Website Design

So an integral part of the campaign is a website where users can find out more about the campaign but can also become directly involved themselves.

there would be an information page

a gallery area; containing a wide variety of objects

thought it might be a nice idea to separate the gallery section into two - one would be items that the campaign itself wants to feature and the other would be user generated.

The final section would be an area where companies could represent themselves

Receipts

So I was thinking about other ways in which the campaign could reach people.

Initially I though that it could be an idea to promote using rubbish trucks so when they're driving around town people would think about what they're throwing away.

So I mocked up one of the posters on a rubbish truck.

But this really wasn't working for me. I wasn't that keen on the image I would have preferred the truck to be in a more residential area.

Thinking again about how people could become aware of the campaign and in order to target those who were buying new objects. I thought it could work if consumers could see the campaign on their receipts. 

Therefore, as soon as they purchase an item they are immediately thinking about the future this item will have an could be made aware of the opportunities available to them as a consumer if their product were to break or go out of style.

So I took a photo of me holding a receipt from Jessops and overlayed a poster which I made using the back shot of the mouse.

Featured Objects

So after making three poster designs I then felt that I should choose a wider selection of items that would be the feature of the campaign - they could be used in the presentation as examples but also within the website and on the posters.

After editing certain products came out better than others. Some of the ones that felt a bit flat were:

Kitchen Scales:

I just felt this photo was a bit awkward and there was a glare right where the numbers on the scales were.

A pair of tights with a ladder in:

I really liked the idea of using the tights as there is a relevant story that in the past a company managed to make ladderless tights but were told by the head of the company to stop making them as people wouldn't keep buying them.

However, I feel the pose of the foot is a little awkward and it wasn't as well lit as some of the other images.

A plastic coca cola bottle:

one of those things that people tend to throw away again and again. However, thinking about it again lots of people do recycle these and I am uncertain that there would be many other things you could do with this object once it has been used.

Here are some of the other photos I was more happy with.

Poster Campaign

With some of the new photography and a change in colour scheme to silver - I have so far created three potential posters for billboards.

With the objects as the main focus, the poster simply contains the image of the object and the title of the campaign 'The Secret Life of Objects.' rather than 'The Secret Life of Products', which is presented in these photographs.

Making the used and broken appear beautiful.

So I started trying to photograph this phone but decided to try instead with a black background.

I started thinking about advertising which makes products appear beautiful - perhaps trying to sell them for more money than they are worth.

It made me think of the beats headphones and I came across these adverts.

The black background with the spotlight makes the object seem so important and luxourious - untouchable.

Could I re-create this my used and worn items.

I would love to try and create that allure you had for the item when you originally bought it.

I was also not really happy with the name 'Oboslete'

I felt it had negative connotations.

What I wanted to focus on was the positive side - the ability to breathe new life into these so called 'obsolete items.'

So for the minute I am going to work with the name

'The secret life of products.'

However, other words I've been thinking of include: rejuvenate, resuscitate , rebirth.

Make Do and Mend Short Film

So I wanted to start researching more into the make do and mend culture and came across this awesome video.

Sustainible Shops

From reading the Sustain magazine associated with the Channel 4 Closet Swap I came across a couple of  sustainably aware clothing shops.

What I really want to take away form these, and what I feel my project is lacking, is a real sense of positivity. Even through the use of colours and the narratives they tell it makes you want to be involved as it has that positive feel about it.

Ta Daa

Ta Daa makes everyday magic, transforming unwanted fabrics into beautiful and creative clothes for children.
Find out more about What We Do, the Upcycling Process, the Materials and Production Methods we use and our Designers.




Like with the last two campaigns this company has a section all about community and they invite you to browse their gallery and connect to the company through Facebook.

Shwopping!

Looking at the Channel 4 closet swap reminded me of this campaign that Marks and Spencer launched a little while ago called shwopping.

The basic idea is that everytime you go in to buy a new piece of clothing you donate one at the same time.

M&S will then give this piece of clothing to Oxfam.

To launch the event, Marks and Spencer placed thousands of pieces of clothes all around the Truman Brewery and the area surrounding it in East London.

Here are some snaps of the event.

There is also a nice little introductory video on the website here:

http://social.marksandspencer.com/latest/joanna-lumley-and-ms-launch-shwopping/

And here is the TV advert:




Like with the Closet Swap campaign, an important part is the interactivity; using the associated Facebook application, you can earn point and special awards, vote on other peoples clothes as to whether they should shwop or not and enter yourself into prize draws.

There are also leader boards - one for the person with the highest number of shwops and one for the store with the highest amount of clothes.

After you shwop you are given a code for your mobile phone which, like the closet swap, means the campaign is with you wherever you go.

Another thing I noticed form the campaign was the mentioning of the history and future of a product - something which I could think about with the products I have been looking into.

Article in the Guardian about the new campaign

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/apr/26/marks-spencer-shwopping-scheme

Channel 4 Closet Shop

Just came across a new interactive campaign Channel 4 are running called Closet Swap.

It's a campaign to raise awareness of sustainability within the clothing industry.

I noticed how the social side of the campaign was really important - being able to connect with your friends and view each others 'closets'. The fact they have an associated app is really clever - so you can take photos on the go and be connected with the campaign wherever you are.

I also really liked the map feature where users can see local sustainable or fair trade clothing outlets - this works so much better in the iphone app.

I thought the badge and point side of it was also interesting. As you use the website more, for example uploading your first photo, you gain points and earn badges for certain activities. This is a really interesting way of getting people to keep using the site - you want to earn more badges and gain points.

The ease of using this website is important - I found it a little confusing at first.

Lastly, I thought the fact they had a magazine connected to the campaign was really helpful as well as the fact they show designers who have some aspect of sustainability about them.

The vibrant colours give it a younger feel - maybe this is something I should think about depending on who I want to aim the campaign at.

Obsolete Website Design

After designing some posters for the campaign I started designing the associated website.

I wanted to keep the design simple and clean and make the products the main focus of the website.

I decided to have a pages that:

 -introduce the idea of obsolescence and what the campaign is aiming to achieve

-a gallery that contains a wide range of obsolete items initially found by myself but then could be added to by the public. The objects would be broken down into categories based on their reason for being obsolete.

At the moment these are: restriction, superseded, component and accessory.

-an area that is a place for company and consumer to relate to one another. Perhaps providing helpful information on their products and help in fixing items.

Here is the website so far - if it's a bit small to see then here is a link to the website:

http://www.alexbrittain.com/100.swf
or
http://www.alexbrittain.com/200.swf for a bigger version.

Obsolete poster designs

So, after deciding I want to completely focus on the objects themselves, I've been thinking about how I can communicate this idea using the objects.

I have been thinking about designing a website and campaign that highlights the issue of obsolescence but creating a database of obsolete objects and their reasons for being in this state.

 I would also like the website to be a place where companies could promote the longevity of their products and could communicate with consumers directly. It seems that with some companies and specific products you have to go through a third party if you wish to fix the item yourself.

Although I understand that companies obviously want to make money and it raises the question what would be in it for them? Well, as I have found there are some companies such a Vitsoe and Huit that use the sustainibility factor to their advantage. Also, I think you have to remember that oil, which is found in thousands of everyday products, is a finite resource and as the years progress and amounts decline what is going to replace oil in plastics as the only alternative available currently is worse for the atmosphere.

I wrote a tagline for the website/campaign which would be:

To inspire the longevity of products; both on a consumer and company level.

I then started designing posters; each poster would focus on a particular object and why it could be seen as being obsolete.