Infographic mock up

I have had a look at some other existing infographics related to fashion and recycling in order to get some inspirations of colour schemes and images for my own infographic.

This is a colour scheme that I love. Black and grey are both bold and modern colours. I carried out some research on the colour theory in order to look at what colours evoke not only emotions but how they make a certain brand look. Black especially is an extremley bold colour and this is colour that runs throughout re-gains website and advertising. The contrast with this against pink works really well in my opinion. Black almost makes any colour look better. Pink is a youthful , feminist colour and is very symbolic of fashion. It is engaging for an audience and the aspects of white and silver alongside these colours create a very modern and sleek finish to the Infographic. It is clear what the infographic is based on and that they have used sans serif fonts in order to make it easy for an audience to read. Just from the first glance this got my attention and I want to continue to read what else is written.

This infographic consists of yellow / orange tones and a calming blue tone alongside some bold colours like black and red that are very minimilistic in this poster. The orange and yellow tones are earthly and evoke a friendly image for the infographic. The style of the font used is very friendly and easy to read however the colour in some cases does make it harder. Simple effective images are used again to go alongside the facts and statistics. A lot of them are in red which create a sense of urgency and straight away the attention is drawn straight to the writing in red. The downside of this is that there are some chunks of larger text which can be disengaging for an audience and since I am aiming it at a younger set of people, I want to avoid this and condense the information I have found out in research as much as I can.

In this infographic , the colours blue and pink are very evident throughout. Blue is a very calming colour and contrasts really well with the neutral pinks and greens that are used here. Again the simple images that are used work really well with the information that is put across. The percentages and statistics are in larger fonts so straight away you notice them and are engaged.

Lots of the greenery is used throughout this infographic and again the colour red which creates the sense of urgency. Green is the colour that is used in the re-gain logo and all throughout the website due to its relevance with recycling. The layout , images , text and headings are all set out well which makes the infographic easy to follow however , the background and colour theme for me is less engaging than the rest.

Here is a draft infographic that I have produced. I have chosen the most relevant and the most interesting information to include on the infographic. (The Fashion Industry is one of the largest in the world however it is unfortunatley one of the largest polluters, the reason being fast fashion. It is 2% of the Global Gross Domestic Product. UK shoppers only wear 70% of whats in their wardrobe and the UK now send over 85% of texttiles we buy to landfill every year , that is enough to fill sydney harbour annually. Synthetic fibres favoured by fast fashion brands take 1’000 years to biodegrade and people working in sweatshops providing fast fashion work in terrible conditions) This is all information that I have researched and found out. To go alongside this I have selected some different simple images.

I am going to stick with theme of black , green and white with some neutral blue and pink colours for the image. I want the infographic to be inkeeping with RE-gain and the colours that are used throughout their website and social media pages. Furthermore I want it to be engaging at first glance and easy to read for my target audience.

planning documentation

treatment

working title

Recyclable Fashion Advertisement for an existing company called RE-gain. They are a company promoting recyclable fashion through the use of discount codes for online retailers.

target audience:

The target audience I am producing a promotional piece of material for are people aged 18-24. This is due to me using Instagram as a platform to display my promotional material. The people using Instagram the most are a much younger demographic. I have discovered this through primary and secondary research. I asked a group of people who fit in this demographic what social media platform they use the most out of Facebook , twitter and Instagram , 72% of them said Instagram. Therefor I am going to ensure that the content I create and put onto social media is engaging for a younger target audience. (student orientated )

summary of research:

