Week 4 - Developments

This week I've been developing my 2 posters. I experimented with different colours and compositions.


Cloud poster 

Initially, I had the black cloud just on top of his head, but I thought it would make more sense for the cloud to come out of him yet still be under the cloud. This shows that the suffering is part of him and it's not something he can easily escape out of. It follows him everywhere.
I ended up deciding between the blue and red background. I thought that the red worked better because it's quite an emotionally intense colour that is able to focus attention.
I went with a more asymmetrical composition because it adds flow and rhythm. Since we read from left to right, I want to guide the viewer’s eyes from the boy to black cloud. It also leaves space for the supporting text on the right which balances out the composition.

Shadow poster 

I did more research on what shadows represent in Jungian psychology. This way I have a better understanding of the concept which will hopefully help me develop my poster.

A summary:

• unconscious self 
• being invisible, rejected, overlooked 
• can't be ignored 
• the dark side 
• the repressed in our life 
• "returns and needs to be dealt within a new way, because the seeds of psychological renewal and of possible future directions for life lie hidden within it”
• "unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. The blacker and denser it is." 

I didn't like the colours I was using at first because they were too happy and not attention grabbing enough. Having the shadow upside down may be unclear from afar, so I will stick with having the shadow upright. 

Week 3 Independent Study

I gathered some examples of posters addressing poverty. They use pathos by having sad imagery and illustration to makes the viewer sympathize with people living in poverty. Logos is used by having factual information. I want my posters to convey an emotional response - which is lacking at the moment.

I also gathered some posters of styles I like which use grungy textures, illustration, silhouettes and distorted text.

Week 1 Independent Study - Research on Child Poverty

I've researched different views on child poverty so that I have a variety of ideas to choose from before deciding on a final stand point. These articles helped me gather key words and themes, which I've jotted down through a word cloud.

Consequences/ How does poverty affect the child?

• One in four Kiwi kids are growing up in income poverty and one in six are going without the basic essentials like fresh fruit and vegetables and visits to the doctor. 
• When a child grows up in poverty they miss out on things most New Zealanders take for granted. They are living in cold, damp, over-crowded houses, they do not have warm or rain-proof clothing, their shoes are worn, and many days they go hungry. It can mean doing badly at school, not getting a good job, having poor health and falling into a life of crime.
• There is an accepted relationship between poverty experienced in childhood and a greater likelihood of mental health problems through the life span.

Statistics 

• As many as 28 per cent of New Zealand children – about 295,000 – currently live in poverty. 

Causes of Child Poverty/ New Zealanders views on child poverty 

• 80% of people surveyed agreed that child poverty is an important problem in New Zealand. However New Zealanders generally underestimate how bad the problem is. New research shows New Zealanders' views on child poverty. Opinion was evenly divided on the primary cause of child poverty in New Zealand. Forty percent said it was due to economic factors including unemployment, low wages and rising living costs while another forty percent thought child poverty was caused by bad parenting choices; neglect, lack of budgeting, and not prioritising children ahead of spending on alcohol, smokes, drugs etc.
• Twelve percent attributed poverty to systemic failures and lack of government policies and support and nine percent blamed lack of education and uneducated parents.

Why is it such an issue in New Zealand?/ Income inequality

• One of the consequences of inequality is that it creates a large group of disenfranchised people who feel forgotten and alienated. They then become easy targets for peddlers of fear and hate.
• The richest 10 percent of households held half of New Zealand's wealth, while the poorest 40 percent held just 3 percent of total wealth.

Race

• The prevalence of child poverty and mental health issues is likely to be higher for Māori and Pasifika than for other children and young people. 
• Of the quarter of a million Maori children in New Zealand, a third were living in poverty and hardship.

Some Sayings

• Poverty is the worst form of violence.
• Poverty is a very complicated issue, but feeding a child isn't" 
• one in four children are suffering from parental income poverty. 
• Child poverty blights childhoods
• Thousands of Kiwi kids who aren’t getting the start to life they deserve. 

Articles used 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11657642

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/307458/10-percent-richest-kiwis-own-60-percent-of-nz's-wealth

https://www.unicef.org.nz/learn/our-work-in-new-zealand/Child-Poverty-in-New-Zealand 

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1409/S00031/new-research-shows-new-zealanders-views-on-child-poverty.htm/ 

http://www.cpag.org.nz/assets/170516%20CPAGChildPovertyandMentalHealthreport-CS6_WEB.pdf