Contest

With Nothing Added

Junior Member
Hi all
Recently a took part in a contest proposed by Zooppa for One.org.
I didn't win, but the work I have submitted is something that I've been
planning to do independently, so I would like to hear your opinions about
it.

Here are some of the links:
http://zooppa.com/en-us/ads/one-thing-we-agree-on/prints/it-never-stops-5
http://zooppa.com/en-us/ads/one-thing-we-agree-on/prints/taps-help-2
http://zooppa.com/en-us/ads/one-thing-we-agree-on/prints/innovators-and-conservatives-3
http://zooppa.com/en-us/users/violah
http://zooppa.com/en-us/users/violah/portfolio
Thanks.
 
What was the brief of the competition?
Did you design all of them? The illustrations of the tap/globe etc seem from a stock image site or something?
Which one are you specifically looking feedback on? Do I see comic sans in caps in the (3) ? :eek:
 
can we just get the files uploaded here or to something like imageshack... that site is awful and too much hassle to get a decent picture.... oh and everything Alex said too please
 
Hi all
Alex:
here you can see the complete brief http://zooppa.com/en-us/contests/one-thing-we-agree-on/brief
but now I'm not thinking about the brief, but the cause: do you think I am managing to convey the message
that says "In Rome there are many fountains that are wasting the planet's water. So, everyone from all
over the world should protest against this waste!"
Levi:
yes, istockphoto gave me $200 in credits to use the images from their site, as I was among the first participants
to join the contest. All the images, except the foot print - which is mine - are theirs.
The most important work is It Never Stops. Tomorrow I'll look for the pen where I have the originals. Meanwhile
you can view them here http://zooppa.com/en-us/users/violah/portfolio . For Some reason that I don't know,
It Never Stops can be enlarged without loss of quality.
Summarising my main question is: can I reach someone with these works?

I would like the Italian competent bodies to be contacted by people from all over the world saying "You have no
right to waste water, because it belongs to the planet as a whole, not only to Italy. Please do something
about it. Put taps on the fountains. It's our business as well".
That's the idea.
 
ok... this is likely going to sound really harsh but I'm judging the work, not the person. Note I'm still having to go that site which is like I said appalling.
In my opinion the message about fountains is flawed before you even begin, most fountains recycle the water within it's own system, ie takes water from the 'pond' then sprays it out of the fountain which then returns it to the 'pond'. Not to mention 90% of them are filled when it rains rather than being connected to the water mains. It's going to make absolutely zero difference to water waste, it's not the fountains which are wasting water, it's the taps being left on while you clean your teeth etc.
As to the work, It seems pretty basic and formulaic, in some ways nothing more than what you could have done with MS publisher rather than photoshop etc.
If you take the tap one for example, you've literally taken a stock image stuck some hard to read text in the corner and then stuck an oversized logo on another corner.
The foot one looks like it uses comic sans.... seriously comic sans is pretty much a no go area for designers because it's a joke font to most of us...
With the grid one it's literally a load of stock images stuck in a grid with some text at the bottom, which again is hard to read, the images are the same sort you see day in day out on tv trying to get an emotional response to the issues in Africa and to be perfectly honest here, if people are anything like me all they'll think is.... what another advert wanting only £x per month "for insert charity".
Ultimately all three images miss the key information without requiring us to read a lot of text.
Note: I'm all for helping charities, but seriously haven't we been plied for enough money to develop a self sustaining 'business' in africa supplying and fitting water pipes etc.... or to relocate people to a less dry area.... an area we clearly aren't supposed to live in...
AS to you question: can I reach someone.... it wouldn't reach me, it may reach some but I doubt people would complain to Italy over it, especially when people think about it like I did at the beginning.
 
I lived in Italy for 14 years - I can assure you that the people over there wont make a fuss about water when it's soaring hot or when the country is in a huge political mess. As far as I remember there were many more fountains that were not even working... forget about running water.
I think people are a lot more immune to the emotional pictures as they see them all the time (sad to say, I know) so I don't think it's going to practically work.
If you want to peruse it further I would suggest making a poster with 1 image and a 4 - 5 word title (nice typography and all) then go and stick them around the city... although you could donate the money to a charity that supports clean water for those who need it, rather than the printing costs.
 
Hey there,
Levi is right about the recycling system of fountains in Rome, which would make your campaign not supported by evidence for the most part. Besides, the city has a peculiar legacy to its water that traces back to the imperial age. This is something Rome citizens are extremely proud of. You will need a stronger argument then. For example, you could create a campaign to invite the city administration to convert the remaining non-recycling fountains to recycling ones.
In terms of design, your work is missing some basic rules of composition and layout as space organization, elements placement, typographical choice and color palette. In general, I would say that your banners need a profound rework. If you want me to go more in detail I will be happy to do so.
 