I have conducted various pieces of research In order to decide what platform I am going to use to display the promotional piece I create, who my target audience will be, facts about the platform I am using , how to engage an audience, how to utilize hashtags and facts and statistics about the damage fashion is doing to the environment. Research is something I will continue to do throughout the project. Initially I carried out research into the company RE-gain. They are a brand encouraging recyclable fashion through the use of discount codes in exchange for old clothes. They don’t claim that they will change the planet or stop people buying from fast fashion retailers , however they want to try and encourage people to change their textile recycling habits. I carried out a quick survey asking a group of people fitting into the demographic that I am aiming to engage. I asked them wether they recycle , wether recycling in exchange for discount off clothes would encourage them to recycle and what social media platform they use the most. Not everyone recyled however everyone said that they would be encouraged to do so through the method that RE-gain are using. Through carrying out this survey it helped me to distinguish RE-gains target audience better and what platform I am going to use to display my promotional material. Following from this and now knowing that I am using Instagram as a platform , I conducted some research into Instagram and the best methods to get the most engagement from your target audience. Instagram is one of the most used social media sites amongst the ones that are out there. More than 60% of its users log on on a daily basis and it has the most engagement out of every other social media platform out there. As well as this I have researched Instagram demographics I have discovered that Instagram user demographics include 35% of US adults  with 1 billion monthly active users  and 500 million daily active users  . Its Stories feature alone boasts 400 million daily active users. Generally , Instagram leans towards a much younger audience than that of Facebook and twitter. It is more appealing to teens and young adults with its straightforward , photo-centric design and ease of use. After finding out this information , it is important that the content I produce is suitable and visually appealing for a younger audience in order to get the best possible engagement from them . I already know from primary research of my own that Instagram is the most popular social media platform out of the three I was considering using. Hopefully this will ensure that they are engaged and more people will be keen to use the RE-Gain app. This will not only benefit them as a business , but also the planet itself interms of reducing polution caused from the vast amount of clothing that goes to landfill. In order for social media marketing to work , you need an audience. This is the hardest part initially for any business or campaign as you are competing with other brands that have the same target audience. In order to help with this , I have conducted research into how to successfully engage an audience as well and utilizing hashtags as these are a key part of Instagram and driving engagement for brands. Since Instagram is very much visual based , I carried out research into photography for Instagram , and what types of posts people like to see on instagram so that I can gage a better idea of what I am going to produce. I also asked my target audience out of an infographic , and a photography based poster , which of the two is more engaging. To actually create the basis for my poster and the content that will go on it , I have carried out research into the effects fashion is actually having on the environment without us knowing. The Fashion industry is one of the largest in the world , accounting for 2% of Global Gross Domestic product. However , unfortunately it is now one of the biggest polluters in the world , the reason being fast fashion. I want to create promotional material that is not only raising brand awareness , but also raising awareness of the vast amounts of pollution happening due to the effects of fast fashion and how much clothes we chuck out that get deposited into land fill.

product:

I am going to be producing promotional material to be displayed on Instagram for a fairly new company called RE-gain. They are a company encouraging people to recycle their unwanted clothes in exchange for discount codes. I am going to either create an infographic that can be utilized on Instagram but could also be put up around colleges and Universities. Infographics are used to present research in a an engaging way. They add value by increasing peoples understanding. My infographic is going to be based on the negative environmental impacts of fast fashion companys. It is going to consist of the main facts that I have found out and using colours and large typography / fonts in order to present this. I have taken into consideration that RE-gain have a colour scheme of black , white and green so I am going to stick with this colour scheme in order to be inkeeping with their theme.

props/resources/equipment/location/cast:

I am going to be using Affinity Designer to create my infographic. I have chosen this software to use because I am familiar with it , I know how it works and you can achieve great effects from it.

production schedule:

Here is my production schedule so far. I plan to produce a font and colour mood board for the infographics and working out what colours look best.I am also going to create mock up sketches to RE-gain who I am producing content for and confirm all of this with the company. Once they I have I can start creating the posters themselves and sending them to the brand to put out. I will possibly have to create a seperate schedule for when the images will actually be put out onto social media in order to get the most engagement from the target audience I am aiming to engage. Within the schedule , I am going to ensure that I know what comments I am using , captions , hashtags for each time I upload it.

Here is my schedule in terms of scheduling my post to go out. I have based this off all my previous research on hashtags , the best times to upload on instagram, the best ways to engage an audience. My research has shown that there is much better engagement on weekdays , therefor I wont be sheduling the post to go out on a saturday or a sunday. The peak times to upload are between 7pm and 9pm in the evening , and apparently 5pm is the peak time for a wednesday therefor I am going to schedule the post for then. Instagram polls and stories are a great way to engage the audience. The second post is going out Thursday with hashtags and a caption due to the fact these are great ways for engaging. The Final post will be on facebook in order to make a contrast again Instagram .

Typography and fonts

I am now going to begin looking at different fonts and colours that I can use within my practical piece and also explore the different techniques within affinity designer that I can use to create the best possible graphics on my infographic.  I am also going to look into the connotations of colours and fonts , what they mean when you first see them but also the deeper meanings behind them and what can be decoded from them.

Type faces and the way that they are used evoke great emotion which is why i want to focus on using them in the correct way in my posters .  Type can be seen as mirroring the emotions we display in the real world. I want my target audience to understand my infographic and be interested in it from the first glance.I don’t want to be using lots of elaborate text within my posters that I create as this isn’t suitable for my target audience. I need it to be reader friendly and also clean and easy to read due to the fact that infograhics are a way of condensing lots of information. I found out that by using different types of fonts the audience can determine the most important points of your presentation just by looking at it. This also makes it easier for them to follow along.

