Summative Statement

From knowledge I have gained about organ donation and discovering the most effective ways to engage audiences to connect to the issue, I have created a body of work which depicts one mans journey after having a heart transplant at the age of nine, making the issue feel more real and connectable.  Personalisation and journeys have always been of interest to me, my aim was to make the subject of organ donation elusive at first, focusing on individualism, thus allowing the viewer to connect and get to know the person instead, evoking a empathic response when learning his link and reliance on organ donation.

 As well as empathy being a key driver to a positive reaction within health campaigns, a positive outlook has proven to be a preferred method of campaigning according to the research I have gathered. From discussions with the organ recipient himself, he strongly wanted positivity to be expressed within the work I created, highlighting how organ donation changes lives, showing what can be achieved for those who have had a transplant.

I began the project with the intention to create an advertising campaign, however, through my documentary investigation of the subject and personal engagement with Adam both in person and virtually, the project has become primarily about myself developing empathy towards the subject and Adam. Understanding and reflecting on his personal experiences has made me more considerate and sensitive about how I communicated certain elements of his life, informing my technical practice and my approach to the issue. His input changed the direction and focus of my work, enabling me to depict him in a way he was comfortable with but would also convey the right positive message. I knew that a soft approach was my preferred method, the literature sources consulted ( Yau, 2012) and primary data I collected reaffirmed this approach. My approach needed to overcome the barriers of information overload and bombardment, to avoid people feeling helpless and unable to offer assistance.

The book was designed to be un-obvious in the first instance, allowing the viewer to build a picture about a person, which isn’t complete, intriguing them to find out the purpose of the book and its story. Curiosity leads the viewers journey through the book to the last page which gives a realisation of the true background of the story, at this point the viewer may re-evaluate what they have seen and have a sense of empathy towards the subject, which may provoke a positive action. The book format allows the viewer to take time to engage with the subject, something a poster does not allow, (Burtenshaw, Mahon, and Barfoot, 2011) which lets the viewer contemplate the contents in their own time.

This experience has been a continuation of past work in terms of approach and taking a journey with a worthy outcome that serves a purpose. Thought provoking projects involving social issues are a strong area of interest in my practice, and this research has impacted positively on my skills and approach.

Finals

Dissertation… a word I’ve tried not to think about over the last 2 ½ years. it’s a very disheartening thinking that my writing skills could let me down especially when putting so much effort into practical. Weekly sessions with Aly, my dyslexia support tutor has been amazing for me, it has given me confidence in my abilities to write, knowing their was someone there to check over what I have done .I rely heavily on other peoples reassurance as i struggle with trusting my own instincts (something I need to work on). I couldn’t of done it without her! Because of weekly support, I have felt pretty on track with my dissertation writing and my practical developing at a steady pace, I am so glad I didn’t focus on one more than the other throughout. I feel this has worked in my favour as surprisingly to me, literature I was reading subconsciously influenced the ideas and techniques I chose to develop in my practical.

though cop is always a module I worry about starting, I have to admit to myself, I really enjoy research driven projects, especially those with a social theme as it allows me to connect personally to the issue which I feel benefits my work. saying that, gathering primary research for the sensitive social topic did put me out of my comfort zone. The prospect of interviewing Adam, a heart transplant recipient was very daunting for me as I didn’t want to come across intrusive. However the interview was the best thing I did in this project as it provided me with a strong and focused direction for my practical responses, it also opened my eyes to the reality of organ donation as I have never met anyone who has had a transplant so the concept didn’t quite hit home.

Though I am proud of myself for writing a substantial piece of writing, it is something I do not wish to do again…the pressure to present, bound, check spelling, grammar, format, references etc were all done in a particular way become to much for me towards the end. having to reprint several times finding minor mistakes was very,very stressful and frustrating considering the amount of effort I have put into the writing it. it is very disheartening knowing I could loose marks for silly mistakes I just couldn’t see myself.

