. If we don’t then our waste issue will never be solved and the new generation’s future will be domed because of our selfish decisions.

3. EMOTIONAL STATEMENT

When I was little, I always hated carrying my things in plastic bags because it looks ugly and very noisy. However, my mother would tell me not to be picky about things and just use it. Now that I grew up and learned about what harmful things it does, I feel happy that now I can reject it and feel proud. Camels are dying everyday and no one is feeling for them. They simply ate a lot of plastic bags that someone might have thrown while having a picnic with their family, or maybe someone did not need it anymore and just threw it from his car window. Camel’s deaths are the results of our actions and misbehavior. There are already many alternatives to plastic bags, so why not use them? It is always our choice of leaving this issue as it is or take action and change it.

4. INSPIRATION(S)

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CAPSTONE BRIEF (300WORDS):

“Kees” is an environmental campaign project against the misusage of plastic bags in Dubai. It is a campaign that aims to raise awareness about the issues that results from the misusage of plastic bags. Its targeted audience is the residence of Dubai from different ages and genders. The main message is not misuse plastic bags, which is not to waste and reduce the use of it as possible. The core issues are 1) trashing the image of Dubai. 2) the deaths of camels from eating plastic bags. 3) increasing the waste percentage. And some alternatives are 1) rejecting plastic bags when possible. 2) Using your own bag. 3) Not to throw them and reuse them. The campaign will reach the audience in different ways using media and applications in which are creative and artistic. As a result, the campaign’s goal is to be unique with its look and feel, and be memorable in the audience’s mind that will make them want to make the change happen.

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RESEARCH

1. PROJECT SPECIFIC RESEARCH: PROBLEMS
I have to admit that even after all this research and things that I found out and learned, I still was lost on what to do. How can I, a one person, make something that is effective and actually change the people perspectives or behaviors? How can I design something that is purely green and never be harmful? I knew it is a hard thing to do, but I am a student and I will learn how to deal with design problems and fix them till it’s perfect.

In my project I chose to focus on the waste issue in Dubai, and specifically the usage of plastic bags. People in Dubai use plastic bags to carry their groceries or things they buy when going shopping. The thing is that even when they do not even need it they still take it and then just throw it. It is not just that, some people do throw them in trash, but others do not. Instead they throw them from their car window or leave it in the desert when going camping. They might not know that this little, light object can be harmful. Plastic bags are among the most wasted object in landfills. They are flexible packaging made of thin, flexible, plastic film.  “Plastic bags start as crude oil, natural gas, or other petrochemical derivatives, which are transformed into chains of hydrogen and carbon molecules known as polymers or polymer resin. After being heated, shaped, and cooled, the plastic is ready to be flattened, sealed, punched, or printed on.”  Plastic bags goes threw a lot of process to be made and people use them for minutes and then throw them away. They sure made our lives easier to carry our things in after shopping. However, what you might not know is that it’s harmful to the environment and the animals.

Plastic bags are consumed a lot for unnecessary reasons and it ends up harming the environment and the animals. “Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.”  Throwing it either in the trash or in the streets, will end in the wrong way. “Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.”  As for Dubai, hundreds of camels die every year because of plastic bags.  It kept on eating plastic bags in which it turned to calcified rocks that stayed in their stomachs and eventually the camel dies from hunger.  Plastic bags not only kill animals but also it pollutes our environment. “Plastic bags are not biodegradable, they photo degrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.”  Also, it will take around a thousand years for a plastic bag to degrade. Since plastic bags are made to be so light in weight, it is easy for it to fly with the wind and of course escape from landfills where all the waste is dumped. Around 47% of the littering is done by the wind and it mostly carries the plastic waste.

2. CASE STUDY PROJECT(S): SOLUTIONS
The solutions are always in our hands. We made the changes to our lives to make it easier, so we can change it again and make it better and environmental friendlier. Maybe we didn’t know about the problem before, but now we know and we have to solve it, together. Just like Ireland. “In 2001, Ireland consumed 1.2 billion plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag consumption tax, or PlasTax, introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%. Approximately 18,000,000 liters of oil have been saved due to this reduced production. Governments around the world are considering implementing similar measures.”  The habit of always using plastic bags has to change by carrying our own bags. According to reusablebags.com, each reusable bag used can potentially eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime. Also, there are many alternatives to polyethylene plastic bags, which are the compostable plastic bags. Compostable Bags are designed to disintegrate and biodegrade quickly and safely, when composted in a professionally managed composting facility.

Through my research I found some interesting design solutions that are close to my project about plastic bags. I know they are products and its design needed some knowledge about chemicals, but still they deserve to be mentioned.