Font choices are what people see at first glance and people may judge the rest of the poster purely through the font choice. They often set the tone for the whole design and they can also influence people who are looking at the posters in terms of interacting with the design. ‘bad typographic choices always distract from your design’s message and intentions.’ Type influences what we read and affects our choices because we all instinctively understand what it is trying to tell us.

Typefaces have their own personality and its important that I determine what font fits best with what I want to achieve with my target audience. My target audience is mainly people aged 18-24 as this is the biggest demographic who use Instagram, therefor I want something that looks fun and eye-catching but also serious at the same time due to the fact I am aiming to raise awarness of the negative effects fashion is having on the environment. I am going to create a moodboard full of different type faces , colours and images to use on my infographic.

The best typography for infographics

People are definetly more likely to be inpsired by visual based things that look good rather than big chunks of text on a page. 40% of people respond better to visual pieces rather than plain text. In addition to this , including an infographic on social media creates a higher potential of going viral. This is key for me and what I want to achieve out of my infographic as I am aiming to spread brand awareness and raise awareness of the negative impacts fast fashion is having on the environment.

There are three main font families: serifs, sans serifs, and display fonts. Each font family has different purposes and common uses among designers.

The reason why people tend to use these type of fonts is because they are easier to read. Our eyes are almost accustomed to reading them because its the type of font that usually appears in newspapers and books that we read on a regular basis.

Sans serifs are best for section headers and large titles. Since I am producing an infographics I am going to use these types of fonts to try and draw engagement because they are larger. They are really easy to read which is certainly suited to my infographic as it is based at a younger target audience.

Display fonts are a type of fonts that are playfully designed. Designers agree display fonts should really just be used as headers to set the mood and theme of your design. Some popular display fonts are Alfa Slab One, Lobster, and Chewy.

The font used on the Infographic is really important as it has to match the theme and what you are trying to show. I want to inform my audience of the pollution that fashion is causing for the planet without us realising it. With this being said , I think I am going to take a more professional but simple approach with the font I am using. This makes it a lot easier for my target audience to read and understand.

Here is an example of an Infographic. The cretaor is using san serifs throughout and it is extremley effective.

It is very futuristic and it has an informational design that compliments the topic which is encouraging battery recycling for our planet. This is a very similar topic to mine so I can take inspiration from this in terms of the layout and the fonts used throughout. As I found out in my research on colour theory and colours alongside marketing , different shades of green are used on the infographic which is what I decided I was going to use on what I produce as it is not only in keeping with RE-gains logo , but it also represents a new lease of life.

References

Hyndman, S. (2016). Why fonts matter. London: Virgin Books.

Blogger, G. (2020). How to select the best typography for your infographics. [online] Marketing-partners.com. Available at: https://www.marketing-partners.com/conversations2/how-to-select-the-best-typography-for-your-infographics [Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].

infographics – colour theory

what is colour psychology ?

Colour plays a huge part in influencing people more than we think. Colour psychology. It is an area of research that looks at how color influences our behavior and decision-making. When colours are used in marketing for examaple , different colors can often impact the way buyers perceive a particular brand in ways that aren’t always apparent or obvious.

The colour red conveys emotions both positive and negative emotions such as power, passion and energy however also anger , warning and aggression. The colour creates a sense of urgency which is why it is has popular usage for sales. It also encourages appetite which is why it is currently used frequently in the fast food sector. It commonly attracts women rather than men. This would be a good colour for me to use in my infographic to create a sense of urgency towards the topic of the pollution of fast fashion.

The colour orange generates a feeling of warmth in most cases given its association with the sun. It is considered bright , light and fun so it is often used for non-corporate brands. Darker tones are associated with autumn so are often used by more earthy brands. This would be very well suited to my brand due its relevance to recycling which is very earthly and of course good for the environment. However , it is often considered a cheap colour which is definetley not what I want to portray or what the brand already portrays on their social media.

Yellow is very youthful colour representing happiness and again the sun. It conveys strong positive emotions. Some shades of yellow can often look dirty so if I was to use yellow , it would be a much lighter , brighter shade however , this can often challenge the eyesight for some people. This probably wouldn’t be ideal as I am aiming this infographic at a younger demographic therefor , I want them to be able to read it at first glance and not have to focus for too long. The colour more commonly attracts males.