 Time Management though at the start I was waiting for a specific subject/ person(s) to focus my practical response on, I used this time to develop potential drawing styles by using portraits of other organ recipients/ people on the list to inspire an emotive response which would influence my approach to the drawing – communicating sensitivity and empathy. i also worked hard to try and finish the majority of my dissertation before the Christmas break knowing I would only have 1 session left with Aly to check my work when I cam back before the hand in. it was great thinking I only had the tidying up parts to do of my dissertation when I cam back to uni, however I massively under estimated how long this would take me and actually how difficult it was. I planned to print and binned on Friday the 8th, giving me the weekend and a few days to blog and sort my practical out. Unfortunately due to mistakes I didn’t see, this didn’t happen and It left me stressed!

 on a more positive note, I remembered to book 2 digital printing slots before Christmas, one the week before my deadline to print all my final responses, and one the week of my deadline to re-print anything I needed to change/improve on after the peer review crit on Friday 8th! I feel this has benefited the quality and professionalism of my final pieces. I plan to get in touch with organ donation organizations to see if my project could be put to good use in raising awareness.

Project boards

book cover and wrap round.

the idea of the wrap round was not just to contain the book, it also hides the charity information at the back of the book- again keeping the underlining theme of organ donation elusive until they come to the end of the book, and also to put the over back on. 

the down fall to this idea i didn't consider, if places in a public place i.e waiting rooms, would the cover stay with the book? or would it easily be misplaced. 

i decided to stable bing the book as i thought this represented how it would be bound if it was to be mass produced - the same reason i didn't make the book hard-backed. 

what i would do differently 

one thing i would do differently is change the colour of the front cover to a grey, i thought about doing this in my development but managed to forget to go ahead with my development idea! i think it would show a stronger contrast to the book and the mountain wrap round. 

text

i played around with hand drawn (digitally drawn) type for my title, i felt this would synthesis with the theme of individualism, and would also make it appear informal, approachable and relatable. 

possible idea to exhibit prints in a gallery local to Adam?

Direct mail campaign idea and development

final decision on the wording 

after discussions with peers, i have decided to keep the wording on my initial envelope.

reasons we discussed:

 -private and confidential

the decision that the donor decides to make is private and confidential as it is their decision and their decision alone. 

-NHS

it would be the NHS or Organ Donation organisation sending out the campaign. 

-IMPORTANT HEALTH CARE INFORMATION 

it is important information as people need to be more aware of the scarce of organs and how you can save someones life by becoming a donor. 

first print out:

i had a bit of trouble with the first print of the envelope as i made it a tiny bit too small to fit in the a4 illustrations- i didn't account for the space it would need to fit the thickness all 6 pages would come to. very snug!

i also found when folding the envelope, the lines i created on photoshop for the template where very obvious, though i needed them as a guideline of where to fold, however i think i will print it out again in a very low opacity so the lines are hardly noticeable when i fold but clear enough for me to see when folding. 

i have added stats about organ donation and the importance of becoming a donor to clarify a stronger message - i think for someone receiving this who didn't know my project and aim, it would be very random getting a letter with a persons story on without it being in context.

Thinking about a wider demographic:
from the research i gained whilst doing my dissertation, i found different people react to different types of campaigns. it also made me consider how not everybody (especially the elderly) have access to a computer or are computer savvy, therefore just providing information about how to register online would be a ineffective,  so i decided to add a letter of consent inside with a envelope (that hypothetically would be free postage) for those who would rather use the postal service to sign up to the register.  

within the letters above, i have tried include the majority of the points listed below by the organ donation organisation of what they feel needs to be included for an effective form communication and awareness advertising.

• Three people die every day in the UK in need of a transplant. 
• You can help save lives after your death: one organ donor can save/transform up to nine lives. 
• Tell your loved ones you want to be an organ donor so they know you have made a decision to donate if and when you can. 
• Anyone can register. There are no barriers to joining the ODR. 
• Even if you carry a donor card you should sign onto the NHS Organ Donor Register to make a lasting record of your wishes. 
• To register or find out more call the Organ Donor Line on 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk 
• organ donation digital marketing
  publicity guide to promoting organ donation
  https://nhsbtmediaservices.blob.core.windows.net/organ-donation-assets/pdfs/publicity_guide.pdf

envelope the consent letter to go back in. 