•    Case 1: 60Bag by Katarzyna Okinczyc and Remigiusz Truchanowicz

The 60bag is a great alternative for plastic bag. It is made “of non-woven, flax-viscose fabric, produced with flax fiber from industrial waste” which will degrade in 60 days after it is no longer being used. The bags can be composted or safely burnt, which means they don’t require expensive recycling processes. It comes in many shapes and sizes according to the consumer’s needs.

•    Case 2: Peepoo bag by Anders Wilhelmson

Peepoo bag is - a single-use, disposable toilet bag intended to improve sanitary conditions in developing nations. The Peepoo bag is made from degradable bioplastic lined with urea. The used bags are clean and safe to handle, and remain odour-free for at least 24 hours, meaning they can be stored in the immediate area. After two-four weeks the treated faeces can be used as a high-value fertilizer.

3. DESIGNER(S)

4. VISUAL COMMUNICATION STYLE(S)

5. SURVEY: QUESTIONS AND RESULTS
As part of the research, I should distribute a survey, which will help me in my project. Therefore, I made an online survey using esurveyspro.com, where I asked some simple questions about the amount of plastic bag used and other things as the following:

1.    Gender?
Female    100.00%    11
Male    0.00%    0

2.    Age?
- 20        18.18%    2
21 – 30    81.82%    9
+ 31        0.00%    0

3.    Do you use plastic bags?
Yes    100.00%    10
No    0.00%    0

4.    Estimate the amount of plastic bags you or your family use per week:
- 5        18.18%    2
6 – 10        0.00%    0
10 – 20    54.55%    6
+ 21        27.27%    3

5.    Do you reuse your plastic bags?
Yes    100.00%    11
no    0.00%    0

6.    Did you know that plastic bags are harmful to the environment?
Yes    100.00%    11
no    0.00%    0

7.    Do you know that hundreds of camels die every year from eating plastic bags left behind in the desert?
Yes    36.36%    4
no    63.64%    7

8.    Do you know that plastic bags take about 1000 years to disintegrate?
Yes    27.27%    3
no    72.73%    8

9.    Do you know that plastic is a petroleum product?
Yes    45.45%    5
no    54.55%    6

10.    Do you know that if we reduce the use of plastic bags, it will save us millions of oil barrels?
Yes    27.27%    3
no    72.73%    8

11.    Do you know that by just saying “No” to plastic bags can make a big difference for our future?
Yes    70.00%    7
No    30.00%    3

12.    Now that you know: Would you start using reusable bags?
Yes!        63.64%    7
Maybe        36.36%    4
No        0.00%    0

13.    Will you be welling to say “No” to plastic bags next time you go shopping?
Yes    54.55%    6
no    45.45%    5

14.    Will you bring your own bag when going shopping?
Yes    54.55%    6
no    45.45%    5

I think the most important question and its response is number 13 that if people are welling to say “No” to plastic bags now that they know what it does, and almost half said no and this is an issue I want to solve with my campaign. How can I affect those people to make them change their mind? Or maybe just rethink about it? I thought of trying to move their emotions by showing them, visually, the problem, but not in friendly way. I mean that I want them to smile. Making people smile can change many things afterwards. Yes, I will not change their behavior or habit but at least I will leave an impact, or let’s say a smile.

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ART DIRECTION

1. CONCEPT (BIG IDEA)
Objective:

A campaign to raise awareness for the person of Dubai about the problems that occurs because of the usage of plastic bags.

Audience: Dubai residences in all ages and genders.

Message: Not to misuse plastic bags.

Concept:
Since the campaign aims to reduce waste issues I want to show that even in design by not wasting colors & using unnecessary things whereas the message can be delivered in a simpler way. I am going to follow the minimalist design rules where “the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features.”

In general, I am going to use the shape of the plastic bag with the color blue as my main symbol threw out the campaign. Everything is going to follow this theme in all the posters, applications and even the media.

2. BRANDING: NAMING, LOGO, SYMBOL, TAG-LINE

-    Naming
When I researched I learned that this project has been done several times all around the world like in the US, Australia, …etc, so I wanted a unique Arabic name especially for Dubai. It has to be catchy , easy to remember and pronounce. Therefore, I choose the name “Kees” which means bag or sack. When I asked about it to my friends, they said it always reminds them of the blue plastic bag, which is exactly what I want.

-    Logo
Since the project is a campaign about plastic bags, I wanted the logo to be obvious from its look. So I think the shape of the plastic bag will do. However, it has to be unique and has the Arabic touch to it to make it especially for Dubai. Also, Dubai has many expats so I have to make an English logo as well.