Green is the key colour for me. It is the recycling logo and is synonymous with health. As people we have quite a strong relationship with green as it generally represents life. Through recycling clothes we are giving them a new opportunity at ‘life’. It is colour commonly used by healthy brands but also linked to growth and power as it is the colour of money. I looked at adobe colour wheel to grasp an idea of what shades of green I would like to use and what other colours work best alongside this.

Shades of blue clearly work well with green. The colour blue is very calming on the mind and it is seen as the colour of reason. Its also the colour of strength and wisdom which is why it used so widely. Blue is a really safe option to use and it does stand out. Commonly , the colour is associated with males and it is preffered by them over women.

History has shown that the colour people is a superior colour that is associated with royalty and the elite. It is used by brands that often want to portray themselves as prestigious and better. This isnt the brand voice that re-gain ar going for. They are a very much a friendly brand aimed at young people however , the colour is of course used within fashion and it stands out amongst others due to the Excess and extravagance it puts across. It is also a very feminine colour and re-gains target audience is very much male and female.

Pink however is very much the colour most associated with feminity. It is an impactful and accompanying colour that gives youth to brands. It is definitly a colour I am going to consider using on my infographic for this reason. It is also extremley positive and inspiring giving off the feeling of comfort and hope. The colour has been extremley successful for brands.

Black is a very powerful colour and is associated with luxury and power. This is used throughout re-gains website and their logo is also black contrasting with white and green. Highstreet brands are re-known for their simplistic black and white palletes which is what re-gain have achieved here. The sparing addition of a bright colour on black (which is the green in their logo) adds energy and sophistication. It is actually known to be very well suited to the fashion industry which is of course what my infographic is based on , however the negative impacts. The colour is bold and every other colour that is laid out against it , stands out. The second colour after green used on re-gains logo is white. White and silver represent cleanliness which is suited to this as they are aiming to in a sense clean up the environment through recycling old clothes. It is a go-to modern look which is what re-gain are going for since it is aimed at a younger target audience. This is something I want to carry on throughout the infographic I produce as it is key to maintain the brand voice. If the colour is poorly used , it can often look lazy and lack personailty however when it is used in the right way , it offers a modern , sleek simplistic look.

references

Kolowich, L. (2019). Color Psychology in Marketing [Infographic]. [online] Blog.hubspot.com. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/psychology-of-color [Accessed 18 Dec. 2019].

Helpscout.com. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.helpscout.com/blog/psychology-of-color/ [Accessed 18 Dec. 2019].

legal and ethical

It is important to consider the legal and ethical constraints of graphic design and also Re-Gain as an app. From the offset , I knew that I needed to ask for their permission to create content for them. I couldnt just use their logo off google for example , I had to ask them if they were willing to go ahead with the idea and let me create content , therefor giving me access to their logo themselves.

Copyright.

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Copyright defines who owns the work. Work must be original and creative to be copyrightable. With the Copyright Act of 1976, copyright is secured automatically when the work is created. Re-gain have probably got their logo and brand copyrighted therefor it was important that I asked them for permission.

Font Liscensing.

Fonts are creative and intellectual property. Typefaces are the result of extensive research, study, and experimentation, and for some designers the creation of typefaces is their livelihood. The right to use fonts is licensed, and the right to use a font designed by someone else isacquired from the foundry that created the font and is granted in the form of an end-user license agreement.

To ensure that you are complying with font licensing standards, you can use the following guidelines:

1) Make sure you have a license for all fonts that you are using.

2) When installing new fonts on your computer, make sure you also obtain the license to use it.

3) If you have questions about a font license contact the vendor.

4) Don’t lend or give fonts to others to use unless you originally licensed the font for multiple users and you are sharing only with those designated as multiple users in the license agreement.

5) When downloading fonts that are available for free, be sure to check their license agreement for correct usage. The types of usage allowed can vary from personal use to educational use to commercial use.

When creating my Infographic , I am going to use fonts that are already exsisting on the software that are free and accessable for everyone to use.

Image usage rights

Whether you are buying or selling image usage, the rights to use photography, illustration, and other types of media varies and depends on a number of factors. Re-gain have given me access to the logo they have and the images that they use therefor I have the right to use them on the infographic I produce.

References

Ethicsingraphicdesign.org. (2020). image usage rights – Ethics in Graphic Design. [online] Available at: http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/legalities/image-usage-rights/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].

Ethicsingraphicdesign.org. (2020). copyright – Ethics in Graphic Design. [online] Available at: http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/legalities/copyright/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].

Ethicsingraphicdesign.org. (2020). font licensing – Ethics in Graphic Design. [online] Available at: http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/legalities/font-licensing/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].