This is an unusual poster because it isn't for an event, nor is it for a research project so to speak. I wanted it to be visual, but my main priority has been to get the text right. Because this is a first, there's much more writing than I'd like on the poster ("show don't tell!!!" the Pixar man screams at me).
Ideas
I thought about how I wanted this project not to alienate anybody. I wanted to make an accessible poster that would be attractive to people with Disabilities. Many people I know of who are homeschooled have Disabilities, so it really wouldn't make sense to exclude them.
I wanted the tone to be casual and friendly. Billie Eilish is a key influence on this project, hence keeping the words all lowercase. Call it a homage.
It's important to me that I communicate the fact that I am not looking for a dramatic tale, nor do I feel the need to pry into what goes on in the lives of homeschoolers, partly because I was homeschooled and so I'm fairly educated on the topic. I'm not a random reporter asking 21 leading questions. I want to enquire, not "look", as if I am looking in on someone's personal life through the window as an outsider. I want everyone involved to have the option to refuse me if they find a question too personal. I want them to know that on some level we can relate to each other, there will be some shared understanding.
I wanted to make it clear that I didn't just tolerate, even welcome or encourage these guys to apply, that I would prioritise their involvement over someone who isn't in a marginalised group. You can say you'll consider them, but the average person... If they've got an abled, confident, charismatic and reliable contributor vs. a Disabled contributor who has their own needs that need to be met and perhaps struggles not to go off on tangents due to nerves or their processing... Who would they most likely chose? The easy one. The one they get on with most. The one that requires least editing.
Design approach 1
I've never really made a callout poster before in InDesign. Here's my first attempt from Feb 3rd:
Was very bad. I didn't want to include visuals because I thought it'd become too specific, thinking bold colours would make the poster stand out. Showed it to a friend who considered colour blindness might be an issue. So I sent to a mutual friend of ours who is colour blind and possesses more than one visual impairment. Asked for brutal honesty. Got brutal honesty. Layout and colours too overpowering and very difficult to navigate. Back to the drawing board.
Design 2
This design was driven by functionality primarily. I worked in Arial and I had a play with font, size, layout, kerning and spacing. I made a lot of changes along the way, for example I set up an email address for the project and chose a name. I realise I have to do this. I decided on unschooled, but this changed slightly due to the email addresses all being taken. I now write it as un.school.ed because it stands out and "ed" can also be short for education.
Now I needed a sketch... Even a doodle would do.
Thumbnail sketching
I found a new park recently called Elida Gibbs in Burley, not many people know about it, it's so nice and quiet. I took my sketchbook one afternoon when the sun was shining and had a go at sketching out some ideas for laying out the text. This an incidental point, but these self portraits are in direct sunlight, creating some unflattering sharp shadows and shapes across my face, that I have limited control over. With trial and error I could have worked with this, but now I see the problem whereas before my second to last tutorial with David, I didn't. That's why I need to use a scrim/defuser/reflector!
This helped me move through the process very fast.
Drawing
I originally thought to draw a child in a tree lined garden or wood. But I quickly moved on from that idea, I think in terms of practicality drawing trees is quite difficult unless I drew them super simplified.
I am not really sure why I consciously chose this image at the time, I was looking through childhood photographs on my drive. Sketched from an image my dad took, of me and my mum from my 1st or 2nd trip to Wales to see my grandparents, a day at the beach.
What I can say is, I have been consuming media about Wales, I'm learning Welsh. I love the beaches in the Vale of Glamorgan. As soon as lockdown is up, I'm headed there.
Sunshine has been on all our minds recently. We have two weeks until spring begins officially, but for many of us it hangs in the air like a carrot on a stick. Owen Jones speaks for us all when he gets emotional about it. The sun and springtime conjure up feelings of young fun, warmth and hope. I've made a little playlist of the songs drifting into my head.
It could be that I am reacting to the term "homeschooling" by challenging that idea of the environment, with education and play in an open space. Maybe it's because I haven't seen my grandparents since I was 11, or that my dad only lives a few streets away from me and we are estranged.
I drew this over two pages in my sketchbook using indian ink, a simple line sketch, which I scanned to digitally colour. Once partially coloured on Illustrator, I realised that I didn't need the lines at all and removed these in seconds.
It makes the poster take on a deeper meaning. I have made it less specific by simplifying it to the point where race and gender can't be assumed in the image.
Even more Iteration...
I have made so many versions. I have about 30 saved on here so far and it's not even done yet. I have a fair few tweaks to make:
The main conflict I had was between legibility and style.
After making my kerning consistent throughout, I am now having another go, this time working on text hierarchy and removing the main body text, which has changed again:
"my name is Maya. i’m 21, in my final year of university. until lockdown, i felt that the concept of homeschooling was misunderstood by many. it will continue to be misunderstood, stigmatised by the public imagination for as long as our childhood experiences of homeschooling go unrepresented."
... if you have a story to share, let’s talk and see where we go from there."
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