-    Symbol
I am using the plastic bag shape for the logo, but I need it to show some movement, as if it is flying in the air. In my previous years and when I started taking basic graphic classes, I learned that any shape or line that is positioned diagonally shows movement. That is why I am going to use the plastic bag shape in a diagonal way to show its movement.

-    Tagline
Your Bag, Your Choice
Toward plastic bag-free Dubai
Make peace, bring your kees
Say No to plastic bags
Help in making Dubai plastic bag-free city
Save the camels
Feel for the dying camels, stop plastic bags littering
Feel for Dubai environment, No plastic bags

3. STYLE (LOOK AND FEEL)

The look and feel will be very simple, using one or more shades of blue as necessary. Also, using simple geometric shapes, which is mainly the plastic bag shape.

4. TYPOGRAPHY

A bold and more geometric font will be good, following the geometry of the plastic bag. Arabic and English have to look alike as much as possible.

5. COLOR
As mentioned before, everything is going to be Blue, Blue, and Blue. Monochrome color of blue plus black and white if needed, since I learned that black and white are not considered as colors. Maybe three shades of blue will be enough but I want to make sure that it’s only one shade.
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DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT (FROM SKETCHES TO FINAL)

1. SKETCHES
Logo

2. ELECTRONIC VERSIONS (1-3 STAGES)

3. FINAL VERSION

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CAMPAIGN APPLICATIONS

1. POSTERS
* ART DIRECTION
When it comes to posters, anyone would think it is some text, images and illustrations arranged in a way with colors and so on. For me, I want to go beyond that. I want to make posters that are not just something I print on papers. Therefore, I decided to make one of my posters from plastic bags to promote my campaign. I will design a simple text vector and use screen print to print it on a surface, which I will make out of plastic bags. In the end, it is going to serve as a poster and a piece of artwork.

Moreover, posters tend to be a paper that is hanged around for a while then thrown away after its period of promotion is over. That is waste and I want to somehow change that. In my second poster, I want to design it as a poster that the people will take a piece of and keep, till the poster disappears and nothing is wasted.

* DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Sketches

* FINAL 3 POSTERS
2. MEDIA: PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENT
* STORY
* ART DIRECTION

At first, when I learned that we had to make a video for our campaigns, the idea of character design was the first thing that came up in my mind. I always liked to make animation stories that are simple, to the point, and funny. Also, I think I am affected by the Japanese animation that I used to watch. However, for my campaign, I want a unique style of making my video.

I have experimented using stop motion and flash, but yet I don’t think the outcome is what I wanted the video to look like. I think it is because it is not the look and feel I want the viewers to experience. Therefore, I am going to follow the theme for the campaign which is not to waste, and I am going to make all the scenes in black and white with a sketchy feel to it, and only the main character will be in blue.

There will be only sounds and no narration so that anyone can understand, just like the previous attempts where I thought was the only thing that was working. The character will have multiple excretions to give a meaning and feeling to each scene.

* DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

* FINAL SCREEN SHOTS 3-6 IMAGES
3. OTHERS
4. CAMPAIGN EVENT
* WHAT AND WHY
Plastic bags are harming the environment of Dubai. 1) Trashing the image of Dubai. 2) Killing camels. 3) increases the waste issues in Dubai. All this because people are misusing plastic bags and it resulted in damaging the environment of Dubai.

* HOW
Stop misusing plastic bags and that is by 1) rejecting plastic bags when possible. 2) Using your own bag. 3) Not to throw them and reuse them.

* WHO
Dubai residences in all ages and genders.

* WHEN
Start now! And hopefully you will see the results in the future.

* WHERE

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EPILOGUE (REFLECTION SUMMARY)

When I started my major as a graphic designer, I thought I would be designing logos, business cards, websites, …etc, for the rest of my life. But then I had faith that there is more to it than just this. This capstone project has opened my eyes, mind and heart to things I never knew or think about. I did not know that my beloved country is suffering this much from environmental problems to get this huge ecological footprint. I never thought one day that I, a graphic designer, will be designing or have the power to design something that could change the world. I did not think that recycling could be bad. Who knew that plastic bags could be this much harmful? I know, only Allah know. I sure learned many things from this course and it reflected on my lifestyle and my way of thinking, and now it is my job to find a solution to save my country from what it is going threw. It is always our decision to make change, and I choose what I am right now. I hope that “Kees” could make a difference, and people would really react to the issue. And in the future, I hope more and more designers learn what I learned and accomplish the impossible with graphic design, because we really CAN change the world.

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