Hi All! Thank you about your feedback.
First of all let me clarify the most important thing: the fountains I'm talking about are not the recycling ones you have in mind, like the Trevi Fountain and many other.

I'm talking about the drinking fountains. There are many of them all around Rome and Italy and they supply great water that you can drink that come directly from a spring.
If I'm not mistaking the all thing, wasting of this kind of water has a negative impact on the whole planet. I have heard of that so often that I don't even know where I heard it the first time. The same is for tap water. How many times have we heard that it's bad for the environment if we waste it?
So, basically, the point I was trying to make with my designs is: if only we put some taps on the fountains in Italy, the all world would benefit from it.
I do agree about what you are all saying about the graphic design. especially the footer of It Never Stops is so terrible.

Levi; I'm happy about hearing your opinions.
Gianluca; yes do go more in details... that's why I came here in DF... :)

All; have a look at this image of a typical Rome fountain that wastes water because it hasn't got a tap (see attachment).
 

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drinking fountains.... your message failed completely then.... we all assumed 'water fountain'...
My point still stands, majority of them will have a type of 'recycling' system in place too, it will (ignoring overspill) go back into the spring/well or the system. It's not as efficient as an on/off tap but like said people from Rome are not going to change that any time soon.
 
OK, so the fountain you are referring to is called "Nasone" (Italian for "big nose"). In the last ten years–if not longer–the cities administrations installed a wheel on the fountains' side. Turning the wheel opens the water and when you release it the water flow stops.
For the AD with the foot: try to replace the novelty font (I believe it's Comic Sans?) with a different one, maybe serif font. Move the body text around to find a better balance between elements.
The faucet poster feels stilistically old, maybe it has to do with the blue gradient.
The "It Never Stops" poster has the text centered. Try to left-align it.
 
Levi: in the It Never Stops poster the drinking fountains appears three times! Maybe we're talking about different posters§' Have alook at it colsely and imagine it bi at lest as an A3. But ignore the grey footer; that's a total mistake, visually.

Rookie: thanks for the tips. The Faucet poster is from istockphoto. It's clean but I must say: its a bit boring too. Too plain... it doesn't seem to show anything personal from the author. Some of the Rome drinking fountains had been given taps, as you said, but in a few months they broke and they weren't replaced. It's mysterious as usual... like many other things about Italy...
 
1 poster has 3 'drinks fountains' in it, well thats great but they're over shadowed by the other generic 'african's without water' images which are actually stronger and more prominent.
The other's don't have these 3 images.... so my point stands
 
I'd say the green foot one is my favourite, visually, but it needs work. Constructive Criticism Bomb about to blow...
I think repeated stock photos of planets and water pumps bombard the viewer and offer little real communication. They're a bit detached compared to say one picture of one person benefitting directly from the charity's work, with that being the visual focus. Think of those charity adverts on TV: they don't just say "people are starving" and show a picture of a whole country, they focus in on individuals to show on the ad because it creates a more personal connection with the viewer.
Overall I'd suggest simplifying things. Go easy on the istockphoto credits. Give your text room to breathe away from the edges and try to connect it to the imagery in terms of how it's laid out. Oh and while Comic Sans might have its place, it's a quiet place in some forgotten room in the Home For Horrible Fonts, and never ever anywhere near a serious message for adults.
 
Hi Jim!!! Thanks. I agree totally. Also, I think that vertical writing doesn't work well in communication. About Comic Sans... I don't like them as well. I used them only to indicate a dialogue between conservatives and innovators, but there now I've found a solution for that; for example I can design a comic cloud and then use fonts that are not directly associated to comics.
I'm glad you like the foot print one because the green foot is the only image I didn't take from istockphot.
Another thing about It Never Stops; my main objective is persuading authorities,- for example the mayor of Rome - to actaully put some taps on the drinking fountains. I think it's not an unreasonable thing to ask and not very expensive. I don't think people from Rome would complain about that.

Thanks again! Speak soon :)
 
No; then I decided not to use the comic clouds because they look tacky in the poster.
In fact I don't really need the comic-style dialogue at all, because I made it only to comply wih the contest rules. Now I'm doing it independently, so in one poster i'v removed it.
They both look a bit empty, though...

Now I'm working on It Never Stops. That is the most important because the aim is more "tangible"...
 

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