Pinterest board - all visual influences

Follow Rebecca's board organ donation on Pinterest.

organ donor website illustrations

i like the contrast of the extreme detail on the body with the white background, i think makes the simple slogan out aswell.
however, without reading the information about Adam in his chest, the image doesn't have a striking relatable impact and the infomation may be hard to read as it is involved in the drawing and therefore gets lost. 

again with this illustration there is nothing obvious about organ donation. however i have added digital text clearly which audiences will hopefully read in conduction. i have tried to limit the information to the bare minimum for the illustration link to make sense etc. again, using a white background i think really makes the illustration stand out, i think it works well with the simple navigations on the site.
i like how this design features adams face, i think this will make people more empathetic to him as a person. 

'FACT - acts of kindness makes YOU feel happier. '

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200607/pay-it-forward

 Stanford University psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky decided to put the kindness-fulfillment connection to the test. She asked students to carry out five weekly "random acts of kindness" of their choice.

The students reported higher levels of happiness than a control group, with students who performed all five kind acts in one day reaping the biggest rewards by the end of the six-week study period. Previous studies have found that altruistic people tend to be happy.

Lyubomirsky's found that that good deeds are actually the direct cause of an increase in well-being...gives people a strong sense they're doing something that matters.

"There are a lot of positive social consequences to being kind—other people appreciate you, they're grateful and they might reciprocate,"

"Being kind helps you feel in control," Greenbaum says. "By doing a good deed, you're saying, 'Here's something I can do to change the world.'

I found the literature above whilst researching and producing my disseration text. Though i believed it at the time, from personally connecting with Adam (transplant recipient), getting to know him, what he has been through, and understanding more about organ donation, i have strived to produce work that he would be proud of.  Considering what he wanted me to express in my work (visuals and feelings) to show my enthusiasm and respect i have for what he has achieved. 

when showing my work to Adam, he was really pleased with the outcomes and has been posting them himself on his 'xplantrunner blog', facebook and twitter which is great as this will bring awareness to organ donation - the main aim of my project.  

-So like the litrature above, by thinking about others and producing something i want Adam to be proud of and hopefully encourage people to think about becoming a donor has made me feel happy that my efforts are going towards a good cause, making someone else happy. 

poster in context

from feedback from the questionnaire send to organ recipients, one participant stated:

'I don't think there is any publication of organ donation outside the transplant unit in hospital, and the question on application for a driving license.'

so i have mocked up how my illustration could be turned into a poster that could exist in everyday environments. i think these are poster we need to see more of - advertising social issues that are actually important. 

i think its important for them to go back into the health environment too. 

awareness poster development

here i used the type of lines that are used on science body diagrams to add context to the piece.

however i think i prefer the arrows as they are more obvious in their boldness and the fact they are coming from the heart ,pointing outwards towards the quote from the heart. also the diagram lines are to faint, blending in with the body. 

poster idea

 

developing this poster idea:

include striking quotes/stats about Adam in the heart shape in this text style instead of digital type. 

poster ideas

• at the age of 9, Adam was given 12 months to live if he went without a heart transplant. he couldn't walk and was operating on 3% heart function.
•  several scars and 25years later, Adam is in training for the bob graham route, a 66mile fell run in 24 hours. he will be the only heart transplant patient to attempt it. 
• Adam is eternally grateful and owes his life to his donor and donors family. He continues to live life to make them proud he was the recipient.

though i am happy with this illustration, i have used the map illustration on another illustration therefore didn't know weather i should try and experiment with other elements to include on this drawing. 

i have played around with adding the layered collage of the heart shaped map outlines i have done earlier on in my practical experimentation. i like the way the map outlines a negative space of a heart right where the heart exists on the human body. however i thing the shape gets lost the bigger the layers become which makes the point un-obvious. i also don't like how the map layers hide the scars on his body i have draw as the whole reason i have chosen to drawn this particular drawing is to show his scars.

keeping top idea;

reiterates the point of the bob graham route, like how it looks likes a follow on tattoo or even vein like. 

Knowledge & Understanding / Innovation

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the synthesis between the theoretical and practical contexts of their own creative concerns.

Knowledge & Understanding / Critical Awareness

Demonstrate an independent critical understanding of the aesthetic, cultural, historical, technological,social, political or other contexts relevant to individual subject disciplines.